Texas Furniture

Texas furniture of the 19th century reflects the history and culture of those times, the isolation of the state, and the changes that came with the railroads.

The only daughter of Texas governor James Stephen Hogg, Miss Ima Hogg was a pioneer collector of American furniture and a long-time supporter of historic preservation. Miss Hogg (1882-1975) bought and restored the 19th century farmstead at Winedale, near Round Top, Texas, to house her vast collections. The Winedale Collection, part of The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, is recognized as the most significant collection of Texas furniture in the United States.

Approximately forty pieces of furniture from the Winedale Collection were on exhibit. The handmade furniture recalled Texas's immigrant European and native-born cabinetmakers and displayed their craftsmanship and woodworking techniques, as well as their ideas about what it meant to be a Texan in the 19th century. Also featured were domestic textiles such as quilts and coverlets, folk toys, paintings, china, kitchen utensils, agricultural implements, and cabinet-making tools. 

The exhibition was guest-curated by Lonn Taylor, co-author of the two-volume edition of Texas Furniture (University of Texas Press). 

Support for the Bullock Museum's exhibitions and education programs provided by the Texas State History Museum Foundation.