Beyond the Notes:
The Course of Empire

The Paintings

Linda S. Ferber, Vice President and Senior Art Historian at the New-York Historical Society, acts as a guide through Cole's suite of five paintings in the videos below.

Video: The Savage State (1834)

Video: The Pastoral State (1834)

Video: The Consummation of Empire (1836)

Video: The Destruction of Empire(1836)

Video: Desolation (1836)