159

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artists work by Stephen Good and Phyllis Braff.

In 1871 Thomas Moran first visited what would become Yellowstone National Park as part of the United States Geological Survey. At the request of American financier Jay Cooke, Moran joined the expedition team funded by Cooke (the director of the Northern Pacific Railroad), and Scribner’s Monthly, a new illustrated magazine. Selected to be the recording artist, Moran kept a diary documenting expedition’s progress and activities as well as producing sketches and watercolors of the area. His work, along with photographs taken during the expedition, captured the nation’s attention and were instrumental in convincing Congress to establish Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872.

Moran went back to Yellowstone with photographer William Henry Jackson in 1892. Moran wrote “After a day at Norris we left for the Grand Canyon where we stayed two days and made a great many photos. I saw so much to sketch that I have determined to return there myself after I have been to the Geyser Basins and the lake and spend a week at work there. It is as glorious in color as ever and I was completely carried away by its magnificence. I think I can paint a better picture of it than the old one after I have made my sketches.”

PROVENANCE:
Walter W. Middlecoff, Los Angeles, California
Rosenstock Fine Arts, Denver, Colorado
Private Collection, Wyoming, 1987

EXHIBITIONS:
Annual Exhibition, no. 258, American Water Color Society, New York, New York, 1902
Water Color Exhibition, Philadelphia Art Club, 1904

LITERATURE:
Carol Clark, Thomas Moran: Watercolors of the American West (Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1980), p.134, no. 73

Condition ReportSurface condition excellent, no restoration, removed from frame, paper in excellent condition, no tears.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.