Our Lady of Guadalupe Sherpa Fleece Throw

More About This Artistic Reproduction of the Original Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

In my desire to become a better artist for Our Lord I turned to Mother Mary’s intercession.

As a teen I kept a magazine cut-out of an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in my prayer corner. As I prayerfully contemplated the picture of the artwork of Our Lady I found my self drawn to a more profound realization of Mother Mary’s presence. And yet with each glance I also became more aware of the aged, protruding seams of the garment, the water stains from the 1629 flood, and the overall soiled look that built up over the centuries before it was placed behind glass.

Inside my heart I felt driven to make a reproduction that would “clean it up” (if only a little) without altering the way it look originally in anyway. I so longed to see more clearly the way Our Lady originally painted it.

The History & Significance of the 1923 Remastered Image

This sherpa fleece throw features an artistic remastering of a pivotal piece of Catholic history. On May 18, 1923, renowned photographer Manuel Ramos was granted rare access to photograph the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe directly from St. Juan Diego’s tilma without protective glass. This opportunity arose during vital preservation and reframing work following a tragic dynamite bomb attack at the altar in 1921.

Because of this timing, the 1923 photograph captured the Virgin’s face in its purest recorded form. Between 1926 and 1931, during a period of intense religious persecution in Mexico, the original tilma was secretly hidden and substituted with a copy for safekeeping. During or around this timeframe, significant human retouching and heavy modifications were made to the original face. Comparing the official 1923 photographs to those taken in 1930 reveals distinct alterations: the hair was darkened, the nose, lips, and jawline were modified, shading was added to the eyes, and a double chin was painted onto the original canvas.

Our sherpa fleece throw features a meticulous, respectful digital remastering of that exact 1923 photograph. By stripping away decades of human paint touch-ups and degradation, this design restores the original, lighter skin tones, soft contours, and the profoundly youthful, exquisite profile of the Virgin as it was captured before the 1926 alterations.

• Available in 3 different sizes: small (30″x40″); medium (50″x 60″); large (60″x 80″)
• Edge-to-edge sublimation printing in vibrant full color
• Sturdy double edge stitching for a clean finish
• Back color is off-white
• Machine washable, gentle cycle, mild detergent
• Tumble dry low