Inscribed verso, “A Column Standing near Syracuse, Sicily copied from a picture by T. Cole by S. Cole”
Sarah Cole, known predominantly as the sister to the notable Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole (1801-1848), was—despite the shadow overcast by her more famous brother—an accomplished painter in her own right. Like her brother, Sarah made summer painting and sketching trips into the Catskills and, in 1838, accompanied her brother on a hiking and camping trip to Catskill High Peak. From such expeditions as these, Sarah produced both original and copied works. Ancient Column Near Syracuse is one that she likely copied after her brother's Column of Ancient Syracuse, which was displayed at the Thomas's 1848 memorial exhibition.
