American scenes are not destitute of historical and legendary
associations--the great struggle for freedom has sanctified many a spot,
and many a mountain, stream, and rock, has its legend, worthy of poet's
pen or the painter's pencil.
Thomas Cole, "Essay on American Scenery" (1836) (1)
Only twenty-four years old and striving to establish himself as a painter in New York City, Thomas Cole traveled up the Hudson River during the late summer of 1825 with money provided by George W. ...