Stephen Fuller Austin
Object Details
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Date
- c. 1840
- Object number
- NPG.93.380
- Exhibition Label
- Born Wythe County, Virginia
- Stephen Austin established the first settlement of Anglo-Americans in Mexico’s largely uninhabited Texas territory in 1821, where his late father had secured a land grant. The colony thrived and expanded, and with the Mexican government’s blessing, Austin emerged as the primary governing authority. When Mexico banned slavery in 1829, Austin resisted, and an exception was soon granted. A firm believer that his interests were best served under Mexican rule, Austin helped ensure Texas remained a part of Mexico for as long as it did.
- It was with reluctance that Austin joined other Anglo-Americans in the war for Texas’s independence from Mexico in 1836. Ultimately, even that hesitation was not enough to diminish the great admiration he engendered as the founder of Texas. During the late 1830s, a portrait of Austin (resembling this painting) appeared on fifty-dollar notes issued by the Republic of Texas.
- Provenance
- Eugene K. Austin; Mrs. William P. Harris, Long Island; her granddaughter Carey Haus Beverly, Portsmouth, Va.; purchased 1993 NPG
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Artist
- Unidentified Artist
- Sitter
- Stephen Fuller Austin, 3 Nov 1793 - 27 Dec 1836
- Topic
- Stephen Fuller Austin: Male
- Stephen Fuller Austin: Politics and Government\Statesman
- Stephen Fuller Austin: Law and Law Enforcement\Judge
- Stephen Fuller Austin: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Banker
- Stephen Fuller Austin: Natural Resources\Pioneer\Frontiersman
- Stephen Fuller Austin: Politics and Government\Governor\Texas
- Portrait
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 66 x 55.9 x 2.5cm (26 x 22 x 1")
- Frame: 85.1 x 74.9 x 5.1cm (33 1/2 x 29 1/2 x 2")
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.93.380
Stephen Fuller Austin
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