1987.44 William Henry Huddle, Study for the "Surrender of Santa Anna"

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The title and explanation inscribed on the reverse of this painting are somewhat contradictory. The tree dominating this landscape was likely found in a field near William Huddle's home in Austin, Texas. In state lore, the Treaty Oak is located in Austin and marks the site where Stephen F. Austin signed a boundary agreement with the Native American tribes. The Battle of San Jacinto took place in 1836 outside of Houston and was unrelated to the tree made famous by Austin. However, based on visual observation, the majestic tree closely matches the setting for Huddle's large-scale painting of the Battle of San Jacinto, The Surrender of Santa Anna (1886). This monumental history painting was commissioned by the state legislature in 1885 and it still hangs in the Capitol, along with thirty-two other works by Huddle. In it, the peaceful countryside shown in Treaty Oak becomes the passive backdrop for over thirty military figures carefully arranged to show their identifying features. It seems likely that Huddle, or someone wanting to make Treaty Oak more meaningful to Texas audiences, conflated the two stories to maximize its historical associations.

Excerpt from

Emily Schiller, DMA label text, 2012.

NOTES

c. 1885

Treaty Oak (Austin, TX) wikipedia also handbook of texas online

"Huddle left Austin to study portraiture in Europe, but returned in 1885. He established himself quickly as a portrait painter, bu this landscapework was not considered impressive. What work he did in that field included scenes of Pedernales River which he sketched in 1887, Marble Falls, and Austin."

"In 1884, Huddle went to Germany for more study, returning to Texas in the summer of 1886." (Munich)

Catalogue essays

Hoblitzelle Foundation

Artist/designers

Huddle, William Henry (American, 1847-1892)

Cultures

Geography

Depicted location: Harris (county/Texas): TGN: 1002456

Depicted location: Austin (Texas/United States): TGN: 7013346

Place of origin: Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826

Process/materials

Oil on Pressboard

Historical periods

1878-1889, United States, "Gilded Age"

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

From 1987: Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hobiltzelle Collection, gift of the Hobiltzelle Foundation

AUDIO ASSETS

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES

Library of Congress~View the painting Surrender of Santa Anna by William Henry Huddle, for which the DMA's work is a study.
Texas State Preservation Board~Check out this image with a key to the figures in the painting Surrender of Santa Anna.

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 1987.44

General Description

The title and explanation inscribed on the reverse of this painting are somewhat contradictory. The tree dominating this landscape was likely found in a field near William Huddle's home in Austin, Texas. In state lore, the Treaty Oak is located in Austin and marks the site where Stephen F. Austin signed a boundary agreement with the Native American tribes. The Battle of San Jacinto took place in 1836 outside of Houston and was unrelated to the tree made famous by Austin. However, based on visual observation, the majestic tree closely matches the setting for Huddle's large-scale painting of the Battle of San Jacinto, The Surrender of Santa Anna (1886). This monumental history painting was commissioned by the state legislature in 1885 and it still hangs in the Capitol, along with thirty-two other works by Huddle. In it, the peaceful countryside shown in Treaty Oak becomes the passive backdrop for over thirty military figures carefully arranged to show their identifying features. It seems likely that Huddle, or someone wanting to make Treaty Oak more meaningful to Texas audiences, conflated the two stories to maximize its historical associations.