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Lot Essay
“The first [illustrations] to adequately depict to the world the extraordinary scenes of the Yellowstone … Moran’s rendering of those natural wonders have long been acknowledged as the most skillful depiction of the park’s glories” (Best of the West).
Magnificent copy of the most magnificent book ever created to celebrate a U.S. National Park and “one of the most famous American color plate books, and the greatest American landscape book of the post-Civil War era” (Reese). Thomas Moran's chromolithographs rank among the finest ever produced, dramatically capturing the natural beauty of Yellowstone. Hayden, who headed the United States Geological Survey during its investigations of the mountain regions of the West, employed Moran as artist to the expedition. Moran's watercolors represent some of the earliest views made of the spectacular scenery of the then-unknown region and, along with the photographs of William Henry Jackson, who was the official photographer of the Geological Survey under Hayden, helped define the American West for the public.
The images and official reports were instrumental in gaining public support for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Moran journeyed further with the survey, recording views in Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah. Among these is "The Mount of the Holy Cross," which was inspired by the immense popularity of Jackson's photographs of the mountain. Moran produced his image during a special trip to Colorado in 1874; it was awarded a medal at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876.
The book was issued as a commercial publication by Louis Prang of Boston and marked "the beginning of his dominance of the finest American chromolithographic work in the last quarter of the century" (Reese). According to Bennett, the book is "marvelously reproduced ... hand work could never give the effect of perspective and distance achieved in the towering scenes reproduced here." This work was printed in a small number of copies and issued unbound, with the plates loose in a portfolio. Hence complete works, with none of the plates removed for display and retaining all text leaves, are very rare. Bennett p. 80; Bobins 813; Graff 1830; Howes H-338 ("b"); Reese Best of the West 189; Reese Stamped with a National Character 99.
Magnificent copy of the most magnificent book ever created to celebrate a U.S. National Park and “one of the most famous American color plate books, and the greatest American landscape book of the post-Civil War era” (Reese). Thomas Moran's chromolithographs rank among the finest ever produced, dramatically capturing the natural beauty of Yellowstone. Hayden, who headed the United States Geological Survey during its investigations of the mountain regions of the West, employed Moran as artist to the expedition. Moran's watercolors represent some of the earliest views made of the spectacular scenery of the then-unknown region and, along with the photographs of William Henry Jackson, who was the official photographer of the Geological Survey under Hayden, helped define the American West for the public.
The images and official reports were instrumental in gaining public support for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Moran journeyed further with the survey, recording views in Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah. Among these is "The Mount of the Holy Cross," which was inspired by the immense popularity of Jackson's photographs of the mountain. Moran produced his image during a special trip to Colorado in 1874; it was awarded a medal at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876.
The book was issued as a commercial publication by Louis Prang of Boston and marked "the beginning of his dominance of the finest American chromolithographic work in the last quarter of the century" (Reese). According to Bennett, the book is "marvelously reproduced ... hand work could never give the effect of perspective and distance achieved in the towering scenes reproduced here." This work was printed in a small number of copies and issued unbound, with the plates loose in a portfolio. Hence complete works, with none of the plates removed for display and retaining all text leaves, are very rare. Bennett p. 80; Bobins 813; Graff 1830; Howes H-338 ("b"); Reese Best of the West 189; Reese Stamped with a National Character 99.