Name/Title
Hand-Colored Lithograph "The Battle at Churubusco"Context
A pair of hand-colored lithographs, framed in gold leaf frames and located in the front hall of the Neill-Cochran House, relate to the Mexican-American War. The two battles depicted illustrate the “Battle at Churubusco” and the “Battle of Cerro Gordo”.
Between 1846 and 1848 the United States and Mexico fought over Texas and the Mexican grounds of western North America. Although Texas had won its independence from Mexico in 1836 and joined the United States in 1845, the Mexican government refused to concede the Rio Grande as the border between the two countries. In 1846, President James K. Polk, decided to settle the conflict by going into war. The United States won every major battle that followed, including the battle at Cerro Gordo (April, 1874) and the battle at Churubusco (August, 1847).
The two battle scenes, located in the Neill-Cochran House Museum originate in a book containing a portfolio of 12 lithographs. This book project, entitled “The War Between the United States and Mexico, Illustrated” was initiated by the war correspondent George Wilkins Kendall (1809-1867). Kendall commissioned the paintings that would later form the basis of the lithographs from the German-born artist Carl Nebel (1805–1855), who was living in Mexico at the time. In the preface to the book, Kendall notes, “Of the twelve illustrations accompanying this work (…) the greater number were drawn on the spot by the artist.” This statement is somewhat misleading as it implies that the German painter was present at each battle. In reality, Nebel visited many sites after the fact and used notes from Kendall to paint “on the spot” scenes of 12 major conflicts. As narratives of these battles, they are notable for their focus on large-scale action scenes rather than on individual acts of heroism.
Nebel’s paintings were translated in Paris into lithographs by Adolphe-Jean-Baptiste Bayot and printed by the workshop of Rose-Joseph Lemercier, who excelled in obtaining painterly effects through the printmaking process of lithography. Each lithograph was then hand-colored and paired with text about the battle written by Kendall. This very labor-intensive project explains the small number of 500 copies produced.
The hand-colored lithographs of the suite, with their attention to historical accuracy and picturesque compositions, are considered historically significant depictions of the Mexican-American war and bear witness to Texas’ early history.Acquisition
Accession
1959.12Source or Donor
NSCDA in TX, Historical Activities, Mrs. Samuel Farrow Styles, ChairAcquisition Method
Gift