Thomas Moran & the "Big Picture"

September 25, 2020 – ongoing

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Exhibition graphic for "Thomas Moran and the 'Big Picture'"

Artist Thomas Moran’s panoramic masterpieces, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (1872) and The Chasm of the Colorado (1873–1874), have returned to the Interior Museum for the first time since 1999. In capturing the natural beauty of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, Moran's monumental canvases shaped many people’s impressions of the American West in the 19th century and forever framed the discourse about public lands. Visit to appreciate these iconic landscapes and learn more about how they are uniquely tied to the history of the U.S. Department of the Interior. 

(900 square feet)

Resources

Accessibility 

  • Devices for listening to full audio descriptions of the exhibition are available to borrow for in-gallery use by contacting the museum. For visitors with personal devices, the audio description app is freely downloadable (iOS). The complete audio description tour only functions when on-site at the museum.
  • There are one-quarter scale replicas of the two Moran paintings rendered in three dimensions for tactile exploration. These are accompanied by guided audio descriptions.
  • Visitors with Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) may borrow EnChroma-enhanced eyewear to aid in seeing an expanded range of colors more clearly and vibrantly during their gallery experience.

Exhibition Highlights

  • "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), 1872, oil on canvas mounted on aluminum (84" x 144.25")

    A painting of a tall waterfall flowing into a canyon with steep walls.
    A painting of a tall waterfall flowing into a canyon with steep walls.
    Transfer via Public Law 81-603, 1950
    U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, INTR 03001

    "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), 1872, oil on canvas mounted on aluminum (84" x 144.25")

    Thomas Moran completes this painting in 1872, inspired by the scenes he has witnessed in Yellowstone in the summer of 1871 while serving as the guest artist on a portion of Ferdinand Hayden's government-sponsored geological and geographical survey of the Western Territories. 

  • "The Chasm of the Colorado" by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), 1873-1874, oil on canvas mounted on aluminum (84.375" x 144.75")

    Oil painting of the Chasm of the Colorado by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), 1873-1874, oil on canvas mounted on aluminum
    Oil painting of the Chasm of the Colorado by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), 1873-1874, oil on canvas mounted on aluminum
    Transfer to the Department of the Interior via Public Law 81-603 in 1950. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, INTR 03000

    "The Chasm of the Colorado" by Thomas Moran (1837-1926), 1873-1874, oil on canvas mounted on aluminum (84.375" x 144.75")

    Thomas Moran accompanied a portion of John Wesley Powell's survey expedition in July 1873 to the Grand Canyon with the intention of creating a companion piece to his acclaimed 1872 painting of Yellowstone. The result is Chasm of the Colorado, completed in 1874.

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