Samuel Houston

Art Historical Context

Behold the striking 1848 print portrait of **Samuel Houston** by Francis D'Avignon1813–c. 1871), a masterfulograph from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, on loan from the National Portrait. Captured in profile with a formal tie, Houston exudes the gravitas of a statesman, his features rendered with precise lines and subtle shading typical of mid-19th-century printmaking. Samuel Houston (1793–1863), a Tennessee-born lawyer and soldier, rose to legendary status as the hero of the Texas Revolution. Victorious at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, he became the first president of ...