A member of the Taos Society of Artists, Couse was famous for his depictions of Native American life in the Southwest. Born in Michigan, Couse studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before heading to New York to study at the National Academy of Design. He traveled to Paris to study at the Académie Julien and the École des Beaux Arts and built a successful career painting portraits and scenes of the French countryside. After moving to Oregon, he began to paint the Klikitat Indians of the area. These paintings proved quite popular with New York art audiences. In 1902 he traveled to Taos, New Mexico for the first time and turned his attention to the Pueblo Indians. From 1902 through 1927 he split his time between Taos and New York, permanently relocating to Taos in 1927.
