Thomas Flintoff
Portrait of Sam Houston (1793–1863)

ArtistEnglish, c. 1809–1891, active Texas 1851–1852
CultureEnglish
Titles
  • Portrait of Sam Houston (1793–1863)
Datec. 1851
PlaceTexas, United States
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Zimmerman
Object numberB.73.1
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Kilroy Center
On view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description


Thomas Flintoff, an itinerant portrait painter who worked in Texas in the mid-nineteenth century, was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, in 1809 and moved to the United States around 1850. Though little is known of his early life, the fact that he had received some training is evident in his work, for his paintings show that he had at least been exposed to the elements of English romantic style. He arrived in Galveston, Texas, in the spring of 1851. There he painted several portraits, including a group portrait of William J. Jones’s children (B.59.132). In late 1851, Flintoff went to Austin, where he was commissioned by the legislature to restore its portrait of Stephen F. Austin. This portrait was painted about the same year. Flintoff eventually went to Melbourne, Australia, where he died in 1891.



ProvenanceMr. and Mrs. R. E. Zimmerman, Houston; given to MFAH, 1973.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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