Texas Lithographs

This beautifully produced book is an instant classic of Texana, and a must-have for print collectors. The astonishing images gathered here-ranging from documentary maps and portraits to advertisements and book illustrations-let us see how the artists and printers who mastered the new technology of lithography depicted Texas for Texans and promoted the region to the world. With deep research and lucid prose, Ron Tyler shows us how these nineteenth-century printmakers navigated the challenges of their medium, the demands of the market, and their own creative ambitions to picture Texas as it was or, sometimes as they hoped it could be.

- Martha A. Sandweiss, Princeton University, author of Print the Legend: Photography and the American West

An absolutely wonderful book. The prose is crisp, direct, and a delight to read-all the way down to the footnotes. Beyond contextualizing the world of Texas-related lithographs, Tyler provides a unique vantage for viewing that most iconic of Texas centuries. I thought I knew nineteenth-century Texas well, but I found myself learning something new and fascinating in every chapter because I had not encountered the art of the era in this way.

- Andrew J. Torget, University of North Texas, author of Seeds of Empire: Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800–1850

Primed by a distinguished career dedicated to the history and imagery of the American West, Ron Tyler expertly recasts the state’s nineteenth-century history through the visual power and commercial development of lithography. From city views and ship portraits to Mardi Gras invitations and caricatures, these images tell compelling stories that chronicled, fantasized, and drove the dynamic history of Texas under five of its flags. This book will enlighten and delight anyone interested in the history of Texas or print culture.

- Carol Clark, Amherst College, author of Charles Deas and 1840s America

Texas Lithographs is a gorgeous testament to Ron Tyler’s long and deep fascination with the subject. The images-whether of people, cities, wildlife, or cartoons-are beautifully reproduced, and, enhanced by Tyler’s thematic chapters, tell the story of nineteenth-century Texas in a striking new way. This is a book to savor.

- Andrew R. Graybill, Southern Methodist University, author of Policing the Great Plains: Rangers, Mounties, and the North American Frontier, 1875–1910

While the publication honors Texas’ history, it equally celebrates the art of lithography. From maps and bonds to advertisements and posters, the included works present the diversity of lithography, highlighting the beauty - and importance - of printmaking.

(Sightlines)

If you’re searching for an exquisite illustrated book on Texas history, Ron Tyler’s Texas Lithographs certainly fits the bill. Here’s the catch: This 518-page book is far more than simply a pretty book to display on a coffee table. Tyler’s book is a hybrid of stunning period images and tightly woven sentences that relate the origin story of Texas in a refreshingly new way.

(Wild West Magazine)

A careful, thoughtful, and sensitive examination of Texas as seen by outside observers who ‘learned’ about Texas through popular imagery; and almost exclusively from lithographs...[This book offers] penetrating analysis of the evolution of Texas imagery.

(Southwestern Historical Quarterly)