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Valley of the Catawissa in Autumn

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Photography by Steven Watson
Valley of the Catawissa in Autumn
Photography by Steven Watson

Valley of the Catawissa in Autumn

Artist (1837 - 1926)
Dateca. 1862
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions39 3/4 × 63 1/2 in. (101 × 161.3 cm)
Framed: 53 1/8 × 77 1/8 × 4 3/4 in.
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.6
Signedl.r., in red paint : T Moran 186[5 indistinct]
Accession number 2005.6
On View
Not on view
Collections
ProvenancePrivate Collection, Chicago, IL; (Estate Sale, Chicago, IL), ca. 1960; purchased by Private Collection, Springdale, AR, ca. 1960; purchased by Harvey Jones [1900-1989] and Bernice Young Jones [1905-2003], Springdale, AR, ca. 1960; by bequest to The Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families, Springdale, AR, 2003; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2005
Label TextThomas Moran painted this colorful panoramic view of trees and rolling hills after visiting the small town of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, on assignment to create illustrations for a Harper’s Monthly article about the Catawissa Railroad. Notably, in the painting, Moran rendered the valley devoid of human presence or the railroad, which should be visible in the hills. Despite the importance of the railroad as a vital element of northern Pennsylvania transportation, Moran’s artistic vision eliminated the modern technology.