Peter Moran

Peter Moran was born in 1841 in Bolton, England. He was the youngest of four brothers, two of whom were the famous painters Edward and Thomas Moran. In 1844, Peter emigrated to the United States with his family. At age sixteen he apprenticed with a lithographer but gave it up to study art with his brothers who were successful artists in Philadelphia.

In 1864, Peter made his first trip to the American West – six years before his brother Thomas. Peter’s focus was New Mexico. In fact, Peter was the first American artist to make etchings of New Mexico. He also made trips to Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. In 1879, Peter and his brother Thomas traveled to the Tetons, and in 1881 he went with an expedition to visit Native American pueblos in New Mexico and Arizona. Peter maintained a studio in Philadelphia his entire life, and it was in that city where he died in 1914.

Peter Moran is best known for his paintings of the American West. His works captured the life of everyday New Mexico – and Native Americans in particular. Peter Moran was a pioneer in western art. It was said of him that he was the “first among the artists to recognize the picturesque qualities of the scenery of the southwest.” It is, in part, thanks to Peter Moran why the western art scene is where it is today.