Located on historic Ledoux Street in downtown Taos, the E.L. Blumenschein Home and Museum is maintained much as it was when the artist and his family were alive. The home is filled with a superb collection of the Blumenschein family's art, a representative sampling of works by other famous Taos artists, fine European and Spanish Colonial style antiques, and the family's lifetime of personal possessions. The home beautifully illustrates the lifestyle of Taos artists in the first half of the twentieth century.
In the early autumn of 1898, a fortuitous accident resulted in Taos becoming a great American art colony. Having recently returned from studies in Paris, young American artists Ernest L. Blumenschein and Bert G. Phillips were on a sketching trip from Denver to northern Mexico when the wheel of their surrey slipped into a deep rut and broke on the mountainous road just north of Taos. Ernest Blumenschein made the twenty-mile trek to Taos with the broken wheel. The ensuing delay gave them time to become captivated by the spectacular landscape and remarkable cultures of the Taos Valley. Thus began a great experiment in American art. Blumenschein and Phillips spread the word about the incredible beauty of Taos and urged other artists to come and see for themselves. Shortly thereafter, many artists came and saw; some of them came and stayed.
