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Catholic Church, Houston, Texas

Courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Public Domain

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Date

March 25, 1852

Artist

Thomas Flintoff (c. 1809-1891)

Collection

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Image Link

https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/86978/catholic-church-houston-texas

Description

In 1850 Thomas Flintoff came to Texas from England. During his two-year stay, he painted portraits of important early Texas public and private figures, including Sam Houston (B.71.3). Several of his most important commissions hang in the Texas State Capitol building in Austin. Although less known, during this period, he also painted a dozen watercolor scenes of Texas. These delicate studies of Galveston, Houston, and the Gulf Coast area are valuable documents of the early history and development of the state. In this study, Flintoff depicts the first Catholic Church in Houston, St. Vincent de Paul, situated near Buffalo Bayou. The simple wooden church with only twenty pews was erected between 1841–1842 at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Caroline Street. In the middle ground, a clergyman, dressed in black, engages in casual conversation with another man on the bridge as a gentleman wearing a top hat passes behind them on horseback. In the lush vegetation and craggy banks, Flintoff masterfully captures the environment that distinguishes Buffalo Bayou today.
Descriptive Medium: Watercolor on paper

Image Licence

Public Domain

Image Credit

Courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Location

Houston, Texas, USA

Country

Medium

Tags

Horses
Bridges
People
Religious Buildings

Category

Buildings & Architecture

Glossary
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© 2024 Watercolour World | Technology by The Museum Platform