I had the opportunity to digitally illustrate scenes from the lives of General Samuel Houston’s enslaved workforce for the institution’s 2024 Black History Month exhibit.

Pictured above is Joshua Houston (1822-1902). He is illustrated performing one of the many talents he was skilled in. Joshua Houston’s skill was so well known, that he was often hired out as a blacksmith to make money of his own. 

After the Civil War, Joshua Houston went on to purchase and run  his own blacksmith shop. He also became a prominent figure and community leader in Huntsville, Texas.

Eliza Revel (abt. 1825 – 1898) was an enslaved laborer who managed most of the Houston family’s household affairs. She cooked, cleaned, healed, and fed General Sam Houston’s wife, children, and grandchildren. Eliza is illustrated here performing one of her many tasks in the kitchen.