Thomas Flintoff
Indianola, Texas and Indianola with Lavaca Point in the Distance

Public Domain

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Artist Thomas Flintoff (English, c. 1809–1891, active Texas 1851–1852)English, c. 1809–1891, active Texas 1851–1852

CultureEnglish

Titles

Indianola, Texas and Indianola with Lavaca Point in the Distance

DateMay 16, 1852

PlaceIndianola, Texas, United States

MediumWatercolor on paper

DimensionsSheet: 10 7/16 × 13 7/8 in. (26.5 × 35.2 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Lee Godfrey in honor of his wife, Sandy Godfrey at "One Great Night in November, 2007"

Object numberB.2007.10

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

DRAWINGS, PASTELS & WATERCOLORS

DescriptionAn itinerant artist, Thomas Flintoff traveled to various parts of Texas capturing its diverse terrain and structures in beautifully-detailed watercolors. Although valuable documents of geographical history, these studies are also lovely artistic achievements of early Texas art. These two studies of Indianola reflect the major industries of the Texas Coast at the time: shipping and livestock. In the top half of the sheet, Flintoff depicts the town of Indianola on Matagorda Bay, the primary landing point for German immigrants bound for West Texas and the port of departure for the world’s first shipment of mechanically refrigerated beef (moved from Indianola to New Orleans in July 1869). The town was decimated several times during the 19th century by hurricanes, so this early image depicting ships and buildings is an important historical document of a lost Texas. In the bottom half of the sheet, the artist depicts the flat, marshy terrain that leads up to the beach using spare, horizontal bands of glistening color that marks the end of day light. In the distance, as the artist’s own inscription notes, is Lavaca Point.
Provenance Research Ongoing Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Marked in pencil recto, across the center; "Indianola Texas 1852 (signature)
Marked in pencil recto lower right: "Indianola / (illegible)[ Lavaca Point in the Distance May 16th 1852] (signature)"

Signed in pencil, recto right at center and lower right: "Thos. Flintoff"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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