"Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" is one of Thomas Moran's most famous works.  The unveiling of this magnificent and prodigious, seven-by- twelve foot canvas caused quite a stir in May 1872.  Purchased by the U.S. Government, it was the first landscape painting to hang in the halls of Congress. 

Moran spent considerable effort trying to portray the colors and geological features accurately, even to the extent having geologist Ferdinand Hayden review his work before completion.  He was, however, an artist and he manipulated the painting to achieve his own ends.

"While I desired to tell truly of Nature," Moran wrote,  "I did not wish to realize the scene literally, but to preserve and to convey its true impression."  In that effort, to convey its beautify, grandeur and immensity, Moran was, indeed, extraordinarily successful.