Carlsbad Caverns: The Early Paintings
Carlsbad Cavern painting by Will Shuster, 1924
Carlsbad Cavern was first painted by the prominent New
Mexican painter Will Shuster of Santa Fe, when he dropped
into the cavern in a guano bucket with fellow artist Walter
Mruk in 1924 to sketch the cavern by lantern light. Shuster
was one of the first post-modernist painters living and
working in Santa Fe, and, along with Mruk, was part of the
"Cinco Pintores" group.
Will Shuster donated most of his Cavern paintings to the
National Park Service for the enjoyment of all Americans.
