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Showcasing for the Month of May: Buck Schiwetz

Explore Texas History Resources at the Institute of Texan Cultures Library and Learn about Influential Texans!

Who was Buck Schiwetz?

Edward Muegge "Buck" Schiwetz (1898-1984)

Buck Schiwetz began drawing automobiles at age eight. By his teens, he had developed a life-long habit of recording his surroundings.

A native of Cuero, Texas, he was one of five children who were all interested in arts and crafts. He studied architecture at Texas A&M and graduated in 1921. After spending a year in graduate studies in architecture, Schiwetz moved to Dallas. Here he apprenticed under artist John Doctoroff, studied advertising art under Guy Cahood, and worked as an architectural draftsman. He married sculptor and ceramist Ruby Lee Sanders in 1926. Two years later the couple moved to New York, where Schiwetz studied etching and lithography at the Art Students League and sold sketches to well-known magazines.

Shortly after returning to Texas in 1929, Schiwetz became an art director and partner in the Houston advertising firm of Franke, Wilkinson & Schiwetz. In his spare time, he continued to sketch and paint, focusing on coastal scenes and historic structures. In conjunction with Schiwetz's advertising work, his sketches of Texas scenes appeared as illustrations in company publications. His sketches and watercolors were regular features in the Humble Way, published by the Humble Oil and Refining Company. Subsequently, Humble Oil published two editions of Texas Sketchbook that featured popular drawings by Schiwetz. Three other books featuring both his drawings and paintings were published before his death. After retiring from advertising in 1966, he spent the remainder of this life devoted to his art.

In recognition of his contributions to the heritage of the State, Schiwetz was made a member of the Knights of the Order of San Jacinto. He was named the official artist of Texas for 1977-78.

Capturing the Spirit of a Scene

Buck Schiwetz called his photographs "snapshots." They were not taken to be viewed by others. Instead, he used them as reference for his drawings and paintings. When Schiwetz encountered an interesting scene, he would do preliminary sketches and take notes. If he had his camera, he would take photographs from different directions.

Schiwetz wrote that he was more interested in capturing the spirit of a scene, not merely making a photographic representation. In his drawings and paintings, he sometimes imported objects; at other times he rearranged elements for greater impact. Occasionally, he created an improvisation that was representative of an area, rather than a particular locale.

Historic Structures

A large number of Buck Schiwetz's drawings depict architectural subjects that he described as the "unheralded buildings of historical significance." He was particularly drawn to examples of indigenous architecture that typified Texas' past.

Schiwetz not only helped people appreciate historic buildings through his drawings, but also by giving speeches to local organizations. In some cases, he was successful in saving structures from demolition. But for those that were lost, he preserved their appearance in his drawings, paintings, and photographs.

Schiwetz's paintings and drawings are in numerous private collections and in the permanent collections of museums such as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin.

UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures Schiwetz Collection

The Schiwetz Collection consists of photographs taken by Schiwetz, including approximately 900 black and white prints, 1920s-1970s; and about 1100 35mm color slides, 1948-1960s. The collection also includes about 30 prints taken by other photographers.

The subjects include Texas buildings, cityscapes, beaches, waterfronts, oilfields, cotton gins, bridges, trains, landscapes, and industrial complexes.

Pat Schiwetz Nelson, only child of Ruby and Buck Schiwetz, preserved her father's photographs. In 2001, she donated his collection of Texas images to the library at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures.