The Course of Empire paintings, a set of five canvases by Thomas Cole that depict the progression of human civilization from the so-called savage wilderness to high civilization and its inescapable demise, took the artist three years to complete. America experienced a period of optimism in the 1830s. The first signs of industrialization appeared with the completion of the Erie Canal and the first US locomotive, Tom Thumb, started operating. The romantic glorification of the pastoral life was on display in The Course of Empire by Thomas Cole, which served as a caution against the arrogance of empire construction.