The Carson House & Museum

09/29/2026

TINTYPE PHOTOGRAPHY: PAST MEETS PRESENT
A historic process. A living connection. Using the Wet Plate process developed in the 1850’s, Don Jones created a portrait of Kit Carson’s great-grandson, John Carson. Join us for a discussion of the process and the dedication of the image.
As a Wet Plate photographer from Colorado, Don has made a niche creating fine art portraits of notable characters. His first foray into Wet Plate included making portraits of eight of the iconic Florida Highwaymen artists, followed by a feature in Cowboys and Indians magazine where Don created a wet plate portrait of Ernie LaPointe, great grandson of Sitting Bull, which years later inspired Don to track down his latest subject, John Carson, great grandson of Kit Carson.
Being drawn to authenticity, Don was excited from the start on this project. On the wall in the Carson House is a print of the first known photograph of Kit Carson, which was taken sometime in the 1840’s using the Daguerreotype process, the first photographic process. All other photographs of Kit Carson, where made using the wet plate process, invented in 1851, and used until 1868, when Kit Carson died. “To make a portrait of Kit Carson’s great grandson, on Kit Carson’s actual porch, using the same process used to photograph Kit Carson,
is about as authentic as it gets”. To add to the authenticity of this portrait, John Carson
designed and hand made his entire wardrobe, plus assembled his own musket r***e.
The portrait was created on May 27th, 2026.
Come out to the courtyard and enjoy a fascinating evening! October 3 rd at 5:00PM.

09/20/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/19zPCcoSbZ/

Quanah Parker with three of his wives, 1892.

Quanah Parker was a leading figure among the Kwahadi Comanche and later became an influential intermediary between the Comanche people and the rapidly changing world of reservation-era Oklahoma. This family portrait comes from a period when Comanche communities were navigating profound political and economic change after the end of the southern Plains wars. The image also gives us something historical portraiture too often leaves out: Native leaders pictured not only as public figures, but within their families.

Photograph by Hutchins & Lanney, 1892. Source/reference: Smithsonian National Anthropological Archives.

09/17/2026

Conversations at The Carson House & Museum Presents Louise Blair

Saturday, September 19, 2026
5:00 PM 7:00 PM

Join longtime Taoseña and history enthusiast Louise Blair for a fascinating look at the lives of Maria Ignacia Jaramillo Bent and Maria Josefa Jaramillo Carson. Through personal archival research, Blair brings these remarkable sisters out of the footnotes of history, exploring their resilience, relationships, and role in the Taos community during a turbulent era.

08/21/2026

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, August 22, at 5:00 p.m., for the next installment of "Conversations at The Carson House & Museum" featuring historian, author, and Taos County Commissioner F.R. Bob Romero.

Mr. Romero will present “New Mexico in 1776,” offering a closer look at New Mexico during a pivotal year in American history. Discover the people, communities, and cultural traditions that shaped the region long before and during the founding of the United States.

A ninth-generation New Mexican, Mr. Romero brings decades of research and a deep connection to Northern New Mexico’s history to this fascinating presentation.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

08/20/2026

Join us this Saturday, August 22, at 5:00 p.m. for the next "Conversations at The Carson House & Museum" with historian, author, and Taos County Commissioner F.R. Bob Romero.

Romero will present "New Mexico in 1776,” exploring what life was like in New Mexico during a pivotal year in American history. His presentation will look beyond the familiar story of 1776 to explore the Indigenous communities, Spanish settlements, and centuries of cultural exchange that shaped New Mexico.

As a ninth-generation New Mexican and author of "History of Taos*" and "Roots of Enchantment", Romero brings decades of research and a deep connection to Northern New Mexico’s history.