If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 472

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, painting by Thomas Moran, 1872

Here is an unused postcard from Yellowstone park issued by Yellowstone Association.  This one has the 1872 painting by the American painter and printmaker, Thomas Moran (1837-1926).  The number 34 is found in the center of the card on the reverse.  The original painting was purchased by the United States Government for $10,000 in 1872.  There are two version of the view, one from 1872 and the other from 1893-1901.  When the painting was first exhibited in New York thousands of people came to the showing and it helped inspire the nation to protect the world’s first national park. 
 

There are several viewing areas of Yellowstone Falls in the park today.  This picture is from a visit to the park in 2017 and shows the falls and canyon near the place shown in Moran's painting. 

In this second picture, above, the boardwalk to the viewing platform can be seen at the lower middle.  In Moran's painting there are two people standing approximately where boardwalk ends in the clump of trees.  It would have been challenging to get to these places in 1871 when there were no trails or viewing areas.

Thomas Moran was a talented illustrator and shared a studio with his younger brother, Edward Moran, who was a noted marine artist.  Several other members of his family were also artists.  In the 1860s he was the chief illustrator at Scribner’s Monthly magazine.  His work for the magazine helped launch his career as an American landscape painter focusing on the American West.  Moran used a variety of mediums such as watercolors, oils, wood-engravings, etchings and lithography.  He also made color prints of his own works.  His most famous works were done using watercolors or oils.  Because much of his artwork often features places in the Rocky Mountains, Moran is one of those artists who are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Rocky Mountain School of landscape painters.

Invited by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, director, to join the U.S. Geological Survey in 1871, Moran traveled with the expedition team into the then unknown Yellowstone region.  During his time in the wilderness he documented over 30 different sites and produced a diary of the expedition’s progress.  His sketches together with photographs by another team member, William Henry Jackson, called public attention to the area and helped in the creation of Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872.

Moran traveled extensively for the next 40 years sketching and painting the places he visited.  In 1884 he was elected to the membership of the National Academy of Design and continued to produce numerous works of art in his senior years.  One of his paintings is part of the White House collection.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Moran