Object Details
Cast after
Henry Dexter, 11 Oct 1806 - 23 Jun 1876
Sitter
Samuel Houston, 2 Mar 1793 - 26 Jul 1863
Exhibition Label
Born Rockbridge County, Virginia
Sam Houston played an outsized role in the early history of Texas. After an 1829 scandal ended his political career in Tennessee, he settled in what was then Mexican Texas. Then, in 1835, he joined the fight as hostilities escalated between U.S. colonists and Mexican authorities.
Victorious at the battle of San Jacinto, he won election as the Republic of Texas’s first president and later agreed to its annexation by the United States (1845). An enslaver, Houston nonetheless opposed secession and refused to pledge loyalty to the Confederacy in 1861. When Texas left the Union, however, he supported the Confederate war effort.
Nacido en Rockbridge County, Virginia
Sam Houston tuvo un papel enorme en la historia temprana de Texas. Tras un escándalo en 1829 que dio fin a su carrera política en Tennessee, se radicó en Texas en lo que era entonces territorio mexicano. En 1835 se unió a la lucha cuando aumentaron las hostilidades entre los colonos estadounidenses y las autoridades mexicanas.
Victorioso en la batalla de San Jacinto, fue electo primer presidente de la República de Texas y luego aprobó su anexión a EE.UU. (1845). Aunque tenía esclavos, se opuso a la secesión y se negó a jurar lealtad a la Confederación en 1861. Sin embargo, cuando Texas abandonó la Unión, apoyó el esfuerzo bélico confederado.
Provenance
(Roman Bronze Works, Inc.), New York; purchased NPG 1969
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
1860 (cast 1969)
Object number
NPG.69.82
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Without Base: 53.3 x 35.6 x 25.4cm (21 x 14 x 10")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 122
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Samuel Houston: Male
Samuel Houston: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Samuel Houston: Military and Intelligence\Soldier
Samuel Houston: Politics and Government\Government official\Governor\Tennessee
Samuel Houston: Politics and Government\Government official\US Congressman\Tennessee
Samuel Houston: Politics and Government\Government official\US Senator\Texas
Samuel Houston: Politics and Government\Government official\Governor\Texas
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.69.82