The Women of the Hudson River School

Farm on the Hudson 1861 Julie Hart Beers

Albert Bierstadt, Asher Durand, Frederic Church and Thomas Cole are among the names most familiarly associated with the Hudson River School of the mid-nineteenth century. The movement was so named because of the inspiration artists of the time found in the lush hillsides and rocky outcroppings of the Hudson River Valley and surrounding areas, including the White Mountains, the Adirondacks and the Catskills. Many traveled much further to bring back paintings from distant lands painted in the luminous style for which the Hudson River School is known. Thomas Cole is considered to be the founder of the movement. The paintings were largely realistic and romantic representations of verdant and pastoral landscapes.

Often missing in the familiar names are those of the women artists associated with the Hudson River School. The Thomas Cole National Historic site first brought this to light in 2010 with their exhibition, “Reme…