{"id":17293,"date":"2022-04-06T18:54:15","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T18:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/?page_id=17293"},"modified":"2026-05-20T15:31:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:31:56","slug":"primary-sources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/primary-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"Primary Sources"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Primary Sources<\/h1>
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\n Thomas Cole & Frederic Church<\/h1>
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A Legacy of Art & Friendship<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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The relationship between Thomas Cole and Frederic Church is a foundational one in American art. This collection of letters tells the story of how Church came to be Cole’s student, his study in Catskill from 1844\u201346, and the legacy that Cole’s teachings had on his career. A lightly edited version is available for sale online<\/span><\/a>, or in our gift shop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n Journal & Letters of Maria Bartow Cole<\/h1>
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Maria Bartow Cole’s journal kept from 1835-1851 and transcribed letters from 1831-1847. This collection of Maria’s writings documents her private life and relationships, providing a window into daily life in Catskill and beyond. A lightly edited version is available for sale online<\/span><\/a>, or in our gift shop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n Thoughts & Occurrences<\/h1>
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Thomas Cole’s journal kept from 1834-1848. This collection of writings documents events in his life and also includes poetry, musings, and lamentations. A lightly edited version is available for sale online<\/span><\/a>, or in our gift shop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\n Essay on American Scenery<\/h1>
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Thomas Cole’s\u00a0Essay on American Scenery\u00a0<\/em>is a seminal work of American environmentalism, first published in 1836. A lightly edited version is available for sale online<\/span><\/a>, or in our gift shop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a>
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\n Lecture on Art <\/h1>
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In his Lecture on Art, <\/em>Thomas Cole makes the case for public art to be available to every citizen, with drawing taught in every school. A lightly edited version is available for sale online<\/span><\/a>, or in our gift shop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Text <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n East Parlor Narrative<\/h1>
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In the East Parlor, visitors soar through the landscapes as Thomas Cole, voiced by actor Jamie Bell, speaks directly about his ambitions and his profound relationship with the American landscape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\n West Parlor Hidden Stories<\/h1>
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Thomas Cole\u2019s private correspondence with his wife Maria Bartow Cole on negotiating with patrons and Cole’s letters with patrons on view in the West Parlor. The letters back and forth sometimes got heated. What is beautiful? And what exactly is<\/em>\u00a0a landscape?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n Sitting Room Voice Narratives<\/h1>
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In the Sitting Room, dive in to Thomas Cole’s internal struggles and ambitions for his art through his later writings, where he seems to question and speculate on how art can change how people approach the world, and can contribute to an improved world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n “We traveled slowly, all night.”<\/h1>
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An 1836 account of what it was like to travel to and from the historic property in the words of Sarah Cole (1805-1857), the artist who was also Thomas Cole’s sister.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\n “I never saw so many different [trees]”<\/h1>
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In this letter to her sisters, Maria Bartow Cole (1813-1884) describes the trip she took with her husband, Thomas Cole, and the Durands to Schroon Lake in June 1837.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t Transcription <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n TCNHS Reports <\/h2><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\n Historic Structures Report<\/h1>
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The 2019 Historic Structure Report on the 1815 Main House, prepared \u00a0by John G. Waite Associates, Architects, with support from the National Park Service.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t Report <\/a>
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\n Life at Cedar Grove <\/h1>
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The Life at Cedar Grove research report was prepared by independent researcher Maureen Hart Hennessey for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site Interpretive Planning Project, with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Report <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n Cultural Landscape Report<\/h1>
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The Cultural Landscape Report was prepared by Heritage Partners and Robert M. Toole.<\/p>\n
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Special appreciation to Raymond Beecher, the preservation angel who saved this National Historic Site, and whose research on aspects of the Cedar Grove story, as cited in the footnotes of this report, enriched this study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t Report <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\n Household<\/h1>
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Learn more about the people who lived and worked at the historic property during Thomas Cole’s residency (1836-1848) as known through census records, letters, or oral history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t Information <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n Archives <\/h2><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\n Thomas Cole Site Archives<\/h1>
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The\u00a0Thomas Cole Site Archives contain letters, photographs, and other materials documenting the life of Thomas Cole, the Cole and Thomson families, and their home Cedar Grove in Catskill, NY. Limited access to the archives may be requested through advance appointment<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Finding Aid <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\n Elwood Parry Archive<\/h1>
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The Ellwood Parry Archive consists of the art historian\u2019s research records, including copies of letters, articles, Thomas Cole\u2019s correspondence, microfilms, exhibition records, slides, film, and photos. Limited access to the archives may be requested through advance appointment<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t Finding Aid <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Primary Sources Transcriptions Thomas Cole & Frederic Church A Legacy of Art & Friendship The relationship between Thomas Cole and Frederic Church is a foundational one in American art. This collection of letters tells the story of how Church came to be Cole's student, his study in Catskill from 1844\u201346, and the legacy that Cole's","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17293","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17293"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23928,"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17293\/revisions\/23928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomascole.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}