The painting, “View of the Yosemite Valley”, by 19th century landscape painter Thomas Hill (1829-1908), was chosen as the official backdrop to President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Luncheon. The painting is an extraordinary rendering of Yosemite Valley. It was borrowed for the luncheon from the New York Historical Society.
Since 1985, it has been tradition to select a painting to serve as a backdrop to the head table at the Presidential Inaugural Luncheon. The chosen painting is intended to reflect the theme of the year’s inaugural ceremony. This year’s theme was “ A New Birth of Freedom”. The theme is a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, and his ideals of reuniting a nation and westward expansion during his presidency. The Yosemite painting represents this theme through its monumental vista of the American West that suggested a new land open for exploration.
