Meyers, Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1885-1948)

Ralph Waldo Emerson Meyers
Born 1885
Died 1948

Ralph Meyers was an Indian trader, forest ranger, photographer, and painter in Taos, New Mexico. He is best known for his New Mexican landscapes. Meyers grew up in Denver, where he was heavily influenced by Western artists. He moved to Taos in 1909, and soon began forming friendships with Native Americans and local artists. Meyers began dealing in Indian artifacts and paintings around 1910.

Aside from painting oils on canvas, Meyers photographed the Taos landscape and Indians. He sold these photographs as postcards, making him the first artist to sell his work through a retail outlet in Taos. Meyers also sold paintings by other Taos artists in his shop.

Meyers’ work was included in an exhibition of Southwestern art at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe on November 24, 1917. His work was displayed alongside the works of renowned Taos artists, including E. Martin Hennings, Joseph Henry Sharp, Mary Ufer, Walter Ufer, Herbert Dunton, and Victor Higgins.

Further Reading: Porter, Dean A., Teresa Hayes Ebie, and Suzan Campbell. Taos Artists and Their Patrons, 1898-1950. Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, 1999.

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