[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 153 (Thursday, October 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1850-E1851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THOMAS MORAN, THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL OF PAINTING

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                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 13, 2011

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my 
colleagues from New

[[Page E1851]]

York, Representative Engel and Representative Hinchey, in honoring 
America's first and most prestigious school of painting. Known as the 
Hudson River School of Painting, this 19th century school popularized 
the American landscape.
  I, too, have a connection to the Hudson River School. One of the 
school's most popular and prolific artists, Thomas Moran, grew up in my 
district in Philadelphia. He later worked at a local engraving firm, 
which sparked his interest in painting. Moran soon garnered attention 
for his paintings and was hired to paint scenes of the wilderness of 
the American West. These paintings, for which Moran is best known, are 
primarily from the area that is today Yellowstone National Park.
  Moran's massive landscapes, and works by other Hudson River School 
painters, inspired Congress to dedicate Yellowstone, as well Yosemite 
and Acadia National Parks. Eventually, these paintings were used by 
environmental conservationists to encourage Congress to form the 
National Park Service in 1916.
  Another result of the School was the creation of the Metropolitan 
Museum of Art in New York City in 1870. Many painters from the Hudson 
River School helped guide the Met's formation, meeting with the 
President, donating funds, and serving as a trustee or member of the 
executive committee. Fittingly, today, many works by the School's 
painters can be found there.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my distinguished colleagues to join me in my 
appreciation for the works of painter Thomas Moran, and for the lasting 
legacy of the first indigenous American school of painting, the Hudson 
River School.

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