Edward Moran
1829–1901 · English-born American marine painter
Edward Moran (Bolton, Lancashire, 1829 – New York, 1901) was an English-born painter who became an American and specialized in marine subjects. His family emigrated to the United States, settling in Philadelphia, where he had learned weaving from his father before training under James Hamilton and Paul Weber. He is best remembered for his series of thirteen paintings on the naval history of the United States, running from the age of Leif Erikson to George Dewey's return from the Philippines in 1899.
In 1862 he became a student at the Royal Academy in London. He set up a studio in New York in 1872 and, for several years from 1877, lived in Paris. His marine works are held in many collections. The naval series was shown at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, shortly after it was completed.
At the time of his death he was widely regarded as one of the leading marine painters of the nineteenth century, although his reputation has since been overshadowed by that of his younger brother, Thomas Moran. His sons Edward Percy and Leon, and his brothers Peter and Thomas, also became prominent painters.