What's New
Museum Reopens on May 2, 2022
 Monday, May 2, 2022, is the moment we have all been waiting for! Not only is it the date that the Interior Museum reopens to the public, but it also marks the 150th anniversary of the debut of Thomas Moran's iconic and influential Yellowstone painting now on view in Thomas Moran & the "Big Picture" (pictured above).
During our two-year closure due to COVID precautions, we have added approximately 2,000 square feet of renovated gallery space and launched two new exhibitions that we cannot wait for you to see.
Interior Museum hours will be Mondays through Fridays, 9 AM to 5 PM. With our reopening, we are also resuming our public tours of the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building and its New Deal-era murals. We look forward to welcoming you back!
Mindfulness with Moran
We are delighted to announce the release of our short film, "Mindfulness with Moran." Experience Thomas Moran’s famous 1872 painting, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, in an exciting new way! Join certified yoga therapist Eve Fleishman in a free, multisensory, 22-minute guided meditation focusing on this masterpiece and using gentle movement, sound, and visualization. Take a moment to escape, relax, and be inspired by the sights of Yellowstone—both in the painting and in present-day footage.
Begin your journey >>
(View with open-captioning)
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Collections Spotlight
 See this painting in our new exhibition, William Henry Jackson: A Visual Exploration of the American West…
Hayden's U.S. Geological and Geographic Survey of the Territories
William Henry Jackson (1843–1942), 1935
Oil on beaverboard
U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, INTR 03004
In 1871, Ferdinand Hayden (1829–1887) conducted a federally-funded geological survey of the Wyoming region that in 1872 would become Yellowstone National Park. Among those on the expedition was William Henry Jackson (1843–1942), later recognized as one of the foremost artists and photographers of the American West.
More than six decades later, Jackson—now in his early nineties—was called upon to create original works of art for the U.S. Department of the Interior's new museum opening in 1938. Jackson painted several pieces, including this one, as part of a series depicting the four major geological surveys of the West.
This oil painting on beaverboard captures a scene—informed by Jackson's personal experiences—from the Hayden Survey. Jackson painted himself as the figure in the background setting up his equipment to photograph the Old Faithful geyser. Shown riding the lead horse in the foreground grouping is Hayden, followed by Nathaniel P. Langford (1832–1911) on the white horse, and artist Thomas Moran (1837–1926) with a sketchpad tucked under his arm. Although Langford was not part of the 1871 expedition, Jackson took artistic license to include him here, in recognition of Langford’s ties to Yellowstone. Langford had been on the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition that focused national attention on Yellowstone and was the impetus for Hayden’s own survey. Langford would return to Yellowstone with Hayden in 1872 and ultimately serve as Yellowstone National Park’s first superintendent from 1872 to 1877.
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