The Course of Empire: Desolation

Thomas Cole

1836 · Oil on canvas · New-York Historical Society

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

The Course of Empire: Desolation

The Course of Empire: The Consummation of Empire

The Course of Empire: Destruction

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Thomas Cole (1801–1848)
Year: 1836
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 99.7 × 160.7 cm
Collection: New-York Historical Society
Movement: Hudson River School
Series: The Course of Empire

The last canvas of The Course of Empire. The city is gone. A single column stands at the edge of the water, ruined arches and a broken bridge crumble under ivy, and the moon rises over a still bay at dusk, with no human figure anywhere. The boulder on its crag, unchanged since The Savage State, looks down on the empty valley. Cole painted it in 1836 for Luman Reed to close a cycle that had traced an imaginary state from wilderness through pastoral balance, imperial splendour and violent collapse. Nature, which was there before the first hunter, reclaims the site; some critics have read the constant rock as the permanence of the earth set against the transience of human works. The five canvases hang together at the New-York Historical Society, their home since 1858.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A single column, ivy-covered ruins and a moon rising over a still bay, with no human figure, for a study, bedroom or landing at 16×24 or 24×36 in black. Dusty blue, warm grey or sage; it closes the sequence or works alone.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1836)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
Rooms: living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is The Course of Empire: Desolation in the public domain?

Yes. Thomas Cole (1801–1848) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by New-York Historical Society.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Course of Empire: Desolation painted, and in what medium?

The Course of Empire: Desolation dates from 1836 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 99.7 × 160.7 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Thomas Cole's The Course of Empire: Desolation — Desolation — a single column by moonlight amid the overgrown ruins of the fallen city — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The Hudson River School, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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