Smelting Works at Denver
Medium
watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
{"sheet":{"height":0.24,"width":0.318}}
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Mrs. Henry A. Everett for the Dorothy Burnham Everett Memorial Collection
Accession Number
1938.56
Tags
About this artwork
For today's viewers of Thomas Moran’s watercolor, the sight of factory smoke pouring into pristine mountain air might prophesy environmental ruin. Yet within the context of America’s western expansion, the imagery of factories was more ambiguous. Some in Moran's time regarded the factories as a force of destruction, while others interpreted them as symbols of progress. Moran himself viewed Denver’s budding industry with enthusiasm, writing positively to his wife about the city’s growth since he ...