Thomas Moran, the Landscape Painter Who Altered the History of the United States Forever

Thomas Moran, famous American landscape painter and member of the Rocky Mountain school, wouldn’t know when he first picked up a painter’s brush in the early 1800’s that his paintings of the American West would forever change the history of the United States. Moran came from humble beginnings, as he was born in Bolton, UK, before moving to Philadelphia to escape the turmoil experienced by textile industry workers like his family during this time period. Moran spent the majority of is adult life in the city of Philadelphia, eventually taking up painting and reaping great rewards for his time traveling to western parts of the United States where he created his own interpretations of the land. Thanks to older artists that influenced Moran’s work, the opportunistic expeditions the young artist was invited on, and the publication which so dutifully employed the artists over the years, Moran would eventually go on to paint colossal works of art that would depict the allure of various western US landscapes, ultimately sparking the first ever protected national parks within the United States.

Once settled in Philadelphia, Moran followed the lead of older brother Edward Moran who defected from his family’s shared practice of hand-loom weaving. The older brother grew to be an esteemed marine painter of the 19th century. “It is scarcely probable that any of us would have been painters if not for Edward’s encouragement and assistance. Such ability as we had was doubtless latent in us, but he gave us our bent, and such successes as we have attained, we owe primarily to him”, (Anderson, 23). Once Thomas Moran did pick up his own brush, however he would have no idea how his indisputable talent would alter history forever. Although Thomas Moran was primarily influenced by his older brother Edward Moran, the younger brother owes his universally recognisable artistic ability to several more artists other than just Edward.

Once he began painting regularly, he expanded his knowledge of artistic approach and technique based on the work of older landscape painter J.MW Turner, (British native), who was known for his impressive use of luminoustic color. Moran practiced his trade by making exact replicas of some of Turner’s works including The Golden Bough. Thomas Moran traveled to great Britain, already accustomed to Turner’s work, to see for himself the subjects of the paintings that Turner created. Once there, Moran confirmed another suspicion he had only heard of when people referred to Turner’s work; that Turner had often ignored topographical accuracy. When visiting one of the landscapes that had been depicted in Turner’s painting, Moran noticed that he had moved a chapel from the left side of his point of view to the right, and inserted tall trees where they actually were not. Edward Moran once commented on Turner’s little trick, stating

“I once took a lot of Turner’s engravings of views on the English coast, and went with them, as nearly as I could judge, to the exact spots from which they must have been taken -at Hastings, Dover and other Southeastern points - going out in a boat and rowing about until I found the right place. Well, the result settled all doubts as to his accuracy. He is very inaccurate - willfully so. He would move a steeple from the left to right of a given point without scruple, but his were always possible changes; his knowledge of the forms of land and sea and cloud was so thorough that he could do pretty much as he pleased with them, and yet keep within the bounds of naturalness.” (Anderson, 28).

This is a habit that Moran would exercise in his future paintings as well.

Once Moran adopted this kind of artistic license with his own work, he began claiming that he used the landscape as a medium for creativity but not for precision. In Moran’s, Green River he had completely removed a schoolhouse, church, hotel, brewery, and a railroad which was being developed in full force by the time he had arrived in the area to paint. When confronted about this, he used Turner as his defense, stating, “The literal truth counts for nothing; it is within the grasp of any one who has had an ordinary art-education. The mere restatement of an external scene is never a work of art, is never a picture”, (Anderson, 28).

Moran was also influenced and motivated by Albert Bierstadt, who was an esteemed landscape painter known for his sophisticated interpretations of the American West and specifically, the Rocky Mountains. By the time Moran had set out West towards Yellowstone, Bierstadt had already had over a decade of experience under his belt. However, Bierstadt had not yet painted Yellowstone, and Moran was determined to give the American people something that exceeded all expectations as well as outshine Bierstadt’s artistic ability. As they both continued painting landscapes, their names were very much associated. Their primary incentives for such intense competition manifested as the topics of financial compensation and government affirmation.

Both Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt desperately wanted to be hung on the walls of congress. Bierstadt began lobbying for spots long before Moran’s paintings were purchased by Congress, but Congress thought Bierstadt’s selling price of $40,000 to be nonsensical. Years later, when Moran’s The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, as well as his Chasm of the Colorado had both been bought for $10,000 each and hung on the walls of Congress, Bierstadt once again began lobbying for his own spot on the wall. He ultimately won a panel of the wall, which left one panel bare; both artists campaigned hard for the final position, until Bierstadt eventually got the fourth panel as well.

Moran owes his monumental success to not only the experienced artists who inspired and/or motivated him, but also to the explorers who invited him on their journeys to map out the western United States. Moran’s first opportunity arose in 1871 when Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden, an American geologist and army physician, invited the young painter on an expedition to bring back data surrounding evidence of thermal activity, as well as a more detailed map of the Yellowstone Area. It would be Moran’s job, along with a young photographer by the name of William Henry Jackson, to create visuals for the landscape.

Moran would make many sketches of the area while he was there. He planned to return to his studio in Philadelphia after the expedition returned home, to paint his final product. A reporter from Scribner’s Monthly describes the Yellowstone area in which Moran had witnessed, “It seems unreally strange, like a dream-land, and he could hardly believe at times that he was not in a dream instead of an exploring expedition. He feels that he will need strong affidavits to defend his pictures against the charge of exaggeration,” (Anderson, 52). Members of the expedition who observed the wonder of the west pondered why actions had not already been taken to protect landscapes like this in order to preserve it from being paved over by people who supported Manifest Destiny, or the believe that settling uncharted land in America was not only unavoidable, but there was also justification for doing so. Hayden stated, “Why will not Congress at once pass a law setting it apart as a great public park for all time to come, as has been done with the not more remarkable wonder, Yosemite Valley?” (Anderson, 53).

The painting would end up being a fantastical depiction of a profoundly deep valley with vast, boundless canyon walls within Yellowstone. The massive work (14 feet by 18 feet) incorporated the use of brilliant color and light adopted by Turner as the viewer’s eye travels down golden canyon rock reflecting the warm glow of the sunset, into the dark shadowy depths that dip below the viewer’s visibility. Two figures,- a Native American and an explorer (said to be Hayden himself), point into the endless distance at a faraway waterfall. Moran’s use of dark shadows, a looming spindrift in the distance, broken and jagged brush, and a dead deer which can be seen in the foreground of the painting, serve as a warning to the American people about the effects of Manifest Destiny. The presence of the Native American alludes to the idea that Hayden’s team of explorers had help in mapping out Yellowstone. It was certainly something for the viewer to think about during a time period when Native Americans were disregarded as a barbaric group to be removed from the area,- that the presence of the Native Americans are as much a part of the land as the red canyon rock.

Moran had no trouble acting as his own publicist, as he would hold private showings and sneak peaks of his painting before it was even finished. Family members and close friends were invited to his studio where food and refreshments were available, while feedback and encouragements were also offered. One of the viewers of the painting, described its development,

“I knew the artist was going to paint a big picture, but I didn’t know how big it would be...Watching the picture grow was like keeping one’s eye open during the successive ages of creation - from darkness to the word Good. The outline was drawn in a single day. Afterword great streaks of, to me, meaningless color flashed hither and thither. I saw only hopeless chaos. Then blue sky appeared; by and by, delicate indications of cloud, mist, mountain, rock, and tree crept down the canvas, slowly gathering body and tone; till at last the artist’s full, glorious idea shone perfect in every part”, (Anderson, 89).

The glorious work of art was the final product of a sight he witnessed while on a geological expedition. Clearly, his successes would not have been a possibility if not for the opportunity that was presented to him.

The Chasm of the Colorado was the second of Moran’s most famous works. This painting was the result of famous explorer John Wesley Powell’s expedition to the Grand Canyon in Colorado in 1872. Once again, the artist made sketches and watercolors during his travels and then began painting his giant frame once he had returned home to his studio in Newark. This time, he had a lot of work cut out for him. He promised to come home with 70 drawings for Powell’s expedition artifacts, 40 for Appleton (a publishing company), 4 for Aldine (an American Journal) and 20 for Scribner's Monthly (a magazine he often did work for). He went about his work and building publicity for his new painting the same way he conducted business when painting The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, often hosting sneak peak viewing parties.

The concluding image was another impressive size (111¼ x 171) of pure crackling rock and deep dangerous depths that split the earth. Mist creeps through the cracks of earth as if poisonous, spreading toward the viewer. Dark storm clouds loom over the scene, and above all, a rainbow peaks out from the overwhelming sublime as a symbol of hope. Many publications called the painting “brave” because it seemed absurd that such a wonder would exist, and even more absurd that someone would even try to communicate the grandeur of the subject without hyperbole. Clarence Cook, a writer for the Atlantic Monthly during the 1800’s wrote about Moran’s work, describing:

“The landscape of Mr. Moran’s first picture was equally awful and desolate with that shown us in the present work, but its terror was lessened by the beauty and variety of the color with which nature veiled her work of change and destruction. Here, we have no such charm. We are led into a region where the eye has hardly a resting-place, no resting-place, in fact, unless it be turned upward to the sky. For this serene heaven - serene except where in one portion of it darkens with the wrath of thunder clouds and the stream of deluging rain - looks down upon the very pit of hell. Only Dante’s words seem fit to describe this scene”, (Anderson, 57).

It is because of the invitation from John Wesley Powell to join him on his expedition to the Grand Canyon that Thomas Moran had the opportunity to witness such a phenomenon and ultimately create his Chasm of the Colorado,- bringing him fame and fortune, and bringing the country a basis to discuss the possibility of another national park.

The third painting of Moran’s “Triptych”, was The Mountain of the Holy Cross. Together with the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and The Chasm of the Colorado, these paintings made up Moran’s three most well-known paintings. Moran decided to make a third trip to the Rocky Mountains after catching a glimpse of some photographs taken by William Henry Jackson of the Mount of the Holy Cross. Deciding it would be a perfect subject for his brush, he traveled by train and then hiked until he arrived at the perfect vantage point to paint his picture. The image depicted rugged terrain that came together until it pointed to the top of the mountain. A troubled stream also lead the viewer’s eye all the way up until it landed on a divot on the head of the mountain in the shape of the cross where snow rested. “He created an image in which holy water seemed to be streaming from the mountain with the cross of snow”, (Anderson, 59). Congress refrained from purchasing Moran’s third work of art, perhaps because of the religious symbolism which would have posed as a conflict of interest for the American government.

Moran had hoped to display his three favorite works as his “Triptych” via an exhibition called the “Centennial Exposition” in Philadelphia. When Moran tried to buy back the two paintings he had originally sold to congress, they refused.

There was yet another prominent, yet less acknowledged figure in Moran’s life who played a huge roll in his success, and deserves to be credited. Scribner’s Monthly was an illustrated literary publication that was popular among the American people only from 1870 to 1881, as the magazine was bought after only a decade. The magazine first medalled in Moran’s life when a reporter published a story called “The Wonders of the Yellowstone” which described an expedition to the Yellowstone Area carried out years prior. The article reported back to the American people about whether or not the rumors of geysers and mud pots were true. They were,- and it caught the attention of Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden who decided he too would journey to this remote part of the country. Cue young artist Thomas Moran, who was invited along the way.

Scribner’s Monthly further contributed to Thomas Moran’s success when the publisher of the magazine provided some funding for the young artist’s trip to the Yellowstone area. The magazine also published Moran’s watercolors from his first expedition to Yellowstone, bringing him not only financial compensation, but publicity as well. The magazine continued to publish most of his work as his career blossomed during years to come. Moran strategically secured this relationship with the publication, by relocating his family into the house directly next to the managing editor, Richard Watson Gilder. Gilder often saw the paintings long before the public eye, in private viewings in Moran’s studio.

On Christmas Day in 1872 Moran sent Gilder a gift with a thank you note, “accept this slight offering as an indication of the esteem and gratitude that I feel toward you, for the unselfish interest you have always evinced in my success. It is to you that I owe the great prosperity that has followed me”, (Anderson, 46). The words Moran expressed in his thank you letter were accurate; he would not have been propelled forward in his career without the help of the well-known publication and the team behind it.

Although his success did depend on multiple factors including experienced writers who influenced him, expeditions he was invited on, and the publication that gave him a steady source of work, what really ensured his name in the history books for centuries to come was the fact that his paintings (specifically ones from his trip to The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone) altered the course of history.

After Moran’s trip to Yellowstone with Hayden, Hayden presented a collection of unique artifacts from various geologists who traveled with the expedition, drawn maps from the cartographers, and watercolors hastily painted by Thomas Moran along the way.

The compilation was presented to Congress in 1872, and President Ulysses S. Grant ultimately declared the park should protected, and become apart of the National Parks System. “The watercolors of Thomas Moran and the photographs of the Geology Survey were the most important exhibits brought before the committee. They… convinced everyone who saw them that the region where the wonders existed should be carefully preserved to the people forever”, (Anderson, 53).

Moran’s Yellowstone sketches ultimately convinced the President and the rest of Congress to make the Yellowstone area into a National Park. Yellowstone National Park’s reason for existence was to combat the growing acceptance of the idea of Manifest Destiny as a justification for land acquisition in America. Today, Yellowstone National Park is one of the first of the 58 national parks of the United States. Moran incorporated threats of Manifest Destiny in his massive paintings such as The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Today, just about 3.8 million people have visited Yellowstone National Park. If it wasn’t for Moran’s images, Yellowstone may have been paved over, or at least have been made into private property.

In the name of Yellowstone National Park, Moran will always be remembered for the contributions he made to the preservation of nature in the United States. The painter would never be able to claim such accomplishments without the influence of more experienced painters, invitations he received to various expeditions, and the famous publication that dutifully and consistently published his work.