Nephosthe weather behind the paintings

The painting is not reproduced here. The National Gallery of Art does not offer this image openly, and Marin’s work is represented by the Artists Rights Society.

See it at the National Gallery of Art

Transparent watercolour and black crayon on paper, 39.4 × 51.4 cm, inscribed “Marin 29”. National Gallery of Art, Gift of Norma B. Marin.

A study against the weather record

John Marin

Taos Canyon

1929 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2005.98.141

Marin wrote from Taos in July 1929 of six or seven thunderstorms at once. What did the canyon’s own rain gauge record that summer?

3.0mm of rain in June 1929 at the gauge inside Taos Canyon, the driest June it recorded; the storms began on 8 July.

“Six or seven thunderstorms” partially agreesDay unknown

The recordsThe painting at the National Gallery

The Nephos method

How this study was read

The method in full

  1. What is written

    A watercolour dated “Marin 29”, from Marin’s first summer in Taos, early June to at least 25 August 1929.

  2. Records of those days

    • Taos Canyon rain gaugeA Weather Bureau co-operative gauge inside the canyon the title names, 14 km east of Taos Plaza; daily rain, 1909–1943. Its July 1929 days match the printed monthly bulletin.
    • Taos townDaily highest and lowest temperature near the town, and the 1991–2020 normals.

    Not found or not yet searched

    • The National Gallery of Art does not offer the image openly; it is not reproduced here.
    • Marin’s Taos letters are quoted here from a museum label; Letters of John Marin (1931) would give their dates.
    • No Taos newspaper for 1929 is openly digitized.

  3. Each claim tested

    • “six or seven thunderstorms going on at the same time”, Marin, July 1929. The canyon gauge had no rain in July until the 8th, then rain on 12 days; the state bulletin reports showers and thunderstorms every day somewhere in New Mexico.
    • “the precipitation far below”, the Weather Bureau on June 1929. The canyon gauge caught 3.0 mm in June 1929, the driest of its 31 complete Junes.
    • The day and the weather of the sheet itself. Dated only to the year; no museum text describes its sky.

  4. Verdict

    Marin’s first Taos summer began in the driest June the canyon gauge ever recorded and turned, from 8 July, into one of its wettest summers: the thunderstorm season he wrote about.

    • Partially agrees“six or seven thunderstorms” A stormy July on the gauge and in the state bulletin; one gauge cannot count storms on a horizon.
    • Partially agrees“the precipitation far below” The canyon’s driest June on record; the bulletin speaks for the whole state.
    • UnknownThe day painted The sheet is dated only “Marin 29”.

What this cannot tell you. The viewpoint within the 21 km canyon is unknown. The canyon gauge measured rain only; temperature comes from the town, 12 km west and 390 m lower. Daily totals ran from one late-afternoon reading to the next, which splits afternoon storms across dates.

Step 2 · Records of those days

A rain gauge in the canyon

In 1929 the Weather Bureau had a co-operative rain gauge inside the canyon Marin’s title names, on a spur above the Rio Fernando de Taos, 14 km east of Taos Plaza. It measured rain only; the thermometer was in town. The July 1929 daily amounts for Taos Canyon in the Weather Bureau’s printed Climatological Data equal the GHCN-Daily values; the printed monthly total is 3.82 in against 3.80 in from the printed days.

Rain at the Taos Canyon gauge and afternoon highs at Taos, June to September 1929Bars: daily rain in the canyon. Line: daily highest temperature at Taos. June had 3.0 mm; rain began on 8 July and fell through September.10°20°30°102030°C, Taosmm, canyonJune 19291 June 1929: no rain in the canyon2 June 1929: no rain in the canyon3 June 1929: no rain in the canyon4 June 1929: no rain in the canyon5 June 1929: no rain in the canyon6 June 1929: no rain in the canyon7 June 1929: no rain in the canyon8 June 1929: no rain in the canyon9 June 1929: no rain in the canyon10 June 1929: no rain in the canyon11 June 1929: no rain in the canyon12 June 1929: no rain in the canyon13 June 1929: no rain in the canyon14 June 1929: no rain in the canyon15 June 1929: no rain in the canyon16 June 1929: no rain in the canyon17 June 1929: no rain in the canyon18 June 1929: no rain in the canyon19 June 1929: no rain in the canyon20 June 1929: no rain in the canyon21 June 1929: no rain in the canyon22 June 1929: no rain in the canyon23 June 1929: no rain in the canyon24 June 1929: no rain in the canyon25 June 1929: no rain in the canyon26 June 1929: no rain in the canyon27 June 1929: no rain in the canyon28 June 1929: no rain in the canyon29 June 1929: 3.0 mm in the canyon30 June 1929: no rain in the canyonJuly 19291 July 1929: no rain in the canyon2 July 1929: no rain in the canyon3 July 1929: no rain in the canyon4 July 1929: no rain in the canyon5 July 1929: no rain in the canyon6 July 1929: no rain in the canyon7 July 1929: no rain in the canyon8 July 1929: 5.1 mm in the canyon9 July 1929: 8.9 mm in the canyon10 July 1929: 2.5 mm in the canyon11 July 1929: 7.6 mm in the canyon12 July 1929: no rain in the canyon13 July 1929: no rain in the canyon14 July 1929: no rain in the canyon15 July 1929: no rain in the canyon16 July 1929: no rain in the canyon17 July 1929: 4.8 mm in the canyon18 July 1929: 2.5 mm in the canyon19 July 1929: 10.2 mm in the canyon20 July 1929: no rain in the canyon21 July 1929: no rain in the canyon22 July 1929: no rain in the canyon23 July 1929: 5.1 mm in the canyon24 July 1929: 14.2 mm in the canyon25 July 1929: no rain in the canyon26 July 1929: no rain in the canyon27 July 1929: 5.1 mm in the canyon28 July 1929: no rain in the canyon29 July 1929: 5.1 mm in the canyon30 July 1929: no rain in the canyon31 July 1929: 25.4 mm in the canyonAugust 19291 August 1929: no rain in the canyon2 August 1929: 6.9 mm in the canyon3 August 1929: 5.6 mm in the canyon4 August 1929: no rain in the canyon5 August 1929: 3.8 mm in the canyon6 August 1929: no rain in the canyon7 August 1929: 10.9 mm in the canyon8 August 1929: no rain in the canyon9 August 1929: 5.3 mm in the canyon10 August 1929: no rain in the canyon11 August 1929: 14.0 mm in the canyon12 August 1929: no rain in the canyon13 August 1929: no rain in the canyon14 August 1929: 2.5 mm in the canyon15 August 1929: no rain in the canyon16 August 1929: no rain in the canyon17 August 1929: no rain in the canyon18 August 1929: no rain in the canyon19 August 1929: no rain in the canyon20 August 1929: no rain in the canyon21 August 1929: 5.1 mm in the canyon22 August 1929: no rain in the canyon23 August 1929: no rain in the canyon24 August 1929: no rain in the canyon25 August 1929: 5.6 mm in the canyon26 August 1929: no rain in the canyon27 August 1929: no rain in the canyon28 August 1929: 20.3 mm in the canyon29 August 1929: no rain in the canyon30 August 1929: 2.5 mm in the canyon31 August 1929: 2.5 mm in the canyonSeptember 19291 September 1929: no rain in the canyon2 September 1929: no rain in the canyon3 September 1929: 7.1 mm in the canyon4 September 1929: no rain in the canyon5 September 1929: no rain in the canyon6 September 1929: no rain in the canyon7 September 1929: 3.3 mm in the canyon8 September 1929: 1.3 mm in the canyon9 September 1929: no rain in the canyon10 September 1929: 1.3 mm in the canyon11 September 1929: no rain in the canyon12 September 1929: no rain in the canyon13 September 1929: no rain in the canyon14 September 1929: no rain in the canyon15 September 1929: no rain in the canyon16 September 1929: no rain in the canyon17 September 1929: no rain in the canyon18 September 1929: no rain in the canyon19 September 1929: 2.5 mm in the canyon20 September 1929: 30.5 mm in the canyon21 September 1929: 14.2 mm in the canyon22 September 1929: 26.9 mm in the canyon23 September 1929: no rain in the canyon24 September 1929: no rain in the canyon25 September 1929: 5.1 mm in the canyon26 September 1929: no rain in the canyon27 September 1929: no rain in the canyon28 September 1929: no rain in the canyon29 September 1929: 1.3 mm in the canyon30 September 1929: no rain in the canyon8 July: the storms begin
Bars: daily rain at the Taos Canyon gauge (GHCN-Daily USC00298673). Red line: daily highest temperature at Taos (USC00298668). A thin mark under the line is a day with no rain.
3.0
mm in June 1929 in the canyon, the driest of 31 Junes
278.0
mm from June to September, the 3rd wettest of 30 summers
96.5
mm in July, from the 8th on
93.5
mm in September, the 2nd wettest of 33
Every day, rain in the canyon and temperature in town
1929Canyon rain, mmTaos highest, °CTaos lowest, °C
1 June0.023.93.3
2 June0.023.94.4
3 June0.025.60.6
4 June0.026.75.0
5 June0.026.15.0
6 June0.025.63.3
7 June0.028.32.8
8 June0.026.76.1
9 June0.028.94.4
10 June0.027.85.6
11 June0.025.01.7
12 June0.026.12.2
13 June0.028.93.9
14 June0.029.47.2
15 June0.027.86.7
16 June0.028.96.1
17 June0.026.19.4
18 June0.028.94.4
19 June0.031.16.1
20 June0.031.17.8
21 June0.032.27.2
22 June0.032.86.7
23 June0.031.77.8
24 June0.028.911.7
25 June0.029.48.9
26 June0.032.27.8
27 June0.035.07.2
28 June0.032.2
29 June3.032.210.0
30 June0.028.98.3
1 July0.027.88.9
2 July0.029.411.1
3 July0.032.26.7
4 July0.032.26.7
5 July0.028.96.7
6 July0.031.77.2
7 July0.032.28.3
8 July5.132.27.8
9 July8.921.711.1
10 July2.522.810.6
11 July7.625.611.1
12 July0.027.89.4
13 July0.028.98.3
14 July0.032.28.9
15 July0.032.810.6
16 July0.031.79.4
17 July4.833.39.4
18 July2.531.715.0
19 July10.230.011.7
20 July0.030.010.6
21 July0.028.910.6
22 July0.029.411.7
23 July5.128.912.8
24 July14.226.714.4
25 July0.030.611.7
26 July0.030.612.8
27 July5.128.312.2
28 July0.025.612.8
29 July5.124.411.7
30 July0.027.212.2
31 July25.429.410.6
1 August0.030.012.8
2 August6.929.49.4
3 August5.627.212.2
4 August0.027.211.7
5 August3.828.911.1
6 August0.029.48.9
7 August10.921.112.8
8 August0.022.211.1
9 August5.318.911.7
10 August0.020.011.7
11 August14.018.911.1
12 August0.026.110.0
13 August0.027.87.2
14 August2.527.87.2
15 August0.028.96.7
16 August0.030.07.2
17 August0.028.96.7
18 August0.030.07.8
19 August0.029.47.8
20 August0.028.97.2
21 August5.128.98.3
22 August0.028.37.8
23 August0.028.37.2
24 August0.029.48.3
25 August5.629.412.2
26 August0.026.75.0
27 August0.028.99.4
28 August20.328.99.4
29 August0.027.28.3
30 August2.529.412.8
31 August2.528.38.9
1 September0.028.39.4
2 September0.028.98.9
3 September7.125.67.8
4 September0.022.88.9
5 September0.022.85.0
6 September0.022.25.6
7 September3.323.96.1
8 September1.322.25.0
9 September0.021.7−1.1
10 September1.320.02.2
11 September0.023.93.3
12 September0.023.92.2
13 September0.026.71.1
14 September0.025.03.3
15 September0.025.03.3
16 September0.025.63.9
17 September0.024.42.2
18 September0.023.95.0
19 September2.528.35.6
20 September30.526.17.2
21 September14.220.68.9
22 September26.918.310.0
23 September0.021.112.8
24 September0.025.010.0
25 September5.125.04.4
26 September0.020.07.8
27 September0.021.14.4
28 September0.027.84.4
29 September1.325.63.9
30 September0.024.45.6

Step 3 · The claims tested

A dry June, then the storms

June brought 3.0 mm to the canyon, all of it on the 29th. The summer thunderstorms arrived on 8 July and returned through August and September, so that the season ended among the wettest the gauge recorded. Marin’s letter from Taos that July describes the sky he was painting under.

June to September rain at the Taos Canyon gauge, 1910–1940Each dot is one summer. 1929 had 278.0 mm, the 3rd wettest of 30.10020030040019101915192019251930193519401910: 239.4 mm1911: 270.9 mm1912: 176.0 mm1913: 254.5 mm1914: 265.2 mm1915: 162.2 mm1916: 180.8 mm1917: 139.2 mm1918: 213.6 mm1919: 224.8 mm1920: 233.8 mm1922: 135.9 mm1923: 183.5 mm1924: 201.8 mm1925: 248.0 mm1926: 163.7 mm1927: 314.3 mm1928: 186.9 mm1930: 195.2 mm1931: 296.3 mm1932: 189.9 mm1933: 261.7 mm1934: 253.2 mm1935: 226.2 mm1936: 220.6 mm1937: 273.4 mm1938: 199.4 mm1939: 165.3 mm1940: 222.9 mm1929: 278.0 mm1929: 278.0 mm
June to September rain at the Taos Canyon gauge, in every summer with every day measured.

“You can see six or seven thunderstorms going on at the same time. Big sun heat. Big storm. Big everything.”

Marin to Alfred Stieglitz, from Taos, July 1929, as quoted in the Art Institute of Chicago label for John Marin’s Watercolors (2011)

“The temperature of the month averaged slightly above normal, and the precipitation far below.”

U.S. Weather Bureau, Climatological Data, New Mexico Section, June 1929, general summary

“There were daily showers and thunderstorms at some point within the State”

Climatological Data, New Mexico Section, July 1929, general summary

Step 4 · Why the verdict stops at the season

Dated only “Marin 29”

The sheet carries only the year, so it cannot be set against one day. The Gallery publishes no reading of its sky, and its viewpoint within the canyon is unknown. Three different Marin watercolours are titled Taos Canyon; this study is of the National Gallery’s, 2005.98.141.

“a continuation of the thunderstorms of July. They were of daily occurrence”

Climatological Data, New Mexico Section, August 1929, general summary

“the country is so damn big”

Marin’s journal, Taos, 25 August 1929, as printed by Schoelkopf Gallery

Sources

Every source on this page

Each file was downloaded and given a fingerprint (its sha256). The page is rebuilt from these files and will not build if a fingerprint changes, so every number above comes from them rather than being typed in.

  1. GHCN-Daily, Taos Canyon, New Mexico (USC00298673)NOAA NCEI; U.S. government work · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 0cb047163d994a411de7cfde5d16db82f40f883c52de586147523ac0dc1fbdf8
  2. GHCN-Daily, Taos, New Mexico (USC00298668)NOAA NCEI; U.S. government work · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 d0681a31d6a3081e2a8fcdf7d7ce763dab641511a03cd44d746cca85457769f3
  3. NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals, Taos (USC00298668)U.S. government work · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 8351683bb37db498eada7f61c5d19210d0e241098acd57e9e51833548f36514c
  4. U.S. Weather Bureau, Climatological Data, New Mexico Section, June 1929Public domain · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 c9e9a1fb02ba9f032aa1de973f2b2abfab524ff13a1ad50fc80e379b4d19e6e3
  5. U.S. Weather Bureau, Climatological Data, New Mexico Section, July 1929Public domain · retrieved 30 September 2026 · p. 1 summary; p. 5 daily tablesha256 6760ad8604118dead027843facce13fc11aa78281e4e3c02b1d256c9b818862e
  6. U.S. Weather Bureau, Climatological Data, New Mexico Section, August 1929Public domain · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 bd0d808faacbc023331e586f86a58cca7e4c2e956de19628ea883121f6ced0f4
  7. Art Institute of Chicago, John Marin’s Watercolors: A Medium for Modernism (2011), archived label© Art Institute of Chicago; quoted briefly · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 55fd5a37cb712c561af4dcab7bb3a91211fbc4eb0fd2d6902dc7ed7a004ec36e
  8. Schoelkopf Gallery, John Marin, Dance of the Pueblo Indians, 1929© the gallery; quoted briefly · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 f782a4429a739f57b95c5b88c1d95afea31af379f64ee4b1b628a4d932211a5a

The numbers on this page, as JSONThe method card, as JSON