In February 2013, the Seward House Historic Museum in Auburn, New York, removed a Thomas Cole painting on display, citing concerns over the work's value and the museum's ability to safeguard the Hudson River School landscsape.

Emerson Foundation said a valuation of Cole's "Portage Falls on the Genesee" came in at about $20 million. Supporters say a sale of the work could safeguard the financial future of the museum, which was once the home of leading 19th-century politician William H. Seward and his family.

A battle ensued over whether the Cole should be sold or remain on display. The painting is now kept out of public view at an undisclosed location.

The state attorney general wrote in 2013 that a sale of the "painting would not be permitted under the terms of the bequest to the Emerson Foundation under Article Fourth of the will of William H. Seward III."

Local news source Auburn Citizen is calling for a judge to put the painting back on view. In an opinion piece: "...the public is being deprived of the ability to see a piece of art that holds a high place in our city, state and nation's history."