Images of Texas
Bell County Museum lecture will cover lithographs of the Lone Star state
Dr. Ron Tyler, a former resident of Rogers, will be the guest lecturer Thursday at the Bell County Museum. He will give a presentation about his 25th book, Texas Lithographs: A Century of History in Images. Courtesy photo
DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE
Dr. Ron Tyler, former director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth and past president of the Texas State Historical Association, will be the featured speaker in the second installment of the Bell County Museum’s 2023 Spring Lecture Series.
Dr. Tyler, a native of Rogers, will present a presentation of his newly released book, Texas Lithographs: A Century of History in Images, from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the museum. Admission is free.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Tyler back to the Bell County Museum,” said Coleman Hampton, executive director of the Belton museum. “It is really special when we are able to bring Bell County natives back home to share their professional accomplishments.”
“Our home is that the lecture series informs, entertains and inspires the local community,” he said.
In his new book, Tyler, a pillar of the Texas art and history communities, tells the story of Texas through the works of art, in this case lithographs. In the 19th century, lithography enabled the inexpensive reproduction of color illustrations.
“Lithography was invented in 1793, and it revolutionized the reproduction of pictures,” Tyler said. “Until then, printed pictures were a rare thing — they were hard to reproduce. Lithography predated photography by four decades.”
“Some of the best lithography was created in Texas — Galveston to be exact,” he said. “So images of Texas were seen all over the world and captured imaginations about the Texas Revolution, the Civil War and reconstruction. These images were seen, and soon people from all over started coming to Texas.”
“In the latter part of the 19th century, we started reproducing photos by lithography,” he said. “Images were no longer created through an artist’s imagination, but actual events were being captured.”
Tyler said his Texas Lithographs: A Century of History in Images presentation will start in 1819 when the first lithograph of Texas was produced and will continue until 1900 when Galveston was devastated by the deadliest storm in US history.
The Bell County Museum is located at 201 N Main in Belton. Call (254) 933-5243 to reserve a seat for the lecture.
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