Landscape Art and the Founding
of the National Park Service

" ...to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." National Park Service Organic Act, 1916

Art – in particular, landscape art and photography – was crucial to the establishment of the National Park Service. Artist George Caitlin first conceived of the national park idea in 1832. He envisioned large-scale natural preservation for public enjoyment as he traveled to the American interior to paint portraits of Native Americans. Concerned about the destructive effects of westward expansion, Caitlin wanted “by some great protecting policy of government... a magnificent park... a nation’s park, containing man and beast, in all the wild (ness) and freshness of their nature’s beauty!”

Landscape paintings and photographs captured the grandeur and beauty of the West and captivated audiences at a time when travel was limited. These artworks created a groundswell of support to preserve the natural wonders that culminated in the establishment the National Park Service in 1916.

Romantic portrayals of nature by artists, including Thomas Cole and Frederick Edwin Church, countered earlier views of the wilderness as something to be conquered. As appreciation for what was perceived as unspoiled nature grew and as spectacular Western natural areas became known, the idea of preserving such places began to take hold. The American public first saw Yosemite Falls when a drawing, The High Fall by Thomas Ayres, was published in 1856. This, together with Carleton Watkins’ mammoth photographs of Yosemite in 1861, stimulated interest in the Yosemite Valley. Exhibited in New York, they brought the splendor of Yosemite Valley to the East for the first time. These photographs were instrumental in creating political support to preserve the majestic valley and its towering sequoia trees. In June 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that granted those lands to California to “be held for public use, resort, and recreation . . . inalienable for all time.”

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The Yellowstone region was little known until 1869–71 when expeditions to the area publicized their findings. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden led several expeditions before organizing and leading a team of scientists on a geological survey of the Yellowstone area in 1871. He invited William Henry Jackson, his photographer from the 1870 survey and recorder of frontier and Civil War life; along with artist Thomas Moran to join the expedition.

Moran had learned about the area that would become Yellowstone National Park when he illustrated an article for Scribner's Monthly magazine titled, "The Wonders of the Yellowstone." Moran had accepted the magazine assignment without having seen the area. After drawing geothermal features using someone else's material, the artist looked for a way to see the area himself and joined the Hayden survey. Moran’s pencil and watercolor field sketches and paintings captured the grandeur of the landscape and documented the region’s unusual terrain and natural features. About these two extraordinary artists Hayden noted, “…Mr. Jackson made the most abundant pictures. Mr. Moran was filled with enthusiasm and has returned to devote himself to the painting of pictures of the Yellow Stone [sic] …”

When the expedition returned, Moran’s artwork was presented to members of Congress. The Federal Government purchased his massive painting, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, for the considerable sum of $10,000. It was exhibited in the U.S. Capitol in 1872. Seen by many influential politicians, this landscape painting played a critical role in fostering support for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park.

Moran’s artwork and Jackson’s photographs, together with Hayden's impressive findings and lobbying efforts, created support for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. At the time of his death in 1926, Moran had painted many other areas that became national parks or monuments.

Other grand and scenic national parks such as Sequoia and Yosemite followed. There was a parallel movement to protect the prehistoric cliff dwellings, pueblos and Spanish missions on Southwestern public lands. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law. The act gave the President authority to proclaim “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.”

By 1909, when he left office, Roosevelt had proclaimed 18 national monuments, including Mesa Verde and Grand Canyon. These remarkable places inspired artists who captured their astounding beauty on canvas for all to see. By 1916, with the passage of the Organic Act, the National Park Service was authorized by Congress.

In 1917 Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, arranged an exhibit of American landscapes and parks by artists that included Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, Carl Rungius, John Henry Twachtman, and other noted artists at the National Museum (Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History). The exhibit was held in conjunction with the Fourth National Park Conference.

Artists’ efforts to promote the splendor of the western landscape contributed to the preservation of public lands. Their landscape paintings fostered a sense of pride and identity that had helped to heal the nation after the Civil War. They also created an enduring western mystique. Today, these landscapes and the artwork that inspired so many Americans can still be enjoyed in the national parks and viewed in this exhibit.

With widespread support over the past century, by the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, 408 national parks were part of the National Park System. Artists and photographers played a crucial role in preserving America’s cultural and natural heritage and in the establishment of the National Park Service. Over 100 nations have been inspired by “America’s best idea” to establish parks to preserve and protect their natural and cultural heritage.

Landscape Art and the Founding of the National Park Service

Landscape Art and the Founding
of the National Park Service