Thomas Cole (1801 - 1848): Pioneer of American Landscape Painting Thomas Cole, born February 1, 1801, in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England—a quiet village nestled within the rolling hills of Yorkshire—was a figure whose artistic vision fundamentally reshaped the landscape of American art. His early life was marked by modest beginnings; his father, William Cole, was a printer and engraver who instilled in young Thomas a love for met…