Moran and Photography
On several of his journeys west Moran traveled with highly skilled photographers. In 1871, on his first trip to Yellowstone, Moran worked closely with William Henry Jackson (1843-1942), official expedition photographer. Together Moran and Jackson selected sites to sketch and photograph, each benefiting from the expertise of the other. Examples of their collaborative efforts may be seen in the display case in this room.
Two years later, on a trip to the Grand Canyon, Moran met John K. Hillers (1843-1925), survey photographer for John Wesley Powell. Under difficult conditions Hillers and Moran produced the sketches and photographs that later brought the Grand Canyon to the attention of the nation.
Jackson and Hillers had been hired to provide photographs to illustrate government survey reports, but their images of the West reached a much larger audience when they were distributed as stereographs--dual images mounted on a single card that produced a remarkable three-dimensional effect when seen through a stereo viewer. Six different stereographs (some showing Moran) are on display in this room.