Like many artists, Norwegian immigrant Chris Jorgensen fell in love with Yosemite’s grandeur, and challenged himself to capture it on canvas. After visiting Yosemite for the first time in 1898, Jorgensen was granted permission to build a home and a studio on the banks of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley (near today's Sentinel Bridge). From this summer home, Jorgensen produced paintings of his famous surroundings. For twenty years, he lived among the towering cliffs and waterfalls with his wife and fellow artist Angela.

Chris Jorgensen often worked with watercolors, allowing for quick, spontaneous paintings to be completed in the field, rather than in the studio. He loved plein air painting, or painting outdoors. Beyond providing shade, the umbrella he holds in the image below helped with color perception in the harsh sunlight.

The bungalow in the Yosemite History Center, part of Jorgensen's Yosemite property, represents an era when artists were some of the best advocates for the preservation of wild places. Yosemite’s landscapes inspired artists to create, and as they shared their art with those unable to experience nature’s beauty first-hand, their creations inspired others to preserve Yosemite as a public park.

Even today, Yosemite stirs visitors to connect creatively with the landscape. Photos, paintings, and written accounts of Yosemite are now more popular, and more shareable, than ever.