Charles Franklin Reaugh (December 29, 1860 – May 6, 1945), known as Frank Reaugh, was an American
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
,
photographer
A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs.
Duties and types of photograp ...
,
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
,
patron of the arts
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
, and
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
, who was called the "Dean of
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
Painters
Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
". Born and raised in Illinois, he moved as a youth with his family to Texas. There he developed an art career devoted to portraying Texas Longhorns, and the animals and landscapes of the vast regions of the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
and the
American Southwest
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...
. He worked in both pastels and oil paints and was a prolific artist, producing more than 7,000 known works. He was active in the
Society of Western Artists.
Early years
Reaugh was born in 1860 near
Jacksonville
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, the seat of
Morgan County in west central
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, to George Washington Reaugh, who had worked as a miner in the
California gold rush
The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
, and the former Clarinda Morton Spilman.
[ Reaugh (pronounced RAY), moved with his parents and family in 1876 to Terrell in Kaufman County east of ]Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
. The original family name was "Castelreaugh", but his Irish immigrant ancestors had shortened it to "Reaugh" when they entered the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The Reaughs initially made their living in Terrell by cultivating cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
, still a major commodity crop in East Texas. Reaugh was inspired by these drives: riding horseback next to a huge herd of cattle, seeing wild birds and animals, and traveling through a wide variety of landscapes.
Art education and career
During the winter of 1884–1885, Reaugh studied at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. In 1888 he sailed to France, where for the next year he studied at the Académie Julian
The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...
in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Here he became interested in pastels at The Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
.[Reaugh exhibit at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, ]Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in and the county seat of Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,836 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo metropolitan area, metropolitan statistical area ...
Prolific painter
In total, Reaugh created more than seven thousand works. He concentrated on small ''plein air'' pastel sketches of the iconic Texas Longhorn
The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors from the ti ...
, a subject he found challenging to portray. He once said that "no animal on earth has the beauty of the Texas steer Steer(s) or steering may refer to:
Animals
* Steer or bullock, castrated male cattle
* Ox, a bovine (usually a steer) used as a draft animal
People
* Steer (surname)
* Steers (surname)
Places
* Steer Creek (West Virginia), a tributary ...
."
His best-known paintings include:
*''Watering the Herd'' (1889)
*''The O Roundup (1894)
*''Grazing the Herd'' (1897)
*''The Approaching Herd'' (1902)
*''Twenty-Four Hours with the Herd'' (seven paintings, after 1930)
*''Texas Cattle'' (April 1933, his last major work)[
]
Inventor
Reaugh created his own art materials and tools.[ He also patented a rotary pump for commercial use. He served on the board of directors for the Limacon Pump Company in Dallas.][
]
Art instructor
Reaugh established an art school
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...
in Dallas in 1897. For many years, Reaugh led groups of art students on sketching expeditions throughout West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...
, ranging into New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
and Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
. His colleagues Charles Peter Bock and Louis Oscar Griffith sometimes accompanied him on these trips.
Many of his students, including Reveau Bassett, Florence McClung, Harry Carnohan, Lucretia Donnell, John Douglass, Olin H. Travis
Olin Herman Travis (1888–1975) was an American painter and arts educator active for much of the 20th century. He spent most of his life working in Texas, though he and his first wife Kathryne Hail Travis routinely traveled to Arkansas. In addit ...
, Edward G. Eisenlohr, Lloyd Goff, Alexandre Hogue
Alexandre Hogue (February 22, 1898 – July 22, 1994) was an American artist active from the 1930s through the 1980s. He was a realist painter associated with the Dallas Nine; the majority of his works focus on Southwestern United States and Sout ...
, and Josephine Oliver, gained regional and national prominence. Several of these became part of the group known as the Dallas Nine
The Dallas Nine was a group of Dallas, Texas artists active between 1928 and 1945.
Members
The group's core consisted of nine men who had applied to decorate the Hall of State in 1936: Jerry Bywaters, Thomas M. Stell, Jr., Harry P. Carnohan, Ot ...
.[
In 1900, the Dallas Morning News employed Reaugh as a weekly art commentator and reporter. He taught briefly at Baylor University, and gave illustrated lectures in the art department of Texas Christian University.]
Reaugh helped found the Dallas Art Society (which later developed as the Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the A ...
), The Frank Reaugh Art Club, and the Striginian Club. Frank Reaugh also championed the creation of the Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the A ...
in the early twentieth century.
Legacy
Several of his paintings are displayed at the Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 188 ...
in Austin
Austin refers to:
Common meanings
* Austin, Texas, United States, a city
* Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
. Many of his other works are held by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum at West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Associat ...
in Canyon
A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...
. Fellow painter Harold Dow Bugbee, a former curator
A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
of the museum, is also featured there.[ Other Reaugh works are at the Southwest Collection/Special Library Collection at ]Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
in Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...
, and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...
at the University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
.[
Having given away most of his possessions, Reaugh died in ]poverty
Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
in Dallas in 1945 at the age of eighty-four. He is buried in Terrell Cemetery.[
In 2007, the exhibition ''The Pastel Range: Frank Reaugh, Ranch Historian'' was shown at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas. In 2015, the Harry Ranson Center in Austin, Texas, staged the retrospective exhibit "Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West" and published the related book, ''Windows on the West: The Art of Frank Reaugh''.
]
References
Sources
*Michael R. Grauer. ''Rounded Up in Glory: Frank Reaugh, Texas Renaissance Man.'' Denton University of North Texas Press, 2016.
External links
Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West
exhibition at the Harry Ransom Center in 2015
at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin
Handbook of Texas Online – Charles Franklin Reaugh
Frank Reaugh Gallery at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum
Frank Reaugh at Askart.com
*The ttps://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15878coll21 Frank Reaughdigital collection from the Harry Ransom Center
The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...
at The University of Texas at Austin.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reaugh, Frank
1860 births
1945 deaths
People from Jacksonville, Illinois
People from Terrell, Texas
Artists from Dallas
19th-century American painters
19th-century American male artists
American male painters
20th-century American painters
Painters from Illinois
Painters from Texas
20th-century American photographers
19th-century American inventors
American art educators
19th-century American photographers
Photographers from Illinois
Photographers from Texas
20th-century American inventors
Artists of the American West
20th-century American male artists