Thomas Moran, an American landscape painter, was born in Bolton, England in 1937. A member of the Hudson River School, Thomas Moran fashioned his landscapes in a romantic light. And while Moran painted the scenery from Pennsylvania to Mexico he is best known for his images of the American West. Moran's paintings provided Americans and Europeans with their first glimpse at many spectacular places including present-day Yellowstone National Park. In fact Thomas Moran's watercolors, completed as part of the 1871 Hayden Expedition, are largely credited for bringing the wonders of Yellowstone to the attention of the U.S. Congress.