“More than a decade of detective work has revealed that Thomas Cole transformed his home’s interior into a dramatic three-dimensional work of art.”  

—Jean Dunbar, PhD, Historic Interiors Expert 

Illustration by Hudson Talbott from Picturing America

In 1836, Thomas Cole married Maria Bartow and moved into the federal-style Main House in Catskill with her family. As a celebrated painter and recognized architect, who also had experience in decorative arts manufacturing, Thomas Cole embarked on a major redesign of the interiors of the home, which was originally built in 1815.  

Cole selected new colors, textiles, floor coverings, and finishes, and hand-painted decorative borders onto the walls where his paintings were displayed for patrons in the two front parlors and his red gallery library.  

Cole’s original decorative paintings were first discovered beneath layers of modern paint in 2014 and have since been conserved for visitors to experience today. The restoration of the interiors is led by Jean Dunbar, PhD, Historic Interiors. The project team includes Carrie Feder, Historic Interiors Expert, Matthew Mosca, Historic Paint Analyst, and Margaret Saliske, conservator.  

The entryway serves as your introduction to the Main House, a space where Thomas wanted to make an impression.

PAINT COLORS 

Determined through microscopic analysis of wall samples, the periwinkle wall color from Thomas Cole’s period of residency has been restored to its original splendor. Blue paint in homes was previously very expensive, but as a professional painter, Cole had access to a cheaper synthetic blue ultramarine pigment invented in 1826.  

Walls: Benjamin Moore Aura Interior Paint in Matte in a custom lavender: S1: 0 X 5.25, W1: 3 X 6.25, M1: 1 X 30, B1: 1 X 22 

Trim: Allbäck Linseed Oil Paint in color “Old White” 

Stair Treads: Benjamin Moore Alkyd Satin Impervo in custom color 

Stair & Landing Floor: Benjamin Moore in color Golden Retriever 2165-30 

FLOOR CLOTH 

The geometric floor covering is known as a floor cloth: a piece of cotton canvas hand-painted and coated with layers of varnish. It was a popular feature in 19th-century homes because it was inexpensive and easy to clean. In his youth, Thomas Cole painted floor cloths for his father’s business. This is a hand-painted recreation of a historic design. 

The pattern is taken from a scrap of floor cloth in the collection of the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY. The scrap was found on the floor of a coach owned by the Cooper family. Thomas Cole and James Fenimore Cooper were close friends, and we know Cooper visited Thomas at his home here in Catskill. Because there was no surviving fragment of the floor cloth from this space, the pattern for the recreation was chosen because it was a historic pattern available to Thomas Cole and because the colors of the scrap closely matched the artist’s chosen color scheme for the hallway.

Reproduced by John Kraus  

The floor cloth reproduction was completed by artist John Kraus, a decorative painter who specialized in the restoration of 18th and early 19th-century homes for over three decades. 

STAIR CARPET 

Reproduced by Thistle Hill Weavers 

Thistle Hill Weavers of Cherry Valley, NY created the striped stair carpet, a historically accurate reproduction of weaving techniques and styles of the period. 

More Room Details Coming Soon