Scene from “The Last of the Mohicans,” Cora Kneeling at the Feet of Tamenund

Cole's painting The Last of the Mohicans was inspired by a passage from James Fenimore Cooper's popular novel of the same title, which became an instant bestseller after its publication early in 1826. Cole combined the real and the ideal in this work—a faithful rendering of White Mountain, New Hampshire, scenery in the background with idealized geological features that enhance the minute narrative scene in the foreground. Casting herself in front of Tamenund, Chief of the Delaware, Cora pleads for mercy for her sister and herself as the warrior Magua looks on.