Thomas Moran was an American landscape painter best known for his paintings of Yellowstone National Park in the late 19th century. His paintings, along with photographs by William Henry Jackson, helped promote Yellowstone and were influential in the United States Congress passing the bill to establish Yellowstone as the world's first national park in 1872. Moran's paintings focused on idealized landscapes and vivid colors rather than strict realism.

1. Thomas Moran’s Yellowstone
10:03

6. CONTACT

9. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

10. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

11. STAR TREK (1960s)

12. STAR TREK (2000s)

24. Thomas Moran’s Yellowstone

25. Thomas Moran

27. Thomas Moran & F.V. Hayden

29. Jay Cooke

32. William Henry Jackson

34. Thomas Moran & W.H. Jackson

36. W.H. Jackson’s Yellowstone

38. Thomas Moran’s Yellowstone

40. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1872

44. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1893-1901

45. Anne Twadell’s Yellowstone

47. COMPARE / CONTRAST

50. WHY?

51. “Every form introduced into the picture is
within view from a given point, but the
relations of the separate parts to one
another are not always preserved….
My aim was to bring before the public
the character of that region.”
(emphasis added)

52. “I place no value upon literal transcripts
from Nature. My general scope is not
realistic; all my tendencies are toward
idealization….The motive…was the
gorgeous display of color that impressed
itself upon me. Probably no scenery in the
world presents such a combination.”

59. ANALYZE

63. “March 1, 1872: President Grant signs the
Act Establishing Yellowstone Park into law
because of a report issued to the Public
Lands Committee which included Hayden’s
report, Jackson’s photographs, and Moran’s
drawings (not the painting -- unfinished).”

64. $10,000: June, 1872

65. “A uniquely American
combination of art, commerce,
and government fiat.”
— EXPLAIN?