A Texas Sampler

In both words and images, A Texas Sampler is a tribute to the multicultural heritage of Texas. Thirty-two historically important pieces of art are integrated with thirty-two primary source documents. Together with the art, the excerpts from diaries, memoirs, letters, and tales preserve the pre-Civil War history of Texas and the diverse population that settled it. Among the voices included are: a German housewife, a slave, a Comanche chief, a pioneer mother of ten, a blacksmith, a mustanger, as well as historical figures such as Davy Crockett and William Barrett Travis. Art by Frederic Remington, George Catlin, George Caleb Bingham, William Henry Huddle, and William Tylee Ranney are among the pieces that illustrate historical events. The collection is arranged chronologically beginning with Cabeza de Vaca's encounter with the Karankawas and ending with Governor Sam Houston's refusal to swear allegiance to the Confederacy.