Carl Moon Home Page

Carl Moon

Carl E. Moon

"Vision Maker"

Born in Wilmington, Ohio, he became a photographer, painter, and illustrator who moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico as a young man where he operated a photography studio.

In 1907, he moved into the Grand Canyon headquarters of Fred Harvey to manage Harvey's art business. He studied landscape painting with visiting artists Louis Akin, Thomas Moran, and Frank Sauerwein, and he also took many photographs and films of Pueblo Indians. In 1911, he married artist Grace Purdie and settled in Pasadena. He focused on landscape painting and illustrating children's stories co-authored with his wife. He was a member of The Cartoonist Club and the Pasadena Art Association.

Photographing Native Americans in their natural state was the principal aim of Carl E. Moon. He tried to show the Indian as he lived before civilization hampered his freedom, warped his views of life and changed his picturesque customs and mode of dress.

The Photograph "A Navajo Boy" which is in the logo above was taken by Carl Moon in 1904. It's pure simplicity is a perfect representation of what Carl Moon was trying to convey with his work.

The mission and philosophy of this website is to promote appreciation and respect for Native people and their cultural heritage, with emphasis on the traditional cultures of the Indigenous People of the Southwest by exhibiting the work of Carl Moon for the world on the internet.