For your consideration is this vintage 1873 framed etching of the Upper Yellowstone Falls by Thomas Moran and S. V. Hunt. Thomas Moran was born in 1837 in Bolton, Lancashire to two handloom weavers. The rapid industrialization of nineteenth century England soon mechanized the weaving process and forced Thomas Moran's parents out of their jobs, at which point the whole family was moved to Kensington, Philadelphia, just outside of Philadelphia. At the age of sixteen, Thomas Moran became an apprentice to a Philadelphia wood engraving firm, Scattergood & Telfer. It was in this position that he began to paint and draw seriously, working diligently on his skills as both a watercolorist and an illustrator. In this he had help and support from his brother Edward, who was an associate of the marine painter James Hamilton. The etching shows a man on top of a large boulder at the bottom of the Upper Yellowstone Falls gazing upon the magnificence of the falls as the water crashes to the river below. The etching is signed "Moran" on the bottom left of the etching. Below the etching it reads, "Thomas Moran, Entered according to Act of Congress, A.D. 1873 by D. Appleton & Co. in the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, S.V. Hunt" and below that it reads, "The Upper Yellowstone Falls". The etching is set in a wood frame behind glass and is single matted. The frame and print are in good condition overall with no signs of obvious damage. The art measures 9 1/2" L x 5 5/8" W. The entire piece measures 15 1/4" L x 11 1/2" W.