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Inscribed backing panel for "The Course of Empire"
Artist/Maker (1801 - 1848)

Inscribed backing panel for "The Course of Empire"

1836
Oil on pine board
Overall: 19 7/8 x 42 1/8 in. ( 50.5 x 107 cm )
INV.4815
This wood panel was used as a protective backing for "The Consummation of Empire" canvas from the five-part series of paintings "The Course of Empire". The moving inscription refers to Luman Reed's death on June 7, 1836, and suggests that Cole intended "The Course of Empire" to serve as a lasting memorial to Reed, both as a friend and as a patron of the arts.
DescriptionWood panel inscribed: "This picture with four others constitute a series called The Course of Empire. They were painted for Mr Luman Reed, but before they were completed I had to lament his death. / Thomas Cole. / Catskill.1836"
InscribedInscribed: "This picture with four others constitute a series called The / Course of Empire. They were painted for Mrs. Luman Reed, / But before they were completed I had to lament his death. / Thomas Cole. / Catskill. 1836."
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Troop Wagons at Kingston, Georgia; verso: landscape sketch
Troop Wagons at Kingston, Georgia; verso: landscape sketch
John F. E. Hillen
1864
1945.580.13
The Course of Empire: Destruction
The Course of Empire: Destruction
Thomas Cole
1836
1858.4
Image Not Available for View of Charleston Harbor with Castle Pinckney
View of Charleston Harbor with Castle Pinckney
Unidentified Artist
1861-1862
1945.580.85
The Course of Empire: The Consummation of Empire
The Course of Empire: The Consummation of Empire
Thomas Cole
1835-1836
1858.3
The Arrival of George Washington at New York City, April 30, 1789
The Arrival of George Washington at New York City, April 30, 1789
Arsène Hippolyte Rivey
1870
1939.216
Image Not Available for The Morning After the Battle of July 28th, The Taking Up of Reb's Dead and Wounded by the Union Soldiers
The Morning After the Battle of July 28th, The Taking Up of Reb's Dead and Wounded by the Union Soldiers
John F. E. Hillen
29 July 1864
1945.580.105
Image Not Available for Vignette of the Passage of the Rappahannock by the Grand Army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Midnight, December 10, 1862
Vignette of the Passage of the Rappahannock by the Grand Army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Midnight, December 10, 1862
Henri Lovie
December 10, 1862
1945.580.59
Image Not Available for Camp Fires at Night of the 8th Massachusetts Regiment and a Portion of the 7th Regiment of New York on the Road from Annapolis, Maryland, to Washington, D.C.
Camp Fires at Night of the 8th Massachusetts Regiment and a Portion of the 7th Regiment of New York on the Road from Annapolis, Maryland, to Washington, D.C.
Unidentified Artist
22-25 April 1861
1945.580.37
Image Not Available for Captured Rebel Wagons and Artillery at an Encampment; verso: Overview of Battle of Cedar Creek South of Winchester, Virginia
Captured Rebel Wagons and Artillery at an Encampment; verso: Overview of Battle of Cedar Creek South of Winchester, Virginia
Unidentified Artist
19 October 1864
1945.580.100
Image Not Available for General George Edward Pickett (1825-1875), Waiting for the Signal at Gettysburg
General George Edward Pickett (1825-1875), Waiting for the Signal at Gettysburg
Alexander Robinson Boteler
1863
1904.8
Scene at Camp Jackson, St. Louis, Missouri
Scene at Camp Jackson, St. Louis, Missouri
Unidentified Artist
1861-65
1945.580.34
The Course of Empire: The Savage State
The Course of Empire: The Savage State
Thomas Cole
ca. 1834
1858.1