When was thomas blackshear born

Thomas Blackshear is just as well known for his dramatic images of angelic figures in such paintings as The Awakening , Forgiven , Watchers in the Night , and Preparing to Sound the Alarm. In , the Vatican celebrated his work with a solo exhibition. Throughout his career, Blackshear has accrued a number of awards for his work.

His work has been recognized by such organizations as the San Francisco Society of Illustrators, Illustrators West, and the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers for his work on collector's plates bearing images of angelic figures.

He soon purchased additional land along the Brazos River south of Navasota. A notable aspect of his plantation management was his utilization of Blacks as "drivers" and in other positions of trust. Although Blackshear himself did not serve in the military during the Civil War , four of his sons fought in the armies of the Confederacy. Like many other planters Blackshear experienced great difficulties adjusting to the harsh realities of agriculture in Reconstruction Texas.

Dismayed at what he considered the unreliable work habits of freedmen, he resolved to cultivate his property exclusively with White sharecroppers, each farming tracts of from forty to sixty acres. In an effort to recruit the necessary labor, he corresponded with newspaper editors in his native state, including Lucius C.

Bryan of the Thomasville Southern Enterprise , to enlist their cooperation in advertising the advantages of Texas agriculture to poor White farmers struggling for subsistence on the exhausted soils of Georgia. Postal Service. In addition, the Hamilton Group commissioned him to do four scenes for collector plates.

With a relentless work ethic, Blackshear boasted an impressive number of artworks but his personal life suffered. When his parents divorced, he felt adrift and lonely. He turned to his religious faith to lift himself out of depression and reconnected with Ami Beth Smith, a college friend that he later married.

This large and varied collection of skillfully painted religious and historical figurines humanized African Americans. Other themed collections followed reflecting religious praise and often whimsical, romanticized renderings of common folk appreciating everyday events.