Trying to find the Face of a Texas Hero

After 13 days of fighting, on March 6, 1836, the battle of the Alamo had come to an end. Over 182 Texas defenders had lost their lives trying to defend the Alamo from Santa Anna and his 2,000+ troops. Men like Davy Crockett and James Bowie had already had their likenesses drawn or painted by artists while they were alive. But the Alamo commander - William Barret Travis, had not. Travis was a young, unknown attorney, born in South Carolina and raised in Alabama. No one had ever taken the time to draw or paint his likeness while he was alive. This is probably because no one knew the outcome of his life and that he would become an Texas hero and legend in death. It's important to remember that (photos) did not come out until 1839; that's three years after the fall of the Alamo. So, people like Travis, Crockett, and Bowie never had their photos taken. Instead, artists would draw or paint them. For 173 years, we have not had a good likeness of what Travis might have looked like - until now! Texas artist - Mark Barnett spent one full year doing research work on Travis. Barnett studied all of the other paintings available and in the end, decided to use a photo of Travis's son, Charles Edward Travis as a go by. Since Charles did not look like his mother or his sister, Barnett believed that father and son may have looked somewhat alike. His artwork is listed, and the image to the right is what Barnett believes William B. Travis could have looked like.