The Museum of Northern Arizona is taking a closer look at the famed Fred Harvey Company and how it brought the enchantment and allure of the Southwest to the masses through the work of renowned artists. “Selling the Southwest is an overview of the role that the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railway played in promoting the American Southwest as an exotic destination for travelers. The imagery the two corporations used from well-known artists for promotional purposes still influences our culture and understanding of the Southwest today,” says Alan Petersen, curator of fine art at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
Gunnar Widforss (1879-1934), On the Trail to Grandeur Point, ca. 1930, watercolor on paper, 20 x 15 in. Museum of Northern Arizona Collection, C816. Photo credit: Nancy Wiechec/Museum of Northern Arizona.
Most know the Fred Harvey Company, founded in 1876, as the owner of the iconic Harvey House chain of restaurants and hotels along the railroads of the Western United States.
Artwork in the exhibition is largely drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, as well as several pieces that were originally part of the Santa Fe Railway’s collection. “It’s not only a nostalgic look at the past but also a reflection on how influential the marketing campaigns were and their lasting effects,” says Petersen.
Thomas Moran (1836-1926), Grand Canyon, oil on canvas, 39½ x 49½ in. On loan from Grand Canyon National Park Museum. Photo credit: Nancy Wiechec/Museum of Northern Arizona.
“In 1887, the Santa Fe Railway opened a route from Chicago to Los Angeles, passing through Northern Arizona. Charles Higgins, the railway’s head of advertising, brilliantly capitalized on this by inviting artist Thomas Moran to the Grand Canyon in 1892. Moran’s mesmerizing paintings became the cornerstone of a successful marketing campaign that drew countless travelers to the Grand Canyon and beyond,” notes the Museum of Northern Arizona.
Lon Megargee (1883-1960), The Taos Indians, oil on canvas, 28 x 33 in. Museum of Northern Arizona Collection, C1482. Photo credit: Nancy Wiechec/Museum of Northern Arizona.
The upcoming exhibition showcases artwork by Moran as well as Louis Akin, Arthur Best, Lon Megargee, Gunnar Widforss and more.
“Swedish-American painter Gunnar Widforss was known in the media as the ‘Painter of the National Parks’ at the time he produced works for the Santa Fe Railway from the mid-1920s through the early 1930s,” says Petersen. “Although On the Trail to Grandeur Pointwasn’t commissioned by the Santa Fe, it is similar to the six paintings that they did commission from him. I think that an interesting aspect of this painting is that unlike so many paintings of Grand Canyon, including many of Widforss’, he didn’t emphasize the grandiose nature of the canyon. This painting is a more intimate and immediate view suggesting, and emphasized by its title, that the viewer is walking along the rim trail experiencing the canyon in a firsthand, personal sort of way.”
An installation view of pottery by Hopi-Tewa potter Nampeyo.
Also included is pottery by iconic Hopi-Tewa artist Nampeyo and San Ildefonso artist Maria Martinez, both of whom demonstrated pottery making for the Harvey Company. “In most discussions of the role art played in the Santa Fe Railway’s advertisements, Native American artists are frequently not included…[Yet], the Santa Fe Collection of Western Art included a number of works by leading Native [artists] of the time including those in our exhibition: Maria Martinez, Nampeyo, Awe Tsireh, Fred Kabotie and Romando Vigil. I felt that it was vital to include them because Native art and culture were among the major attractions that were being promoted,” says Petersen. “Also, because although there is great appreciation for Native American art from this time period, initially driven by corporate promotion, that’s often where it ends. Native artists should also be acknowledged for their participation and lasting influence in this grand commercial endeavor.”
The exhibition runs through January 2025 in Northern Arizona. —
Selling the Southwest
Through January 2025
Museum of Northern Arizona
3101 N. Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
(928) 774-5213, musnaz.org
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