Joseph Elmer Yoakum (circa 1886-1972) was a self-taught African-American artist who drew landscapes in a unique and highly individual style. He was 76 when he started to record his memories in the form of landscapes, and he produced over 2000 drawings during the last decade of his life. His work is a prime example of outsider or naive art.
The son of a former slave, Yoakum claimed he was born on the Navaho Indian reservation and also stated that he performed in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and traveled the world as a performer for several circuses.
