Thomas Hill (1829 – 1908) was a member of the Hudson River School. Hill’s first visit to Yosemite Valley in 1865 left an indelible impression, and his repertoire expanded to include numerous monumental works depicting the region. In 1884, Hill opened a studio on the grounds of the Wawona Hotel near Mariposa Grove, which now serves as the Wawona Visitor Center.

Originally a cartoonist, Harry Best (1863 – 1936) was so taken with Yosemite’s beauty that he moved from San Francisco to set up a painting studio near Bridalveil Falls. Best’s work was featured in the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt, and among the artist’s colleagues was photographer Ansel Adams, who married Best’s daughter in 1928. Today, Best’s studio is the Ansel Adams Gallery.

Herbert Collins, Sr. (1865 – 1937) achieved national acclaim for his landscapes and portraits completed in a variety of media. Towards the end of his life, Collins, Sr. worked for the National Park Service as an artist-preparator, during which time he and his son, Herbert Collins, Jr., created this series of six paintings depicting the formation of Yosemite Valley for the Yosemite Museum. Collins, Sr. also painted key figures associated with the park, among them John Muir.

Born in Oslo, Norway, Chris Jorgensen (1860 – 1935) moved to California during his youth and was celebrated for his paintings of Yosemite and San Francisco. Studying at the san Francisco School of Design under Thomas Hill and Virgil Williams, Jorgensen would go on to become its Assistant Director in 1881. Jorgensen married one of the school’s students, heiress Angela Ghirardelli, in 1888.

Born to a family of painters, Thomas Moran (1837 – 1926) was a prominent member of the Hudson River School. Moran’s paintings and sketches of Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite captured the attention of the American public. These artistic works became critical evidence before Congress of the need to preserve these awe-inspiring vistas, spurring the creation of the National Park Service.

Charles Dorman Robinson (1847 – 1933) was heavily influenced by the Hudson River School. Initially acclaimed for his seascapes, Robinson first visited Yosemite in 1880 and was inspired to paint the park’s views. Robinson would return to Yosemite each year for the next two decades, and produced over one hundred images of the area.

Chiura Obata (1885 – 1975) immigrated to the United States from Sendai, Japan in 1903. He worked in California as an illustrator, where he founded the East West Art Society to encourage dialogue and cultural understanding through art. Obata first visited Yosemite in 1927, producing many paintings and prints there which he would later exhibit in Japan. His artwork blends American landscape conventions with Japanese traditions. Obata was later subjected to internment at the Japanese American Relocation camp in Topaz, Utah during World War II, where he established an art school for fellow internees.

A native of New York, Robert Francis Williams (1881 – 1972) was an Impressionist painter known for his plein air landscapes. In 1938, Williams and his family traveled from New York to paint several National Parks in the West, including Yosemite. Williams drew particular inspiration from the unique scenery the parks provided, calling these places “his cathedrals.”