Oscar Edward Berninghaus

J.B. Raven Gallery, Taos, New Mexico
Acquired by the present owner from the above

The painting is lined. Surface in generally good condition. Under ultraviolet light; scattered inpainting along top edge right and upper right edge, and in lower quarter to address craquelure in water.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In 1899, as a 25 year-old St. Louis-based illustrator, Oscar Berninghaus was hired by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad to complete a series of illustrations for promotional material.  The resulting trip was the young man’s first adventure into the American West.  Reflecting on that trip, in 1950 Berninghaus wrote;  “As we stopped and passed Servilleta, a station now gone, the brakeman pointed out a certain mountain lying toward the east; this he called Taos Mountain, and told me of a little Mexican village of the same name and the Indian Pueblo lying at the foot of it. That it was one of the oldest towns in the United States (he knew) and gave me some of its history, describing it all so vividly that I started on a twenty-five mile wagon trek over what was comparatively a goat trail” (Gordon Sanders, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Frontier West, Taos, 1985, p. 8). Taos Mountain and Taos Pueblo, as described to the young Berninghaus and as features prominently in Twilight Taos Pueblo, became a central theme and source of inspiration for Berninghaus throughout his career.