Along with other accomplished artists of his time, including Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, Thomas Hill created large-scale oil paintings of Yosemite that captured the attention of people across America and visually introduced them to Yosemite’s magnificence. The works of these artists played a major role in the preservation of America’s first national parks. Yosemite’s natural beauty inspires people around the world to create art. Thomas Hill lived and worked at the Wawona Hotel from 1884 until his death in 1908, and his studio, built in the 1880s, served as a gathering place for Yosemite visitors, many of whom purchased his paintings.