Henry Arthur McArdle (June 9, 1836 – February 16, 1908) was an American painter of French and Irish ancestry. He was born in Belfast, Ireland on June 9, 1836, and immigrated as a teenager to the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, where he studied at the

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of t ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he was a

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

in the service of Robert E. Lee. After the war he took a job at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

and Baylor Female College and moved to

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where he was also known as Harry McArdle, with his new wife Jennie Smith. After moving to Texas he interviewed members of Hood's Texas Brigade who fought with Robert E. Lee at the Battle of the Wilderness, as research for his painting titled ''Lee at the Wilderness''. In 1890, Texas governor

Lawrence Sullivan Ross Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (September 27, 1838January 3, 1898) was the 19th governor of Texas, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and the seventh president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now ...

commissioned him for a painting of

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

to hang in the capitol building. McArdle moved to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

and continued to paint many scenes of Texas history. He is best known for his 1895 painting '' The Battle of San Jacinto'', which depicts

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

, and '' Dawn at the Alamo'', depicting the final battle and first completed in 1875. The original painting hung in the

Texas State Capitol The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 ...

building but was lost when a fire destroyed the building in 1881. He completed another version of the painting in 1905, which features

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

James Bowie James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...

and William B. Travis. Both of the paintings were purchased from the family by the State of Texas after his death, and now hang in the Senate chamber of the Texas State Capitol. Widowed in 1871, he married Isophene Lacy Dunnington. They had five children together. She died on June 18, 1907 and he died on February 16, 1908. They are buried together in City Cemetery #6 in San Antonio. In January 2015, a collection of McArdle's journals, correspondence, painting aids and other materials was placed online by Baylor University's Digital Projects Group and The Texas Collection. The materials, which were drawn from Baylor University's holdings and McArdle's descendants, are available for research via the Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections.

Gallery

File:The Battle of San Jacinto (1895).jpg, '' The Battle of San Jacinto'', 1895 File:The Battle of San Jacinto (1901).jpg, ''The Battle of San Jacinto'', 1901 File:Painting, "Dawn at the Alamo," by Henry Arthur McArdle, hanging in the Senate Chamber of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas LCCN2014632109.tif, '' Dawn at the Alamo'', 1905 File:Henry Arthur McArdle - Portrait of Henry W. Karnes, ca.1905.jpg, ''Portrait of

Henry Karnes Henry Wax Karnes (September 8, 1812August 16, 1840) was notable as a soldier and figure of the Texas Revolution, as well as the commander of General Sam Houston's "Spy Squad" at the Battle of San Jacinto. Biography Henry Wax Karnes, a native of ...

'', 1905 File:William Carey Crane portrait.jpg, ''Portrait of

William Carey Crane William Carey Crane (March 17, 1816 – February 27, 1885) was an American Baptist minister, an educator, and the president of Baylor University from 1864 to 1885.Samuel Boykin, ''History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia - Vol. 2 of 2'', The ...

'', 1903

References

External links

*
"The Henry McArdle Collection" from the Baylor University Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:McArdle, Henry Arthur 1836 births 1908 deaths Maryland Institute College of Art alumni University of Mary Hardin–Baylor faculty 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters Painters from Texas Artists from Belfast American cartographers American people of French descent Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) People from Independence, Texas People from San Antonio