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?
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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.