Grand Canyon Arizona Hermit Rim Road by Moran Thomas (7 results)

Elephant folio chromolithograph print, 34¼ x 25 inches, plus margins. In fine condition. This majestic print is the largest and most dramatic of Thomas Moran's printed works. It was published by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912, after the original oil commissioned for (and still owned by) the line. It shows a tremendous sweep of the scenery of the Grand Canyon from Hermit Rim, with the bright colors of the Canyon shown dramatically against the turbulent sky. Thomas Moran, famous for his superb landscapes of the West, first painted the Grand Canyon in 1873 when he created his "Chasm of the Colorado," which he sold to Congress the following year. In 1892 he visited the Canyon as a guest of the Santa Fe Railroad, whose line now brought tourists within easy reach, and painted a large canvas for the line in return for a free trip. The Santa Fe Railroad completed a spur line to the rim in 1901, and consistently sponsored "artist's excursions" there from 1901 to 1912, as well as purchasing paintings to serve as a basis for promotional efforts. In 1912 the railroad capped twenty years of association with Moran by commissioning this picture and producing this large chromolithograph. Almost all copies of this Moran print were soon distributed by the Santa Fe Railroad as a promotional gift. Few of these have survived, generally being badly framed, usually without glass, and displayed in poor conditions. A small number remained in the archives of the railroad, and so have retained their untrimmed and pristine state. The present copy is one of these, an attractive copy of Moran's most striking printed image. Nancy K. Anderson, ed., THOMAS MORAN, pp.301, 320 (detail).

Chromolithograph. Condition: Very Good. A large, gorgeous chromolithograph print reproduced from a painting by Thomas Moran, which is preserved in the original railroad company frame. The print measures about 35 x 26 inches while the frame measures approximately 40.5 x 32 inches. Moran's last name and the date 1912 are printed in the bottom left corner of the image. The frame is in near fine condition with minor chipping to paint. AT & SF is painted on the bottom, but the plaque is missing. Item has not been examined out of frame. The print appears to be in very good condition with a small number of tiny white abrasions. A sheet affixed to the back of the frame states that this item was given to Harry Rubenstein of the American Iron and Metal Company in Cushing, Oklahoma by the Santa Fe Railway Company in 1952. A photo of Moran and an old listing are also affixed. A plastic presentation plaque is screwed to the bottom of the back of the frame. Thomas Moran (1837-1926) was a painter and printmaker known for his depictions of some of the American West's most scenic landscapes. Moran first traveled to the Grand Canyon in 1873 on an expedition with John Wesley Powell and returned there throughout his career. In 1912, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad commissioned Moran for an original oil painting of the Grand Canyon. At the time, that railroad ran the only direct route to the Grand Canyon and it used Moran's image to promote travel there. The image is a sweeping, colorful view deep into the gorge from the canyon's south rim. Just as was intended when Moran produced the image over 100 years ago, this print inspires the viewer to seek out the stunning panoramas found along the Hermit Rim Road.

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. Broadsheet chromolithograph (Image: 26 1/4 X 35 1/4; 66.7 X 89.5 cm. Sheet: 31 1/4 x 39 1/2 in.; 79.4 x 100.3 cm) BINDING/CONDITION: Loosely laid down on sturdy card and enclosed in mylar. (65B2B) A FINE COPY OF THIS SPECTACULAR PRINT IN PRISTINE, UNCIRCULATED CONDITION. Published by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912, after the original oil commissioned for (and still owned) by the line. It shows a tremendous sweep of the scenery in the Grand Canyon from Hermit Rim, with the shimmering, incandescent colors of the Canyon dramatically contrasted with the dark, gnarled pinyon pines in the foreground and the turbulent sky in the background. Famous for his awe-inspiring landscapes of the West, Thomas Moran first painted the Grand Canyon in 1873 ("Chasm of Colorado") which he sold to Congress the following year. The Santa Fe spur line, completed in 1901, was the first track to bring tourists within easy reach of the South Rim, and the railroad purchased art of the Canyon to promote this geologic attraction. In 1892 Moran visited the Canyon as a guest of the Santa Fe Railroad and painted a large canvas for the line in return for a free trip. Between 1901 and 1912, the railroad consistently sponsored "artists' excursions" there and purchased paintings to serve as a basis for promotional efforts. In 1912 the railroad capped a twenty-year association with Moran by commissioning this painting and subsequently producing this chromolithograph. Although 2,500 copies were printed, the majority did not survive or were badly damaged, as they were given to clients as promotional gifts or hung unframed (or poorly framed without glass) in Santa Fe railway stations. However, the corporation safely stored a number of the prints in its archives until 1996, when it placed the remaining stock with the Zaplin-Lampert Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Kinsey, Thomas Moran's West: Chromolithography, High Art, and Popular Taste). The present copy of Moran's most striking printed image is from that group. Kinsey, Joni L., Thomas Moran's West: Chromolithography, High Art, and Popular Taste (Lawrence, Kansas: Published for the Joslyn Art Museum by the University Press of Kansas, 2006, pp 217-222).

No Binding. Condition: Very Good. Thomas Moran (1837-1926) - The Grand Canyon of Arizona, from Hermit Rim Road, Published by Santa Fe Railroad, 1912, Chromolithograph, Sheet size: 25 x 34 1/4 inches.

N/A. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: N/A. Published by the American Lithography Company of New York City in an edition of 2,500 copies, this spectacular print was sold, with the original oil painted by Thomas Moran in l9l2, to the Santa Fe Railway Company, which copyrighted the image the following year. At the time, Moran was the nation's best known landscape painter, noted especially for his depictions of the Far West and its parks and monuments. The Santa Fe Railway was the first to lay a line to the Grand Canyon, in 1901. To promote tourism, Santa Fe officials later had copies of this lithograph framed and distributed to schools, libraries, civic organizations, and railroad customers throughout the country. The present example, in pristine condition, is one of a small stock of prints held until recently by the Santa Fe company. To the great majority of Americans who did not have the resources or daring to travel to the West, Moran provided this image of the country's infinite potential as symbolized by its dramatic, unique landscape. The artist showed American expansion as a fated conclusion, a glorious destiny indelibly written in the literal stone of the country's landscape. Like so many Americans who found such startling significance in the landscape of the American West, Moran was not a native. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1844 from his native England. Beginning as a wood engraver's apprentice in Philadelphia, he produced an extraordinarily broad range of works: designs for wood engravings, large dramatic oil paintings, small quiet watercolors, and delicate etchings. One of the most celebrated artists of the day, Moran was intimately in tune with the spirit of his age, and this, combined with his phenomenal artistic talent, accounts for much of his fame. Moran painted out of genuine passion, and was not simply responding to a commercial opportunity. For this reason he was uniquely able to understand and capture visually the symbolic significance of the American landscape, and his imagery resonated strongly with a populace hungry for views to complement their romantic conceptions of the distant frontier. Yet for all of his nostalgia, Moran was a realist. He recognized that the beauty of the West needed no embellishment, and his portrayals and views of the West presented it as it was. Thomas Moran's pictures of the West resonate perhaps even more strongly today than at the time of their production. The optimism visible in his work echoes with the experience of the remainder of the 20th century, and it is with increasing nostalgia for that time of infinite promise that today's viewers regard the artist's work. Moran's images have grown in appeal, rather than wane, and "The Grand Canyon" represents an opportunity to acquire significant work by an unparalleled artist of the American West.

26" x 33" [34" x 42" in wood frame]. Color collotype engraving after an oil painting by Thomas Moran (view from Hermit's Road). With original brass 'Grand Canyon National Park, Daily Service via Santa Fe, From Painting by Thomas Moran, N.A' plaque. The original oil painting was purchased by the Santa Fe Railroad to use in their campaign to promote tourist rail travel to the Grand Canyon. This image, after the original, is bright and rich, and shows Moran's dramatic view of the Grand Canyon. Doris Ostrander Dawdy points out in "Artists of the American West: A Biographical Dictionary," that Thomas Moran (1837-1926), nicknamed "T. Yellowstone Moran" by his companions on the Territorial Surveys, was only 34 years old when he sketched the Yellowstone region. Shortly thereafter he went on to sketch the Yosemite Valley, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, and the plateaus of Utah. Mount Moran in the Grand Teton range is named after him in recognition of his work on the Hayden Surveys. A stunning and sweeping Moran image.

New York: 1912. Elephant folio chromolithograph print, 34 1/4 x 25", plus margins. In fine condition, beautifully and archivally framed. § A magnificent print, published by the American Lithography Company of New York City in an edition of 2,500 copies. Graham Arader notes of it: "At the time, Moran was the nation's best known landscape painter, noted especially for his depictions of the Far West and its parks and monuments. The Santa Fe Railway was the first to lay a line to the Grand Canyon, in 1901. To promote tourism, Santa Fe officials later had copies of this lithograph framed and distributed to schools, libraries, civic organizations, and railroad customers throughout the country. To the great majority of Americans who did not have the resources or daring to travel to the West, Moran provided this image of the country's infinite potential as symbolized by its dramatic, unique landscape. The artist showed American expansion as a fated conclusion, a glorious destiny indelibly written in the literal stone of the country's landscape. . Yet for all of his nostalgia, Moran was a realist. He recognized that the beauty of the West needed no embellishment, and his portrayals and views of the West presented it as it was." The Reese Co. adds of their example: "This majestic print is the largest and most dramatic of Thomas Moran's printed works. It was published by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912, after the original oil commissioned for (and still owned by) the line. It shows a tremendous sweep of the scenery of the Grand Canyon from the Hermit Rim, with the bright colors of the Canyon shown dramatically against the turbulent sky. Thomas Moran, famous for his superb landscapes of the West, first painted the Grand Canyon in 1873 when he painted his "Chasm of the Colorado," which he sold to Congress the following year. In 1892 he visited the Canyon as a guest of the Santa Fe Railroad, whose line now brought tourists within easy reach, and painted a large canvas for the line in return for a free trip. The Santa Fe Railroad completed a spur line to the rim in 1901, and consistently sponsored "artist's excursions" there from 1901 to 1912, as well as purchasing paintings to serve as a basis for promotional efforts. In 1912 the railroad capped twenty years of association with Moran by commissioning this picture and producing this large chromolithograph. Almost all copies of this Moran print were soon distributed by the Santa Fe Railroad as a promotional gift. Few of these have survived, generally being badly framed, usually without glass, and displayed in poor conditions.".