Kindred Spirits: Sarah and Thomas Cole

"Mt. Aetna," 1846–1852, by Sarah Cole. Oil on canvas; 11 1/2 inches by 17 1/2 inches. Albany Institute of History & Art, New York. Public Domain

The Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole (1801–48) began his early exploration of the natural world during his carefree childhood in Lancashire, England. The great painter’s love and observation of nature began in a small town known as Chorely, where the Cole family made their home. However, according to biographer Louis Legrand Noble, Cole was not alone.

“Another favorite pastime was to go with his youngest sister, Sarah, through the surrounding country, in search of the picturesque, for which he had already a remarkable love. When weariness, or the allurement of some pleasant spot, invited them to stop, they would fill up the time with song and melody–she singing, and he accompanying with his flute.” Sarah Cole (1805–57), along with biographer Noble were lifelong friends with Thomas. It should come as no surprise that Sarah became an accomplished painter as well.

Thomas Cole was among a handful of  artists who instructed both men and women, including his sister. Lost to history, Sarah’s artwork was recently discovered and appropriately credited thanks to researchers like Kristen Marchetti, a Cole Fellow at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Through her extensive research, our knowledge of the unheralded Hudson River School painter is growing immensely.

Painting a New World

"Landscape With Church," 1846, by Sarah Cole. Oil on artist board; 10 1/8 inches by 13 1/4 inches. Gift of Lynne Hill Bohnsack, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, New York. Courtesy of Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Sarah and Thomas’s father, James Cole, manufactured textiles and wallpaper. Unfortunately, he struggled financially and moved his wife and four of their eight children to the United States in 1818. Sarah no doubt felt strong ties to her childhood home. In paintings like “Landscape With Church” (1846), we see the church in Duffield in the center of her landscape’s waning light.

Her parents settled in New York City, but her brother made his way to the Catskills. Sarah cherished the times when she would visit Thomas, which she did often. Together they hiked to Kaaterskill Clove and explored the wooded hills around the valley. They were close friends and shared a love of art.

"A View of the Catskill Mountain House," 1848, by Sarah Cole. Oil on canvas; 15 1/3 inches by 23 3/8 inches. Albany Institute of History & Art, New York. Public Domain

Sarah was often a great encouragement to her famous brother in his moments of artistic doubt. “In a little while you will find that the art will return to you, and you will return to the art with renewed pleasure. The lights and shadows of this life are like the lights and shadows in your own pictures. The one makes the other more beautiful,” she wrote to Thomas.

She took up painting seriously in 1837 and wrote Thomas: “I have again been painting on my own and find it rather a difficult piece of business and I very often stand in need of a word from you.” From the exchange of letters, we learn that the two siblings enjoyed a relationship wherein each was the other’s primary encourager.

There are but 30 works that can be attributed to Sarah. She did not exhibit her work publicly until after Thomas’s death, presumably because she did not want to  compete with him. Thanks to the Thomas Cole National Historic Site’s dedication to clarifying her contributions to Luminism, she properly stands alongside her brother.

"Mt. Aetna," 1846–52, by Sarah Cole. Oil on canvas; 11 1/2 inches by 17 1/2 inches. Albany Institute of History & Art, New York. Public Domain

Would you like to see other kinds of arts and culture articles? Please email us your story ideas or feedback at [email protected]