Tonight I’m deep in the heart of Texas! And, for the occasion, I have a selection of Texas photos from you, courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives.

Alexandra Balestrieri, devoted Old Spirituals reader, artist extraordinaire, and the other half of Pivot Talent Development, poured over these pictures with me so this post is officially dedicated to her.

The photos here are from the Archives’ Richard Niles Graham collection. Mr. Graham gave hundreds of pictures to the state archives, ranging from the 1880s to the 1950s. I didn’t have an opportunity to research Mr. Graham or any of his photographic subjects, so my comments here are just impressions.

The first picture is a ghostly image and an excellent character study of Mr. Francis Wilson. His photo jolted me: I could imagine visiting a grand Texas mansion around 1890 or so and bumping into him in a dim hallway…

Francis Wilson

This is certainly a picture of a small girl. However, if you only saw her face, you could be forgiven for thinking she was a much older person.

Betty Beverly

I’m guessing this is Mr. Graham’s son’s dorm room. It’s very beautiful, with the high ceilings and ornate wardrobe, isn’t it?

Marshall Pease Graham in dorm room with friends at Sing Sing, New York

This man’s photo interested me very much. You notice the deep line on the left side of his face but that the other side is much smoother? It’s difficult to tell whether there is a reason for it, like a scar, or if he was just in the habit of asymmetrical expressions. Fun fact: The only natural human facial expression that is asymmetrical is contempt.

Mr. Choate

I love this next one so much. If you look closely, you can see the hand-stitching on the little boy’s collar. His hair was almost definitely trimmed at home!

Paul Conrad Crusemann

The gentleman who donated hundreds of these pictures to the archives, Richard Niles Graham, is the young boy on the left in this picture. Glad he survived this encounter! His friend on the right is unnamed but I would love to know what became of him.

Richard Niles Graham (L) play acting with a gun