3 minute read
State House Press
WWW.STATEHOUSEPRESS.COM
A meeting of cultures in the Texas Hill Country
Comanches, Captives, and Germans
Wilhelm Friedrich’s Drawings from the Texas Frontier Daniel J. Gelo, C. B. “Hoppy” Hopkins, Christopher J. Wickham and Bryden E. Moon Jr
Around 1848 Wilhelm Friedrich, a young German immigrant to Texas, completed three drawings that capture unique details of life on the frontier. Friedrich’s sketches feature Comanches, Germans, a captive girl, a wagon train, the landscape and wildlife of the Texas Hill Country, and dynamic scenes of cultural contact. Friedrich is the only artist known to have produced contemporaneous images of a Comanche captive while still in captivity. Th e authors use their expertise in Comanche culture, German immigration, art, and Hill Country history to explore the many layers of meaning in Friedrich’s drawings. Who was Wilhelm Friedrich? How did he come to Texas? What information does he pack into his drawing? How can we understand his work—as art, as data about Comanche life and customs, and as a record of German values and priorities in the New World? Who is the captive girl? And why is her portrayal important today?
DANIEL J. GELO is Dean and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus and former Stumberg Distinguished University Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has writt en several awardwinning publications on the Indians of Texas and the Great Plains. C. B. “HOPPY” HOPKINS is an architectural and cultural historian, and an expert on fi rearms and the indigenous peoples of the Texas Hill Country. CHRISTOPHER J. WICKHAM is Professor of German Emeritus in the Department and Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has produced numerous works on German language, literature, art, and popular culture. BRYDEN E. MOON JR. is a retired communications executive with extensive experience in Hill Country history.
978-1-64967-013-7 paper $29.95 978-1-64967-015-1 ebook 6x9. 140 pp. 20 illustrations with notes. Bib. Index. Native American Studies. Exploration/Sett lement. Texas History. November
RELATED INTEREST
Th e Texas Tonkawas Stanley S. McGowen
978-1-933337-92-0 paper $29.95 978-1-933337-93-7 ebook
Frontier Texas
History of a Borderland to 1880
Robert F. Pace and Donald S. Frazier
978-1-933337-51-7 paper $19.95
42 | STATE HOUSE PRESS | WWW.TEXASBOOKCONSORTIUM.COM
Follow Sam Houston’s Army as they made history.
The Road to San Jacinto
Th is book follows the route of Sam Houston’s army from Gonzales to San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution. Th e author visited every campsite or important location to see what is there now and to look for the footprints of the Texian army. What is left over from his time? What is there now?
Using both primary and secondary sources, Dyer stitches together a historically accurate story of each site and illustrated it with his modern photos. Directions to each site are provided to encourage readers to visit.
Many of these sites have no historical markers and have been forgott en or ignored. Th e goal of this work is to encourage people to explore some forgott en local history by visiting these sites as a great way to gain an appreciation for Texas History.
An accompanying podcast will be made available to make it easy to listen to each description while visiting the sites.
DAVE DYER is an investor, writer, and radio talk show who lives in Houston.
978-1-64967-012-0 paper $39.95 978-1-64967-014-4 ebook 6x9. 225 pp. 82 illus. Maps. Notes. Bib. Index. Texas History. Military History. Revolution/Republic. November
RELATED INTEREST
Lust for Glory
An Epic Story of Early Texas and the Sacrifi ce Th at Defi ned a Nation
Stephen L. Hardin
978-1-933337-75-3 paper $39.95
Texian Macabre Stephen L. Hardin Illustrations by Gary S. Zaboly
978-1-933337-56-2 paper $24.95
