#BigPictureMorans

This video is part of the #BigPictureMorans campaign, done as a companion piece to the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum's exhibition, "Thomas Moran & the 'Big Picture." Join Interior Museum curator Tracy Baetz and Yellowstone National Park historian Alicia Murphy in a conversation from July 28, 2021.

On this day 150 years ago, artist Thomas Moran—who joined the 1871 Hayden Geological Survey expedition to document tales of a rugged landscape now known as Yellowstone—arrived at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. He could only carry limited art supplies on this journey, so he relied on rough sketches and watercolors to develop into more detailed pieces later on. Moran was captivated with the colors of the canyon, and his work culminated in 1872 in the large, iconic landscape painting, "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone."

Follow #BigPictureMorans on social media with the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum and Yellowstone National Park as they share entries from Thomas Moran's diary, museum artifacts, repeat photography of various landmarks, and other resources to learn about the group's 1871 journey.