Adolphe Jean Baptiste Bayot
Battle of Palo Alto

Public Domain

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Images(2)

Artist Adolphe Jean Baptiste Bayot (French, 1810–1866)French, 1810–1866

Artistafter Carl Nebel (German, 1805–1855)German, 1805–1855

PrinterPrinted by Rose Joseph Lemercier (French, 1803–1887)French, 1803–1887

PublisherPublished by D. Appleton & Company (New York, founded 1831)New York, founded 1831

PublisherPublished by George S. Appleton (Philadelphia)Philadelphia

CultureAmerican

Titles

Battle of Palo Alto
from The War between the United States and Mexico Illustrated, Embracing Pictorial Drawings of All the Principal Conflicts, by Carl Nebel, Author of “A Picturesque and Archaeological Voyage in Mexico,” with a Description of Each Battle, by Geo. Wilkins Kendall, Author of “The Texan Santa Fé Expedition,” etc., etc.

Date1851

MediumLithograph with watercolor and gum arabic on wove paper

DimensionsImage: 10 15/16 × 16 5/8 in. (27.8 × 42.2 cm)
Sheet: 16 5/8 × 22 5/8 in. (42.2 × 57.5 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by John Bookout and Wallace S. Wilson in honor of Ann Bookout and Jeanie Kilroy Wilson at "One Great Night in November, 2015"

Object numberB.2015.13.1

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

DescriptionFought near present-day Brownsville, Texas, the battle of Palo Alto was the first major engagement of the Mexican-American War. United States officer Major Samuel Ringgold, an artillery tactics pioneer, received mortal wounds in the battle and became a hero in its aftermath. This lithograph of the battle is part of a suite of twelve views of the Mexican-American War published in 1851 as The War Between the United States and Mexico, with a text by journalist George Wilkins Kendall. These hand-colored lithographs, with their attention to historical accuracy and beauty of composition, are considered the best depictions of the conflict. As narratives of battle, they are notable for their focus on large-scale actions rather than on individual acts of heroism.
ProvenanceJ. Dudley Thompson (1925–2010), Santa Barbara, California; Estate of J. Dudley Thompson; consigned to [Dorothy Sloan—Rare Books, Austin, Texas, auction 24, The Mexican-American War Collection of J. Dudley Thompson]; purchased by MFAH, 2015.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Recto: Inscribed in tan printed ink, below plate left: C. Nebel fecit.

Inscribed in tan printed ink, below plate center: Battle of Palo = alto / [cursive]

Inscribed in tan printed ink, below plate right: Bayot lith.

Recto: Stamp in ink, in plate, bottom left corner: ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS / [encircled]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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