E.L. Blumenschein Home and Museum
HeyTaos · Free Guide
E.L. Blumenschein Home and Museum
The home of Taos Society of Artists co-founder Ernest L. Blumenschein, preserved on Ledoux Street much as it was when he, his wife Mary, and their daughter Helen lived there. A National Historic Landmark, and the place where one broken wagon wheel changed the course of American art.
In 1898, Ernest Blumenschein and fellow artist Bert Phillips were on a sketching trip through the Southwest when a wagon wheel broke outside Taos. Blumenschein rode into town alone to get it fixed, and the two young painters became so taken with the valley that they stayed. The accident is often credited as the spark that built Taos into an art colony.
Blumenschein didn't settle permanently until 1919, when he bought a four-room house on Ledoux Street from fellow artist W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton. He and his family expanded it into its present layout by 1931 and lived there for more than 40 years. In 1915, Blumenschein, Phillips, and four other painters formed the Taos Society of Artists, which grew to 21 members before disbanding in 1927, by which point Taos was already a recognized American art colony.
A House Turned Museum
- Pre-1820s. The home's oldest sections were likely built before the 1820s as an adobe Spanish Pueblo style structure with a central courtyard.
- 1898. Blumenschein and Bert Phillips' wagon wheel breaks near Taos, the chance encounter that draws both artists to the valley.
- 1915. Blumenschein joins Bert Phillips, Joseph Henry Sharp, Oscar E. Berninghaus, E.I. Couse, and W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton to found the Taos Society of Artists.
- 1919. Blumenschein buys a four-room house on Ledoux Street from Dunton himself.
- 1931. The family finishes expanding the home to its present, eleven-room layout.
- 1962. Daughter Helen Greene Blumenschein donates the home and its furnishings to the Taos community, forming the basis of what is now Taos Historic Museums.
- 1965–1966. Designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Inside the Home
Rooms were arranged by Helen, Ernest and Mary's daughter, to look much as they did when the family lived there. The collection includes the Blumenscheins' own paintings, works by other Taos Society of Artists members, fine European and Spanish Colonial antiques, and the family's personal belongings.
Hours and Admission
Hours
10 AM–4 PM, Monday through Saturday. 12 PM–4 PM on Sundays. Weather permitting.
Admission
$12 Adults, $8 Seniors, $5 Children. Membership includes free admission to both Taos Historic Museums properties for a year.
Visit the Museum
Free Guide. The E.L. Blumenschein Home and Museum is featured editorially by HeyTaos because it's one of the most historically significant artist homes in the region, not because of any paid relationship. Confirm current hours and admission directly with taoshistoricmuseums.org before visiting.