Untitled (Wilds of the...)

Reuben Kirkham was born in Spalding, England. He was one of Utah’s pioneer artists, painting panoramas, landscapes, and invented landscapes. Kirkham came to Utah in 1866 as a convert to the LDS Church, settled in Salt Lake City briefly, and then moved to Logan, Utah. He often created fanciful “”invented”” forms and relationships in various scenes. Along with another pioneer artist, Alfred Lambourne, painted stage scenery for the Salt Lake Theater. From 1883 to 1885, Kirkham traveled around Utah, charging admission to view nineteen large Book of Mormon panoramas of his own invention.

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