Elk-Foot of the Taos Tribe
| Elk-Foot | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Taos leader | |
| Nickname(s) | Jerry Mirabal |
Elk-Foot of the Taos Tribe is a 1909 painting which is considered to be the masterwork of E. Irving Couse.
The painting was purchased for the United States national art collection by the well-known art collector William T. Evans and is now displayed in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The painting measures 78 1/4 x 36 3/8 in. (198.6 x 92.4 cm.)[1]
Elk-foot, whose anglicized name was Jerry Mirabal, began posing for Couse in 1907 and was one of the painter's favorite subjects because of his "physical beauty and ideal features."[2]
The painting seems inaccurate, however. A coup stick would be carried by North Americans, but not by the Taos tribe. The blanket Elk-Foot wears is from England, and his moccasins were from Couse's studio, and weren't used during the Taos period.
