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Thomas Moran Art

American, 1837-1926

Thomas Moran was born in 1837 in Bolton, England. He was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York, whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains. Moran and his family took residence in New York, where he obtained work as an artist. A talented illustrator and exquisite colorist, he was hired as an illustrator at Scribner's Monthly. During the late 1860s, he was appointed the chief illustrator of the magazine, a position that helped him launch his career as one of the premier painters of the American landscape. Moran along with Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Hill, and William Keith are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Rocky Mountain School of landscape painters because of all of the Western landscapes made by this group. He began his artistic career as a teenage apprentice to the Philadelphia wood-engraving firm Scattergood & Telfer. He found the engraving process "tedious" and spent his free time working on his own watercolors. By the mid-1850s, he was drawing the firm's illustrations for publication rather than carving them and he began studying with local painter James Hamilton, who introduced him to the work of British artist J. M. W. Turner. Moran traveled to England in 1862 to see Turner's work and he often acknowledged that the artist's influence on his use of color and choice of landscapes. During the 1870s and 1880s, Moran's designs for wood-engraved illustrations appeared in major magazines and gift oriented publications. He was married to Scottish born Mary Nimmo Moran (1842–99), an etcher and landscape painter. The couple had two daughters and a son. His brothers Edward (1829–1901), John (1831–1902) and Peter (1841–1914), as well as his nephew Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930), were also active as artists. He died in Santa Barbara, California on August 26, 1926. Moran's vision of the Western landscape was critical to the creation of Yellowstone National Park. In 1871, Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, director of the United States Geological Survey, invited Moran, at the request of American financier Jay Cooke, to join Hayden and his expedition team into the unknown Yellowstone region. Hayden was just to embark on his arduous journey when he received a letter from Cooke presenting Moran as.. "an artist of Philadelphia of rare genius. . ." Funded by Cooke (the director of the Northern Pacific Railroad) and Scribner's Monthly, a new illustrated magazine, Moran agreed to join the survey team of the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 in their exploration of the Yellowstone region. During 40 days in the wilderness area, Moran visually documented over 30 different sites and produced a diary of the expedition's progress and daily activities. His sketches along with photographs produced by survey member William Henry Jackson captured the nation's attention and helped inspire Congress to establish the Yellowstone region as the first national park in 1872. The paintings of Moran along with the photographs of Jackson revealed the scale and splendor of the beautiful Yellowstone region more than written or oral descriptions, persuading President Grant and the US Congress that Yellowstone was to be preserved. Naturally proud of the role he played, Moran adopted a new signature: T-Y-M, Thomas "Yellowstone" Moran thereafter. After his involvement with Hayden expedition, Moran began publishing his work in various periodicals and produced several large paintings, including The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (1872) and Chasm of Colorado (1873–74), which were purchased by the US Congress to hang in the U.S. Capitol (now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum). Over the next 40 years, he traveled extensively. He was elected to the membership of the National Academy of Design in 1884 and produced numerous works of art in his senior years. Legacy The Thomas Moran House in East Hampton, New York is a National Historic Landmark. Mount Moran in the Grand Teton National Park is named for Moran.

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"Twilight in Arizona" original etching
By Thomas Moran
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original etching. Catalogue reference: Klackner 27. This is a rich, dark impression on wove paper, printed in 1885 for the Sylvester R. Koehler portfolio of etchings and publ...
Category

1880s Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Etching

Punting on the River Cam, England, 1885
By Thomas Moran
Located in New York, NY
“Punting on the River Cam, England” by Thomas Moran is a serene shoreline scene of fishermen setting out into the river.
Category

Late 19th Century Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Thomas Moran "Castle of San Juan de Vlua, Vera Cruz" Etching C. 1884
By Thomas Moran
Located in Atlanta, GA
Thomas Moran (American, 1837-1926). Thomas Moran "Castle of San Juan de Vlua, Vera Cruz" Etching C. 1884
Category

19th Century American Antique Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Paper

Grand Canyon of Arizona from Hermit Rim, Vintage 1912 Chromolithograph
By Thomas Moran
Located in Denver, CO
The Grand Canyon in Arizona from Hermit Rim by Thomas Moran. Early 20th century vintage color lithograph printed in 1912, signed and dated within plate lower left, titled lower cent...
Category

1910s American Impressionist Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph, Color

Communipaw, NY; January Thaw
By Thomas Moran
Located in Middletown, NY
A delicate composition of an industrial Hudson River town, seen from lower Manhattan; a view of what is now Liberty State Park. New York: 1884. Etching with aquatint on cream laid p...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Aquatint, Laid Paper, Etching

Passaic Meadows (In the Newark Meadows)
By Thomas Moran
Located in Middletown, NY
Boston: American Art Review, 1880. Etching on cream laid paper, 5 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches (146 x 230mm), full margins. Light uniform age tone, scattered handling creases and minor toning ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Etching

Grand Canyon of Arizona from Hermit Rim Road 1912 (Color Chromolithograph)
By Thomas Moran
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
IN PRISTINE CONDITION. A color Chromolithograph published by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912 after the original oil painting, “Gr...
Category

1910s Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Grand Canyon
By Thomas Moran
Located in New York, NY
Monogrammed and dated lower right: TMORAN. 1919.
Category

20th Century Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Oil

Thomas Moran Chromolithograph Print 1893 of the Grand Canyon
By Thomas Moran
Located in Rome, IT
Created by Gustav Buek from an original oil painting made in 1892 by Thomas Moran. The painting is today owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both w...
Category

Late 19th Century Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Lithograph

"The Harbor of Vera Cruz Mexico (Klackner 53)" an etching signed by Thomas Moran
By Thomas Moran
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This black and white etching by American painter and print maker of the Hudson River School in New York: Thomas Moran, is a rare Klackner #53 of the catalogue raisonné, depicting "The Harbor of Vera...
Category

1880s Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Parchment Paper, Etching

Thomas Moran The Grand Canyon of the Colorado Chromolithograph Print 1893
By Thomas Moran
Located in Rome, IT
Created by Gustav Buek from an original oil painting made in 1892 by Thomas Moran. The painting is today owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both w...
Category

1890s American Antique Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Paper

The First Ship
By Thomas Moran
Located in Missouri, MO
*See VIDEO included in pictures. Can send additional if requested. approx. 19 x 25 inches framed. *This work is included in The Thomas Moran Catalogue Raisonne Project (See Steve G...
Category

1860s American Realist Thomas Moran Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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Located in Southampton, NY
Historic original etching by the famous American artist, Thomas Moran. Done in 1883. The scene is Hook Pond in East Hampton, New York. The Maidstone Club golf course was later built on this site and remains today. Signed lower right in pencil "etching by Thomas Moran". Titled in pencil lower left. Sight size 5 by 7.5 inches. 0verall in most likely original thin black with gilt frame 9.75 by 12.5 inches. Condition is good. Not examined out of frame .Thomas Moran (February 12, 1837 - August 25, 1926) from Bolton, England was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains. Moran and his family took residence in New York where he obtained work as an artist. A talented illustrator and exquisite colorist, Moran was hired as an illustrator at Scribner's Monthly. During the late 1860s, he was appointed the chief illustrator of the magazine, a position that helped him launch his career as one of the premier painters of the American landscape.[1] Moran along with Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Hill, and William Keith are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Rocky Mountain School of landscape painters because of all of the Western landscapes made by this group.[2] Biography Thomas Moran began his artistic career as a teenage apprentice to the Philadelphia wood-engraving firm Scattergood & Telfer. Moran found the engraving process "tedious" [3] and spent his free time working on his own watercolors.[4] By the mid 1850s he was drawing the firm's illustrations for publication rather than carving them and he began studying with local painter James Hamilton who introduced him to the work of British artist J. M. W. Turner. Moran traveled to England in 1862 to see Turner's work and he often acknowledged that artist's influence on his use of color and choice of landscapes. During the 1870s and 1880s Moran's designs for wood-engraved illustrations appeared in major magazines and gift oriented publications. Moran was married to Scottish born Mary Nimmo Moran (1842–1899), an etcher and landscape painter. The couple had two daughters and a son. His brothers Edward (1829–1901), John (1831–1902) and Peter (1841–1914), as well as his nephew Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930) were also active as artists. He died in Santa Barbara, California on August 26, 1926. Yellowstone images Thomas Moran's vision of the Western landscape was critical to the creation of Yellowstone National Park. In 1871 Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, director of the United States Geological Survey, invited Moran, at the request of American financier Jay Cooke, to join Hayden and his expedition team into the unknown Yellowstone region. Hayden was just to embark on his arduous journey when he received a letter from Cooke presenting Moran as.. "an artist of Philadelphia of rare genius.."[5] Funded by Cooke (the director of the Northern Pacific Railroad), and Scribner's Monthly, a new illustrated magazine, Moran agreed to join the survey team of the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 in their exploration of the Yellowstone region. During forty days in the wilderness area, Moran visually documented over 30 different sites and produced a diary of the expedition's progress and daily activities. His sketches, along with photographs produced by survey member William Henry Jackson, captured the nation's attention and helped inspire Congress to establish the Yellowstone region as the first national park in 1872. The paintings of Moran along with the photographs of Jackson revealed the scale and splendor of the beautiful Yellowstone region more than written or oral descriptions, persuading President Grant...
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1880s Academic Thomas Moran Art

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Laid Paper, Etching

"Morning"
"Morning"
H 5 in W 7.5 in D 0.5 in
Grand Canyon of Arizona from Hermit Rim Road 1912 (Color Chromolithograph)
By Thomas Moran
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
A Chromolithograph published by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912 after the original oil painting commissioned by the AT&SF railroad. According to Nancy K. Anderson,...
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1910s Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

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Paper, Lithograph

Grand Canyon of Arizona from Hermit Rim Road
By Thomas Moran
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
A Chromolithograph published by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912 after the original oil painting commissioned by the AT&SF railroad...
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1910s Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

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Paper, Lithograph

Grand Canyon of Arizona from Hermit Rim Road
By Thomas Moran
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
A Chromolithograph published by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912 after the original oil painting commissioned by the AT&SF rail...
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1910s Hudson River School Thomas Moran Art

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Paper, Lithograph

"A View of Windsor" by Thomas Moran
By Thomas Moran
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Thomas Moran was born in 1837 in Bolton, Lancashire to two handloom weavers. The rapid industrialization of nineteenth century England soon mechanized the weaving process and forced ...
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Early 1900s British Antique Thomas Moran Art

"A View of Windsor" by Thomas Moran
"A View of Windsor" by Thomas Moran
H 19 in W 25.25 in D 2 in
"Tower of Cortes, Mexico, " Elaborate 19th Century Etching by Thomas Moran, 1883
By Thomas Moran
Located in Larkspur, CA
Elaborate late 19th century etching by Thomas Moran (1837-1926) titled "Tower of Cortes, Mexico"; depicting a river through a gorge topped by a castle turret with palm trees, full mo...
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Late 19th Century Antique Thomas Moran Art

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Thomas Moran art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Thomas Moran art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Thomas Moran in paper, etching, lithograph and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 19th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Thomas Moran art, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of William Trost Richards, William Bradford, and Jasper Francis Cropsey. Thomas Moran art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $350 and tops out at $875,000, while the average work can sell for $10,500.
Questions About Thomas Moran Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Thomas Moran, an American painter and printmaker, created 1,500 oil paintings and 800 watercolors, primarily of landscapes, during his lifetime. He was also a talented printmaker and mastered the arts of wood-engraving, lithography and etching. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Thomas Moran artwork from top sellers worldwide.

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