For centuries Texas has fired the imagination of artists as well as 
explorers and settlers. Before modern photography, engravings 
were the principal type of illustration used by artists to portray 
images of the state. Now, in this extensive catalogue, authors 
Mavis P. Kelsey, Sr., and Robin Brandt Hutchison have surveyed 
all engraved illustrations about Texas published before 1900.

    Engraved Prints of Texas, 1554–1900 presents the whole range 
of early Texas history as portrayed in published engravings: from 
the first printed representation of a buffalo in 1554 to a 1900 view of
the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston.

    Entries include information on more than 2,000 engravings, 470 
of which are illustrated in this volume. Presented chronologically by 
century and decade of publication, each chapter features a brief 
introduction to the historical background of the era, highlighting key 
illustrations and placing the art within the context of major events of 
the period. Several topical discussions address subjects that span 
decades or recur as pervasive themes in illustration.

    Historians, teachers, and scholars will find this catalogue a useful 
reference for locating pictorial representations of particular events, 
subjects, or persons. It is an indispensable source for lovers of Texas
history and an important contribution to preserving the visual record.

_________________________________________________________

MAVIS P. KELSEY, SR., is a fifth-generation Texan and a 1932 
graduate of Texas A&M University who has spent a lifetime collecting 
rare books, prints, and paintings of early America. He has written 
extensively on art, history, genealogy, and travel, including two 
previous books published by Texas A&M University Press—The 
Courthouses of Texas and Twentieth-Century Doctor. He is a longtime 
resident of Houston. ROBIN BRANDT HUTCHISON holds a Master's 
degree from Texas A&M University. She is an archivist in the Cushing 
Memorial Library and Archives, where she has primary curatorial 
responsibility for the Mary and Mavis P. Kelsey Collection of 
Americana and Art. She lives in College Station, Texas.


Number Nine: Sara and John Lindsey Series in the Arts 
and Humanities


What people are saying about this book

"It offers a fascinating glimpse into how Texas was visualized 
before the twentieth century."—Review of Texas Books, Spring 
2006

"Engraved Prints of Texas is a superb reference about prints and 
their locations that will be useful to academic and other scholars, 
educators, and others interested in Texas."—Journal of the 
American Historical Print Collectors Society, Spring 2006

"With the dedicated amateur’s desire for comprehensiveness, 
attention to detail, and passion for accuracy, Mavis Kelsey with 
collaborator Robin Hutchison has illuminated Texas history as 
no previous scholar has done. . . . Kelsey’s lifetime labor of love 
becomes a landmark achievement of enduring benefit to those 
who would understand the Texas past."—Al Lowman, past 
president of the Texas State Historical Association
 
". . . demonstrates the wonder and significance of old prints, 
often lost in time. Graphics not only make historical statements, 
but also tell a story of the development of printing and reflect an 
insight to the customs and mores of their time. Dr. Mavis Kelsey 
and the editors are to be complimented for this fine innovative 
work."—Jenkins Garrett, past president, Texas State Historical 
Association and Texas Philosophical Society, Benefactor of the 
Special Collections of Americana Library at the University of 
Texas at Arlington

"'Superlative' understates the quality of this book. . . . Kelsey has 
produced a masterpiece . . . a matchless trove that vivifies much 
of Texas' past. This book will charm the public and oblige the 
scholar."—Frank E. Vandiver, president emeritus, Texas A&M 
University

". . . introduces us to an extensive and information-rich body of 
documentary evidence, as well as to important aspects of the 
popular culture and artistic expression of our past. . . . sure to 
become an essential reference tool for researchers and curators 
alike."—Katherine J. Adams, associate director, Center for 
American History, University of Texas at Austin