“The Hudson River School was America’s first true artistic fraternity. Its name was coined to identify a group of New York City-based landscape painters that emerged about 1850 under the influence of the English émigré  Thomas Cole (1801–1848) and flourished until about the time of the Centennial. Because of emerged about 1850 under the influence of the English émigré  Thomas Cole (1801–1848) and flourished until about the time of the Centennial. Because of the inspiration exerted by his work, Cole is usually regarded as the “father” or “founder” of the school, though he himself played no special organizational or fostering role except that he was the teacher of  Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900). Along with Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), Church was the most successful painter of the school until its decline... The New York landscape painters were not only stylistically but socially coherent. ... Eventually, several of the artists built homes on the Hudson River.” THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

For more on Thomas Cole see thomascole.org