Comanches, Captives, and Germans: Wilhelm Friedrich's Drawings from the Texas Frontier
Sep 2025 · Texas A&M University Press
Ebook
162
Pages
Tools
info
About this ebook
2025 Winner of the Conservation Society of San Antonio Publication Award
Around 1848 Wilhelm Friedrich, a young German immigrant to Texas, completed three drawings that capture unique details of life on the frontier. Friedrich’s sketches feature Comanches, Germans, a captive girl, a wagon train, the landscape and wildlife of the Texas Hill Country, and dynamic scenes of cultural contact. Friedrich is the only artist known to have produced contemporaneous images of a Comanche captive while still in captivity. The authors use their expertise in Comanche culture, German immigration, art, and Hill Country history to explore the many layers of meaning in Friedrich’s drawings. Who was Wilhelm Friedrich? How did he come to Texas? What information does he pack into his drawing? How can we understand his work—as art, as data about Comanche life and customs, and as a record of German values and priorities in the New World? Who is the captive girl? And why is her portrayal important today?
Around 1848 Wilhelm Friedrich, a young German immigrant to Texas, completed three drawings that capture unique details of life on the frontier. Friedrich’s sketches feature Comanches, Germans, a captive girl, a wagon train, the landscape and wildlife of the Texas Hill Country, and dynamic scenes of cultural contact. Friedrich is the only artist known to have produced contemporaneous images of a Comanche captive while still in captivity. The authors use their expertise in Comanche culture, German immigration, art, and Hill Country history to explore the many layers of meaning in Friedrich’s drawings. Who was Wilhelm Friedrich? How did he come to Texas? What information does he pack into his drawing? How can we understand his work—as art, as data about Comanche life and customs, and as a record of German values and priorities in the New World? Who is the captive girl? And why is her portrayal important today?
2025 Winner of the Conservation Society of San Antonio Publication Award
Around 1848 Wilhelm Friedrich, a young German immigrant to Texas, completed three drawings that capture unique details of life on the frontier. Friedrich’s sketches feature Comanches, Germans, a captive girl, a wagon train,...
Discover more
About the author
Dr. Daniel J. Gelo is Dean and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus and former Stumberg Distinguished University Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has written several award-winning publications on the Indians of Texas and the Great Plains.
C. B. "Hoppy" Hopkins is an architectural and cultural historian, and an expert on firearms and the indigenous peoples of the Texas Hill Country.
Dr. Christopher J. Wickham is Professor of German Emeritus in the Department and Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has produced numerous works on German language, literature, art, and popular culture.
Bryden E. Moon Jr is a retired communications executive with extensive experience in Hill Country history.
C. B. "Hoppy" Hopkins is an architectural and cultural historian, and an expert on firearms and the indigenous peoples of the Texas Hill Country.
Dr. Christopher J. Wickham is Professor of German Emeritus in the Department and Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has produced numerous works on German language, literature, art, and popular culture.
Bryden E. Moon Jr is a retired communications executive with extensive experience in Hill Country history.
Dr. Daniel J. Gelo is Dean and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus and former Stumberg Distinguished University Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has written several award-winning publications on the Indians of Texas and the Great Plains.
C. B. "Hoppy" Hopkins is an architectura...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
