Lot Essay
Cole was a self-taught artist, who began his career painting large-scale advertisements for a travelling circus. Inspired by the positive reactions to this endeavor, he travelled to Holland to study animal painting and the work of the Dutch masters. On his return, he spent several years in Portsmouth as an animal painter and portraitist. In 1840 he exhibited for the first time in London at the British Institution, and from 1849-82 he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, primarily English country landscapes.