Oscar Berninghaus was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where he studied art in night classes. While a young man, Berninghaus first visited Taos, New Mexico, where he would later help found the Taos Society of Artists. Berninghaus had trained as an illustrator, and his paintings often have the straight-forward look of his commercial work. He painted without romantic embellishment, preferring to depict the Native Americans as they honestly appeared in day to day, 20th century life.