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Go directly to the collection, The South Texas Border, 1900-1920: Photographs from the Robert Runyon Collection, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
The South Texas Border, 1900-1920 is a collection of over 8,000 photographs
taken by Robert Runyon, many of which were sold as postcards, advertisements,
portraits, and illustrations for American newspapers. These images comprise a
multi-faceted documentation of the everyday lives of Anglo Americans and Mexican
Americans in Southeastern Texas. They also document the agriculture of the region
and U.S. military activity at the border during the early stages of the Mexican
Revolution. Finally, the collection provides a unique record of the Mexican Revolution
in Northeastern Mexico.
1) The Mexican Revolution
Under the thirty-year dictatorship of Profirio Díaz, an elite ruling class thrived in Mexico, as did foreign investors, while the majority of people lived in abject poverty. In 1910, political and social factions overthrew Díaz, calling for representative government, social and land reform, and decreased foreign control of Mexico's economy. This, however, was just the beginning of a ten-year succession of violent insurrections in which rebellious factions replaced the newly empowered governments. The South Texas Border's photographs portray three years of this turmoil, documenting the Mexican Revolution in Northeast Mexico between 1913 and 1916, as well as America's mobilization on the South Texas border.
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Through Runyon's photographs, students can gain an understanding of the events of a battle, as well as a sense of a battle's violence and impact. In 1913, General Lucio Blanco led the Constitutionalists in capturing the city of Matamoros from the Federales. The events of this battle are outlined in a special presentation, "The Mexican Revolution:Conflict in Matamoros". Search on ammunition to see preparations for battle in Matamoros, or search Blanco for an image of the Constitutionalist General. The twenty-three-year-old Colonel, Antonio Echazaretta, led a contingent of volunteer Federales in defending Matamoros. Search on Echazaretta and June 4 for images that bring home the violence of battle in documenting the execution of federal prisoners after the invasion of Matamoros.
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Copy Photo: Execution of Antonio Echazaretta by firing squad.
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Copy Photo: Ruins of fort, Ciudad Victoria.
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Arriving in Cuidad Victoria just after its fall, Runyon captured the aftermath of battle in images found by searching on Ciudad Victoria. After their victory in Cuidad Victoria, the Constitutionalists moved on the large city of Monterrey. Runyon reflected this conflict in images of the strong federal barricades and fortifications found by searching on Monterrey.
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Barricades.
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For more images pertinent to the Revolution, students can browse the photographs listed under execution, Mexico -- History -- Revolution, War -- Mexico, and soldiers in the Subject Index. Among these are images Runyon sold as picture postcards, including these three to the right. What sorts of messages did these postcards communicate to the Americans who bought them?
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Maria Gonzalez and soldaderas.
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2) The U.S. Army At The Border
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U.S. investors in railroads, mines, and agriculture in Mexico stood to profit by a counterrevolt
against Madero and actively encouraged one. When General Victoriano Huerta overthrew
Madero's government and then murdered him, American investors encouraged the new president, Woodrow Wilson, to recognize Huerta's government. However, Wilson took moral issue with Huerta and eventually backed Venustiano Carranza and his anti-Huerta contingency. Mexicans such as Francisco "Pancho" Villa resented American involvement in their country's business and politics and increasingly raided the American border. The Texas governor threatened reprisals against Mexico and the National Guard was called in to restrain the governor as much as to protect the border. Troops sent to Fort Brown in Brownsville were often seen marching through the streets of this town, which became the center of U.S. Army operations in Southeastern Texas. Search on Brownsville for more images of Army presence on the border, or Fort Brown, maneuvers, and camp for images reflecting every aspect of camp life.
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Soldiers marching in parade.
Fort Brown, soldiers in barracks.
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Melquiades Chapa and Jose Buenrostro, May 19, 1916.
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National Guard units patrolling the border were joined by Texas Rangers who had a reputation for failing to discriminate between insurgents and Mexican-American farmers who worked just north of the border. Search on rangers for Runyon's documentation of three rangers with their victims' bodies following a raid on Las Norias. Or search for hang to locate images of two men who posed for Runyon in a nearby chapel before their public execution; they were convicted of killing civilians during a raid of Sebastian, Texas.
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Las Norias Bandit Raid: Texas Rangers with dead bandits.
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3) Social History
Documenting daily life in Southeastern Texas, the photographs of this collection provide a social history of the area during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Students can use the Subject Index to browse a variety of images and make inferences about what people and life must have been like in this time and place.
Armadillo.
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Students can learn about the region's climate and the people's relationship with the land through images of animals and agriculture. They may also ascertain the state of technology at that time by considering images of airplanes, railroads and automobiles.
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Automobile.
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Wedding portrait.
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Ask students to describe the culture of the region based on pictures of weddings and families. What can they infer about family and community life based on these pictures? According to the collection, how did people spend their leisure time? How was a sense of community created in this region? Ask students to find as many examples of different community gathering places and leisure activities as possible, such as churches, celebrations, and football. What do images of dwellings, residences, and streets indicate about the economic state of the region? What might the many pictures of cemeteries suggest? From 1910 to 1926, Robert Runyon was a commercial photographer, and many of his photographs were solicited by common people. What kinds of images were most likely solicited by the common people of Southeastern Texas? What does this suggest about what these people valued?
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Texans' leisure activities were not limited by the border. Search on outing or bullfight for photographs of sojourns into Mexico. Direct students to notice the advertisements on the walls of the bullring in this picture from 1912. Why are most of these advertisements in English? What inferences can be made from these ads?
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Bullfight, 1912.
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4) Popular Culture
King & Carter Jazzing Orchestra, Houston, Texas, January 1921.
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Several photographs from the collection reflect the popular culture of the early twentieth century. Search on prohibition for images of U.S. officials destroying liquor at the Brownsville Customs House in 1920. Search on jazz for images of the King and Carter Jazzing Orchestra, in Houston in 1921. Politics of the era are reflected in photographs of President-elect Warren G. Harding on tour in South Texas and a campaign poster from the 1920 election of Democratic candidates James C. Cox and Franklin Delano Roosevelt; search on poster and Harding. Do these images surprise you? Do they represent prohibition, jazz, and politics of the twenties the way you had thought of them?
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5) Agriculture
This collection's many photographs pertaining to rural life and agriculture reflect not only Runyon's own interest in botany, but the importance of agriculture in this region as well. Students can explore how climate and region affect agriculture by comparing images of agriculture and panoramic photographs in the Subject Index of this collection with the many related images comprising the Northern Great Plains collection. What kinds of crops are photographed in each region? How much variety is reflected? What kinds of animals and tools are used in the agricultural practices of each region? What are the similarities and differences between the farms documented in each collection? How do the crops, animals, and farms relate to the landscapes and climates of each region? Students may particularly enjoy searching on snake for images of Joe Guerrero on his Rio Grande Snake Farm.
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