The Voyage of Life

work by Cole

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

"The Voyage of Life" is a series of four allegorical paintings by American Romantic landscape painter Thomas Cole. Created starting in 1839, the series symbolically depicts the journey of human life from its beginning to its end. Each painting represents a distinct stage: infancy, childhood, youth, and old age. Cole, a founder of the Hudson River school, used his art to explore moral meanings and the progress of humankind, often contrasting the ephemeral nature of human endeavors with the enduring power of the natural world.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Thomas Cole
A second series, called The Voyage of Life (begun 1839), depicts a symbolic journey from infancy to old age in four scenes. Shortly before he died in 1848, Cole began still another series, The Cross of the World, which was of a religious nature.
Read More
A second series, called The Voyage of Life (begun 1839), depicts a symbolic journey from infancy to old age in four scenes. Shortly before he died in 1848, Cole began still another series, The Cross of the World, which was of a religious nature.
Read More