Thomas Cole

Thomas Cole (1801–1848) was an English-born American painter celebrated as the founder of the Hudson River School, the first native art movement in the United States. Renowned for his grand, romantic landscapes, Cole captured the untamed beauty of the American wilderness while infusing his work with allegorical and moral themes. His iconic series, including The Course of Empire and The Voyage of Life, combined meticulous natural detail with reflections on human ambition, progress, and mortality. Born in Bolton, England, Cole immigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1818, settling in Ohio before training as an artist in Philadelphia and later traveling to Europe to study the Old Masters. In 1836, he married Maria Bartow and made his home in Catskill, New York, where the surrounding Hudson River Valley inspired much of his work. He painted prolifically until his untimely death at age 47.