V5301

Hudson River School

Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran

Collins Cover Announcement

Hudson River School

Thomas Moran

A talented artist and amazing colorist, Thomas Moran was an illustrator at Scribner 's Monthly in New York City. During the 1860s he became the chief illustrator for the magazine, and so began his career as one of the very best painters of American landscapes.

By this period in U.S. history, the Hudson River School had expanded to include scenes from the American West Thi general and especially those magical landscapes from the Rocky Mountains. In fact, a group of artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Hill, and William Keith as well as Moran started becoming defined as the "Rocky Mountain School." In 1871 Moran was invited to join a United States geological survey expedition to the Yellowstone region. During forty days in the area, the gifted artist sketched and photographed over thirty different landscapes that inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872.

For the next two decades, he published his works in various magazines and created hundreds of large paintings. Today, most of them are in museums including "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" and "Chasms of the Colorado" in the Smithsonian. "The Three Tetons" hangs in the Oval Office.

It is an honor and a distinct privilege to announce that my cover for this artistic master is now available. Thomas Moran indeed painted America the Beautiful. Collins #V5301 —$15.00.