Pints and Paintings: Thomas Cole and Frederic Church’s Tavern Sign

 In Current Exhibitions
  • Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, Bulls Head Tavern Sign, c. 1845, oil on canvas originally mounted on panel, H: 38 x W: 30 x D: 4.13 in., Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Museum Purchase. N0188.1957. Photographs by Richard Walker
  • Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, Bulls Head Tavern Sign, c. 1845, oil on canvas originally mounted on panel, H: 38 x W: 30 x D: 4.13 in., Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Museum Purchase. N0188.1957. Photographs by Richard Walker

Pints and Paintings: Thomas Cole and Frederic Church’s Tavern Sign

April 1 – May 7

*Exhibition open through May 7, 2026; paintings on view through 12/31/2026

Purchased by Fenimore Art Museum in 1957, The Bull’s Head Tavern Sign arrived at Fenimore with some fascinating local lore attributing one side of the sign to Thomas Cole and the other by Frederic Church. This focused installation in honor of Frederic Church’s 200th birthday, explores primary sources, sketches by the artists from the same period and consultation with experts from Olana and Cooper-Hewitt along with conservators to officially attribute the sign to both artists. 

Both images:

Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole, Bulls Head Tavern Sign, c. 1845, oil on canvas originally mounted on panel, H: 38 x W: 30 x D: 4.13 in., Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Museum Purchase. N0188.1957. Photographs by Richard Walker

Visit the home and studios of Thomas Cole at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY, less than a two-hour drive from Cooperstown, NY.

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5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80
COOPERSTOWN NY, 13326
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