Thomas Cole

Early Life

• Thomas Cole was born in 1801 at Bolton, Lancashire in Northwestern England.

• Cole came with his family to the United States in the early 1818. They settled in Ohio.

• Starting in portraiture, he shifted to landscapes.

• In 1825 he moves to New York City.

He discovers the Valley

• 1825- He discovered the beauty of the Catskills.

• His collection of small paintings of the Catskills began to take notice in the NYC art scene.

http://www.thomascole.org/thomas-cole-film

He Leaves for Europe• From 1829-1832, Cole returned to Europe for studies and business.• He met a large number of wealthy Americans, receiving many

commissions.• His reputation and stature were slowly increasing• Cole returned to NYC in 1832 and mounted his collection of European

paintings.

Catskill Studio

• Afterwards, he established his first studio in Catskill, NY• While there, Cole met Luman Reed. He would make Cole

his patron.• For Reed, Cole produced his best-known series of paintings-

“The Course of Empire” (1836)• From 1835-1836, Cole stayed in Catskill to work on “The

Course of Empire”• At this time, he began to express his concern for the impact

of industrialization on the valley.

Course of Empire: “The Savage State”

Course of Empire: “Arcadian (or Pastoral) State”

Course of Empire: “Consummation”

Course of Empire: “Destruction”

Course of Empire: “Desolation”

Family Life at Cedar Grove

-On November 22, 1836, Cole married Maria Bartow in the West Cedar Grove, which became his come.

-He and his wife would have five children.

Later Career…

• In 1839, Cole began to produce 4 paintings called “The Voyage of Life” for Samuel Ward.

• In 1841, Cole voyaged to Europe and he painted a second “Voyage of Life” in Italy.

Late life

• Upon his return, Cole decided to become a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Catskill

• He later designed a new church building for St. Luke’s and his friend Reverend Louis L. Noble

• Around 1843, Cole began to worry about selling his paintings

• He then turned to publishing a number of his letters and poems in NY papers and magazines

Late life

• Around 1844, Cole began to accept students in his studio

• In 1846, Cole began another series of paintings called “The Cross and the World”

• Cole established a second studio.• Cole suffered an attack of pleurisy and congestion of

his lungs and died on February 11, 1848