Edward Moran was an American artist of maritime paintings.
Background
Moran was born to Thomas and Mary Higson of Lancashire, England on August 19, 1829. Following in the footsteps of his father's profession, he learned to operate a hand-loom at a young age, though he would often be found sketching with charcoal on the white fabric instead of plying the shuttle.
Education
It was in Philadelphia around 1845 that Edward apprenticed under James Hamilton and landscape painter Paul Weber. Hamilton guided Moran specifically in the style of marine paintings.
Career
In 1862, Edward Moran traveled to London and became a pupil in the Royal Academy. One of his more well-known exhibits, titled Land and Sea, showed 75 of his landscape and marine paintings in March 1871. These paintings were later illustrated in a catalogue by the same name. Proceeds from the exhibit, the catalogue, and the sale of another painting (The Relief Ship Entering Havre) were donated by Moran to aid the sufferers of the Franco-Prussian war.
In 1885, at the height of his career, Moran began on what would be considered his most important work - a series of 13 paintings representing the Marine History of the United States. He chose to have thirteen paintings in the series because of the significance of the number in American history (13 colonies, 13 stars and stripes on the original US flag, etc). The subjects include Leif Ericsson, Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Henry Hudson, and Admiral Dewey, among others.
Not long after their completion, the series was displayed at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Later life and death
Moran lived in New York City until his death in 1901. The Supreme Court in New York City eventually judged in favor of Moran's widow. At the time of his death, Moran was widely considered to be one of the most important 19th century marine painters.