One of the most recognized paintings in American history, this painting is an ode to friendship and nature
Seeing America – Theme: Geography and Environment
Thomas takes inspiration from both the 1969 moon landing and her backyard garden
Alma Thomas, Lunar Rendezvous—Circle of Flowers
Gashes in the land and a scarecrow crucifix speak to the environmental crisis of the Dust Bowl
An environmental crisis, Hogue’s Crucified Land
This life-size painting of a wild turkey is a copy of the first page in Audubon's famous book Birds of America
John James Audubon, The Wild Turkey
Light and color take center stage in this soul illustration of the Oklahoma landscape where Echohawk and his family have lived for generations.
Brummett Echohawk, An Island of Redbuds on ...
Explosions of color signify a landscape, real or imagined
Richard Mayhew, Indigenous Spiritual Space
A dream-like flooded landscape—does is suggest bleakness or hope?
Eldzier Cortor, Southern Landscape
This vertical landscape of Virginia recalls ancient Roman architecture, tying the American republic to Rome's
Landscape and the American republic, Frederic Church’s ...
A critic accused Whistler of “flinging paint at the public” when he saw this painting, so Whistler sued him.
Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold: The ...
The natural world and political metaphor, Church's Cotopaxi
Science, religion, and politics:
Church’s Cotopaxi
A Hudson River School artist looks north
Revisiting a frozen sea
There is no open road here.
Cars, highways, and isolation in Postwar America
The awesome beauty of a large hole in the earth, dug to bring railroads to Manhattan.
Before Penn Station, Bellows & old NYC
A Shinnecock artist's view
Endangered coastlines and lifeways
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith's map of North American state names drawn from Indigenous languages focuses on stolen lands, making clear the influence of Native peoples on the continent.
APUSH: KC-8.2.II.B, KC-9.2.II.C
TEKS: 113.41.(13)(A)
APUSH: KC-8.2.II.B, KC-9.2.II.C
TEKS: 113.41.(13)(A)
Teaching guide
Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, State Names
Thomas Moran's painting of Yellowstone exemplifies the complex factors that characterized U.S. westward expansion and economic development after the Civil War. Railroads, government policies, and violence against Native American communities were all intertwined with the creation of the first national park.
APUSH: KC-6.2.II.A, KC-6.2.II.D
APUSH: KC-6.2.II.A, KC-6.2.II.D
Teaching guide
Thomas Moran, Grand Canyon of the ...
Top American bucket list destination in 1821
Clean water for a young Philadelphia
Painting, photography, and the railroad come together to preserve a topography unique in the world
The painting that inspired a National Park
The river's brilliant reflections gave shape to this enormous sculpture in silver
Mapping nature’s stunning beauty
The majesty of Yosemite National Park — with Roger Minick and the woman with the scarf.
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