Excelsior Geyser Poster
Vintage Poster Collection
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Vintage Poster Collection digitally restored and redesigned by local artist, Andrea McDowell.
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Posters are standard size (20 x 28in) and printed on linen paper for a vintage look and feel.
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Printed in the USA by a 3rd generation family print shop
- Note: This image has been adapted from the original painting and extended to fit the scale of a standard size poster.
Excelsior Geyser Poster:
Thomas Moran (1837-1926) was a prolific illustrator and landscape painter whose legacy can still be felt in Yellowstone today. Born in England, his family emigrated to Philadelphia when he was a child. After an apprenticeship with the woodcutting firm Scattergood & Telfer, Moran went to work in his older brother’s studio where he began painting. He studied the works of J.M.W. Turner extensively, whose work proved to be a powerful influence on Moran’s own style. He later joined Scribner’s Monthly Magazine where he worked as an illustrator, eventually rising to the position of Chief Illustrator. It was at Scribner’s that Moran first became intrigued by Yellowstone, when he was asked to rework sketches made by a member of an earlier expedition party.
Moran was invited to join the Hayden Expedition exploring the area of Northwestern Wyoming which would later become Yellowstone. His trip was funded by both Scribner’s and Jay Cooke, the financier behind the Northern Pacific Railway, who was already considering the possibilities for tourism to the area and relied heavily on artwork for advertisements. Moran developed a strong bond with William Henry Jackson, the photographer on the expedition, and they worked closely to create images that would provide a visual record of their journey. Moran’s paintings brought the wonders of Yellowstone to life in color, and together their images put an end to the skepticism and disbelief that was typically shown in reaction to previous accounts of Yellowstone’s natural features. The works of art produced by Moran and Jackson as a result of the Hayden expedition played a pivotal role in encouraging Congress to designate Yellowstone as a protected area and the world’s first National Park.
Original Artist & Year: Thomas Moran, c.1873
Original Medium: Watercolor and pencil on paper
Andrew McDowell
Yellowstone Love Song
Andrea McDowell is a local artist living in Gardiner, MT.
"Upon stepping foot into Yellowstone, I became filled with the same wonder and excitement that has captivated the hearts of millions before me. The surreal landscape and vivid colors set against a backdrop of primal calls from wolves, elk, bear, and bison gives a shock to the system that never fades. I feel especially influenced by those early artists and explorers whose courage to traverse and passion to preserve this landscape paved the way for our own opportunity to experience its grandeur. My inspiration draws from Life’s invitation to explore both the known and untouched regions of this land, and it’s my honor to keep the legacy of early Yellowstone adventurers alive in my artistic practice as well by uncovering historical maps and works of art, restoring them to their original beauty, reimagining them to fit the scale of a modern day art print, and presenting them on a fine linen paper to preserve the vintage quality of these works."
