# View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow

**Thomas Cole** (American, born England,1801–1848)  
1836  
Oil on canvas  
51 1/2 x 76 in. (130.8 x 193 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 08.228. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10497).

## About this work

From the summit of Mount Holyoke, the Connecticut River loops in a great oxbow through cultivated fields, while at the left a storm passes over wild, shattered trees. Thomas Cole divides the canvas between wilderness and settlement, darkness and light, inviting reflection on what America was making of its landscape. He painted it for the National Academy of Design exhibition of 1836 and included a tiny self-portrait at his easel in the foreground, looking out at us. Look too at the distant hillside, where clearings in the forest have been read as Hebrew letters spelling ‘Noah’ or, upside down, ‘the Almighty’.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Thomas Cole painted this in 1836, aged 35. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Thomas Cole](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/thomas-cole)

American, born England,1801–1848; born in Lancashire; died in Catskill, New York

Cole emigrated from Lancashire to the United States as a teenager and, largely self-taught, made his name in 1825 with views of the Catskill Mountains that launched what became known as the Hudson River School. Years in England and Italy deepened his ambitions, and he joined landscape to moral allegory in series such as The Course of Empire and The Voyage of Life. The Oxbow sets wild forest against cultivated valley. He lived at Catskill, New York, until his early death.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was 35
- Real size: about 51 × 76 in (131 × 193 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Hudson River School](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/hudson-river-school)
- Subjects: Rivers, Mountains, Landscapes, Pastoral, Storms
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/814.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/814/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/view-from-mount-holyoke-northampton-massachusetts-after-a-th-met-10497).