Books+ Search Results
Joseph B. Brown diary and artwork
Title
Joseph B. Brown diary and artwork, [1847]-1957.
Physical Description
4.7 linear ft. (4 boxes, 1 folio)
Language
English
Provenance
Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum on the Winlock William Miller, Jr. Memorial Fund, 1997, and from William Reese Company on the Winlock William Miller Jr. Memorial Fund, 1998.
Biographical / Historical Note
Brown, an army surgeon and self-taught artist, served at several military posts in Texas and the Pacific Northwest in the 1850s. During the Civil War he served with the Army of the Potomac and in the Assistant Surgeon General's office in Louisville.
Summary
Collection of approximately 76 drawings and sketches made by Brown in watercolor, oil, pastel, wash, pencil and ink. Thirty-one drawings depict army forts and western scenery, including Ringgold Barracks, Los Morus, Port Isabel, and San Jose, Texas; Forts Dalles and Nachess and Mt. Hood, Oregon Territory; Forts Stillicum and Taylor, Washington Territory.
The two volume diary is a corrected typescript containing extracts from a diary Brown kept from 1849 to 1859, and includes 24 ink and wash drawings. Brown describes towns, forts, and missions in Texas and the Pacific Northwest; travels by land in Texas; conflicts with Indians in Texas, Oregon, and Washington; cholera and typhoid epidemics; travelling with his family; marching to Arkansas; spending time with Robert E. Lee; and travelling to the Pacific Coast via steamer. The 24 ink and wash drawings depict the front of the Alamo and the mission of La Conception, San Antonio; Mexican women making tortillas; breakfast on the march; the head of Las Morus River; officer's quarters at Ringgold Barracks, Fort Vancouver, and Fort Dalles; "Chenoweth, chief of Dog-River Indians, hung at Cascades"; and "Cut-Mouth John, friendly Cayuse Scout".
The diary and artwork are accompanied by a small collection of correspondence, documents, printed material and photographs gathered by Brown's family members that include photographs of Brown and a hospital ward in Louisville during the Civil War.
Format
Archives or Manuscripts
Added to Catalog
June 01, 2002
References
Joseph B. Brown Diary and Artwork. Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
Cite as
Joseph B. Brown Diary and Artwork. Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
Subjects
Genre/Form
Diaries.
Drawings (visual works)
Oil paintings (visual works)
Sketches.
Watercolors (paintings)
Occupation
Physicians.
Soldiers.
Bookmark As
Citation
