A Surprising Find
Karen Kincaid Brady with two versions of Bluebonnets and Evening Primrose
This past weekend my family from Pennsylvania came into town to celebrate my upcoming birthday (40 – I’m told that’s a big deal). Sunday morning we enjoyed a lovely brunch at Brooklyn’s Down South in downtown Buda. Filled up on mimosas, biscuits and gravy, and a special eggs benedict, my dad suggested a walk through historic Buda. Though a little surprised, as it was already nearing 100 degrees, my husband and I agreed to show them the sites of this small Texas town.
Walking up Main Street we quickly came upon the Old Town Buda Antique Mall. Seeking a respite from the rising Texas heat we stepped in to the two-story multi-room maze of antiques and vintage pieces. Always looking for old books I naturally zeroed in on the many bookshelves neatly tucked away in various nooks and crannies.
As we were leaving, I happened to look to my right at the various prints along the wall and my eyes brushed past something that was decidedly NOT a print. I kept walking, but something tickled my brain and I I realized the not-a-print was a painting that was strangely familiar. It echoed a very special painting in the NCHM collection: Mode Walker’s Bluebonnets and Evening Primrose.
As NCHM fans know, Bluebonnets and Evening Primrose is an important piece of Texas history. In 1901, the Texas legislature prepared to vote on the new state flower. The options were the prickly pear flower, the cotton boll, and of course, the bluebonnet. The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Texas believed the bluebonnet was the obvious choice. They borrowed Bluebonnets and Evening Primrose from Mode Walker and brought it to the Capitol along with a mason jar of bluebonnets for the desk of every state legislator. The rest is history.
After almost four years working at the NCHM, it was impossible for me not to recognize this painting in the Old Town Buda Antique Mall for what it was - a copy of the beloved painting hanging near the entrance of the Museum. It even featured the fallen petals that can be seen in the forefront of the painting. Clearly someone had taken great care in its reproduction.
Laughing to myself and my husband I quickly snapped a couple photos and sent them to Rowena Dasch and Paul Cato as we left and continued our walk down Main Street. Astonishingly, the price was so low we all decided the Museum must have it, so my father and I quickly rushed back to the store and purchased the painting.
Sadly, the owner of the store didn’t not have any information on the provenance, just that he picked it up at an estate sale in the area along with a number of other paintings. Funnily enough, Mode Walker also taught painting locally, so it could be the work of one of her students. Though it could also just be a copy from a photo or a postcard.
Regardless, the painting is a fun addition to the NCHM and all of us on staff look forward to learning more about its origins.
