Thomas Moran

born Bolton, England, 1837; died Santa Barbara, California, 1926

BiographyA native of Bolton, England, Thomas Moran moved to Philadelphia with his family in 1844 where he received his first training as an apprentice to a wood engraver. In 1871 he joined Ferdinand V. Hayden’s government survey expedition to the Yellowstone region and traveled west for the first time. On the trip he became a close friend of photographer William H. Jackson and the two worked together to produce some of first images of Yellowstone. Moran’s detailed sketches were the first color images of the region and along with Jackson’s photographs were instrumental in preserving Yellowstone as the country’s first national park in 1872. After returning east, Moran completed his first major western painting, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which was purchased by Congress in 1872. He went west again in 1873, this time accompanying Major John Wesley Powell to explore the Colorado River. He would become known for his immense, highly detailed canvases, many created in his Long Island studio. Moran made several other journeys west throughout his career and continued to paint well into his 80s.

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