Thomas_Moran

Thomas Moran (1837-), American artist, was born at Bolton, Lancashire, England, on the 12th of January 1837, and emigrated with his parents to America in 1844, the family settling in Philadelphia. After having been apprenticed for some years to a wood-engraver, he studied under his brother Edward and under James Hamilton, in Philadelphia, and later studied in London, Paris and Italy. In 1871 he accompanied Professor F. V. Hayden's exploring expedition to the Yellowstone, and in 1873 he went down the Colorado with Major W. Powell's famous exploring party; and on these two trips he made sketches for two large pictures, "The Grand Canon of the Yellow-stone" and "Chasm of the Colorado River," both of which were bought by the United States government and are now in the Capitol at Washington. He became a member of the National Academy of Design in 1884 and of the American Water Color Society. His wife, Mary Nimmo Moran (1842-1899), who was born in Strathaven, Scotland, and emigrated to America in 1852, was also an artist, and was particularly prominent as an etcher.