Moran and Jackson documented Yellowstone through paintings and photographs

The US Geological Survey said in a report published Monday 02 November 2026 that artist Thomas Moran and photographer William Jackson brought Yellowstone's scenery to wider audiences during Ferdinand Hayden's survey. Dr. Alexandra Ziegler and Dr. Ken Sims wrote the Yellowstone Caldera Chronicle.

Moran and Jackson traveled with Hayden's geological survey in 1871 and represented many of the same sites. Jackson's photographs recorded Yellowstone's forms, textures and spatial relationships in detail. They could not record color, and his choices of viewpoint, framing and exposure shaped how the scenery appeared.

Moran studied Yellowstone's features firsthand and used color in his paintings. His works could synthesize observations, adjust compositions and heighten contrasts. Jackson's photographs had the appearance of direct evidence, while Moran's works openly presented artistic interpretation. Both men selected, framed and translated what they observed.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, Jackson photographed the terraces and Moran during the 1871 expedition. Moran's 1875 chromolithograph Hot Springs of Gardiner's River, Yellowstone showed white terraces with bands of red, orange, yellow and blue. Small human figures gave scale to the scene.

The report said colors at Mammoth Hot Springs can provide information about the area. White terraces are mineral travertine. Orange, brown, green and cream bands can come from thermophiles, which are heat-loving microorganisms. Different thermophiles thrive under different conditions, so changing colors can indicate the hot spring's temperature, chemistry and activity.

The report said Moran's paintings preserved color and related information that Jackson's photographs could not capture. Chromolithography allowed the color to be reproduced and circulated. It said geological knowledge can clarify what Moran observed, while art history can explain how he made that information visible.