J. Kick
View of Houston

Artist
CultureEnglish or European
Titles
  • View of Houston
Datec. 1846
Place depictedHouston, Texas, United States
MediumWatercolor on wove rag paper with gelatin highlights on secondary support of wove paper
DimensionsImage: 4 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (11.4 × 16.5cm)
Sheet: 8 1/2 × 11 3/16 in. (21.6 × 28.4cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Meredith J. Long
Object numberB.74.22
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Description

When this watercolor was executed, the city of Houston was only about ten years old, and Texas had just been annexed by the United States. The image, portraying Houston as a European mountain village, is geologically and architecturally impossible. Evidently, it was made by an artist who had never visited Houston or who simply romanticized its appearance to lure settlers to the new state. It appeared in print form, which suggests its promotional intention.


ProvenanceUnknown auction, England; purchased by Meredith Long (1928–2020), Houston; given to MFAH, 1974.
Exhibition History"American Made: 250 Years of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 7, 2012–October 15, 2013.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed, lower right of image: JKICK
J. WHATMAN TURKEYMILL 1846 watermark

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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