In October 1825, a New York City bookstore displayed three paintings in its windows that changed the course of American art. WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports the rise of Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School that is being celebrated in Catskill.
English-born painter Thomas Cole emigrated to the United States in 1818. His 1825 trip to the Catskills region marked a pivotal moment in American art, inspiring the Hudson River School, a group of artists whose paintings paid homage to American wilderness, and establishing landscape painting as a national art form.
Maura O’Shea, Executive Director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, says Cole's thought leadership rivaled that of modern day social media influencers.
“Cole makes this trip up to the Catskills in 1825. There's all kinds of activity up here at the Catskill Mountain House. It's a great tourist destination. The Erie Canal is opening in the fall of 1825, and he comes up late summer to do some sketching, as he was, you know, doing while living in New York City. And he discovers the beauty of this region and puts it down in paper. He first visits the highlands. He goes to West Point area. He then heads up to near Albany, and finally makes his way to Catskill itself,” said O’Shea.
Cole sketched the Kaaterskill Falls then returned to New York City, where he put his sketches on canvas. O’Shea says those paintings soon appeared in bookshop windows, including Colman's on Broadway.
"And he's discovered by a great influencer, John, John Trumbull, the great revolutionary war hero, who was also the painter of the revolution, Revolutionary War," O'Shea said. "And John Trumbull then tells another artist Asher Brown Durand and William Dunlap, and the three of them purchase Cole's works, make introductions for Cole. And really, he's, he's a celebrity overnight and named the great American genius. You know, he really just, kind of just skyrockets into fame, and it also just creates this new tradition in landscape painting."
Jennifer Greim, Director of Advancement & External Affairs at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, says almost overnight after Cole’s paintings were displayed, Cole landed in the public eye as newspapers published articles, and the "elite of the day" took notice, at a time before public museums were being built in the United States.
"Cole wrote in one of his journals that art should be free as air," said Greim. "So it was an idea that was percolating but had not come to fruition during his lifetime. So many, many people would come to his home and to his studios to see his work. He designed the interiors of his home. He painted on the walls here. And decorated the room so as to best display his work, his patrons would also, you know, welcome the public visitors of a certain social standing to their home to see their art collections. The best place to see his work would have been as home, or if you were walking downtown [New York City] by Colman's bookshop 200 years ago this fall."
Greim says Cole is likely the Catkills' biggest fan in American History. And his work can still inspire others to appreciate the region just as he did. “We have a travel itinerary for those looking to following Cole's footsteps up the Hudson River from New York City to this beautiful area. We have a classroom lesson plan that teachers can download online."
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, also known as Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Landmark that includes Cole's home and studio. It is located at 218 Spring Street, Catskill.
