Samuel Edward Gideon (Texas / California, 1875-1945), bluebonnet landscape, oil on artist panel

sight: 18 x 24 in., frame: 25 x 31 in.

Provenance: Property from a home in Houston, Texas

Samuel Edward Gideon was a painter, illustrator and art historian credited with bringing public attention to the German artists of Central Texas. His painting and illustration specialty was architectural landmarks including The Alamo in San Antonio. Gideon was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Harvard University and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying architecture. In addition, he graduated from the American School of Fine Arts, Fontainebleau, France; followed with study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris; and Columbia University in New York City. Gideon taught at Texas A&M College, College Station, Texas from 1900 to 1904, and then was professor of architectural design and history at the University of Texas at Austin. During the 1920s, he and his wife spent several summers at Laguna Beach, California, and he depicted numerous California missions. He was a member of the Laguna Beach Art Association. During World War I Gideon taught in the university's School of Military Aeronautics, and during World War II, he taught aeronautical drafting. He died in 1945 and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery.