The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 106, July 2002 - April, 2003 Page: 458

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

(1872-1956), a pioneer etcher and producer of fine press books such as
Following General Sam Houston and The Invitation to Gettysburg. Wall
addressed a number of subjects over his long career, and historians have
compared him to William Blake. The collection was acquired in honor
of the ninetieth birthday of Dr. Mavis P. Kelsey of Houston. The library's
reading room is named in honor of Dr. Kelsey and his wife, Mary.
Collected by Natalie Williams of Marshall, the materials include cor-
respondence between Williams and Wall, photographs, original draw-
ings, etchings, newspaper clippings, postcards, books, and other items.
The letters concern Wall's printmaking and publishing activities and
provide a unique glimpse into his personal and professional activities.
Cushing Library director Steven Escar Smith said that "this collection is
important in part because it documents Wall's devotion to his craft"
and that it will be the subject of a future exhibition at the library. The
library also houses the Kelsey collection of prints related to Texas,
which will be the subject of a forthcoming book by Dr. Kelsey.
The Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin
has acquired the family papers of John Joseph "Juan" Linn and his son
Edward, which document the early history of the Victoria area. CAH
Director Don Carleton said that the collection contains approximately
1,500 documents and letters, printed materials, personal memorabilia,
books, and photographs that reflect the political life of the Mexican vil-
lage of Guadalupe Victoria (which became Victoria, Texas) and South
Texas in the mid and late nineteenth century. The acquisition was made
possible by a grant from the Kathryn O'Connor Foundation of Victoria.
A native of County Antrim, Ireland, Linn (1798-1885) settled in De
Le6n's Colony in 1829. He was the alcalde of Guadalupe Victoria as well
as a landholder and businessman, establishing Linnville on Lavaca Bay
as a port of entry for merchandise shipped from New Orleans. As Texas
moved toward a break with Mexico, Linn served on Victoria's
Committee of Safety and Correspondence and became quartermaster of
the Texas army. His merchant ship was the first to supply the victorious
Texas army after the battle of San Jacinto. Linn interviewed the cap-
tured Santa Anna and supplied the first reports of the Texas victory to
New Orleans newspapers. Among the treasures of the Linn Collection is
Linn's April 1836 letter from Galveston regarding the battle.
This letter and other documents from the collection are currently
undergoing conservation treatment from students in the Preservation
and Conservation Studies Program in the UT Graduate School of Library
and Information Science.

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