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Thomas Cole, 1801-1848
Artist Thomas Cole was a founder of the Hudson River School of American painting, which sought to record the sublime grandeur of the nation's natural landscape. Convinced that the highest art was that which conveyed a moral lesson, Cole achieved his greatest fame with two series of allegorical paintings entitled The Course of Empire (1836) and The Voyage of Life (1841). When the introduction of the daguerreotype led some to worry about the possible demise of painting, Cole dismissed such concerns by declaring, "The invention will undoubtedly be one of great value-to the artist as a means of accumulating material."
Matthew B. Brady, c 1845 |