Dream of Arcadia
Thomas Cole, 1838
A green world that never had to choose industry. Temples in the trees. The dream knows it is a dream.
About this work
Thomas Cole signed and dated Dream of Arcadia "T. Cole 1838". Its theme is the relationship between people and unspoiled nature. Arcadia was a rustic, secluded region of ancient Greece that became a poetic byword for an idyllic life in harmony with nature, and Cole paints it as a sunlit valley where people dance among the trees, sheep graze the hillside and children play in a gentle river, with a classical temple in the middle distance and a sharp mountain peak beyond. Cole felt that the American wilderness was beginning to disappear as the country industrialised, and the painting looks back to an imagined golden age. He was deeply influenced by the French painter Claude Lorrain, of whom he said, "Claude, to me, is the greatest of all landscape painters." From Claude he took the luminous distance, the large trees framing the scene and the architecture placed in the middle ground. Cole, born in England in 1801, came to America in 1818 and was largely self-taught. The painting measures 38⅝ × 62¾ inches and was given to the Denver Art Museum by Mrs. Lindsey Gentry in 1954.
Sources: Denver Art Museum · Wikipedia: Arcadia (utopia)
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 5,797 × 3,551 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 38 × 23 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 12 in) · $100 · 290 ppi
Medium (24 × 15 in) · $150 · 237 ppi
Large (36 × 22 in) · $300 · 161 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Dream of Arcadia?
Here. Dream of Arcadia is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 12 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 15 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 22 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Dream of Arcadia?
The file is 5,797 × 3,551 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 22 in) prints at 161 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 22 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 12 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Dream of Arcadia?
Yes. Dream of Arcadia is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
