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303

PORTRAIT OF GENERAL SAMUEL HOUSTON, GRAPHITE AND INK WASH ON PAPER. Anonymous, graphite and ink on p

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
PORTRAIT OF GENERAL SAMUEL HOUSTON, GRAPHITE AND INK WASH ON PAPER. Anonymous, graphite and ink on p
PORTRAIT OF GENERAL SAMUEL HOUSTON, GRAPHITE AND INK WASH ON PAPER. Anonymous, graphite and ink on paper, 7.25 x 6" (sight), framed with mat and glazing. Possibly one of the earliest known portraits of Houston, this rendering shows him as a Brigadier General in the Tennessee State Militia. Houston (1793-1863), a Virginian by birth, moved to the vicinity of Marysville, Tennessee in 1808 after the death of his father. In 1813 he volunteered his service in the war with Great Britain. His first action was at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, where he was wounded three times, and won the lasting respect of Andrew Jackson. While recovering from his wounds, Houston was promoted to second, and quickly thereafter, to first, Lieutenant, serving as Indian sub-agent to the Cherokee and assisting in the Removal. Difficulties with the War Department led to his resignation from the Army in 1818. Houston read law for six months in 1818 before opening a practice in Lebanon, Tennessee. With Jackson's support he was appointed adjutant general of the state militia by Governor Joseph McMinn. Later that year he took up residence in Nashville and was elected state Attorney General. Returning to private practice in 1821, he was elected major general of the state militia. His rise in Tennessee politics continued, when in 1823 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served another term from 1825-27, before being elected Governor of Tennessee in 1827 - he was thirty-four years old. In January of 1829 he married 19 year-old Eliza Allen. Their marriage ended 11 weeks later, and a distraught Houston resigned from office, fleeing to Indian Territory across the Mississippi. His career in Tennessee politics was over, and from this point forward his life was inextricably bound to the West. Judging by his relative youthful appearance, we believe this portrait to be of Houston while serving in the Tennessee Militia. It is, however, possible that it is a portrait accomplished after his appointment of Major General in the Texas Army in 1835. An extreme rarity. Not examined out of frame. Frame period pine, with traces of old red paint. PLEASE NOTE: THIS LOT WILL BE SOLD ON EBAY LIVE AUCTIONS BETWEEN 4:00-5:00pm EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME ON MAY 10, 2002. REGISTER NOW TO BID LIVE ONLINE THE DAY OF THE SALE! (EST 3000-5000)
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