1865 Brownsville, Texas on the Levee with Louis de Planque in Photograph?

Color enhancement by Javier R. Garcia

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1865 Louis de Planque photo of steamboats near levee in Brownsville, Texas.  The original un-enhanced sepia photograph can be viewed from the source at Southern Methodist University (SMU)  - Central University Libraries - De Golyer Library digitized photographic collections or by clicking on thumbnail for a smaller version of the original.  Louis de Planque took some of the earliest photos of Brownsville, Texas known to exist.  Another photographer of his time was R.H. Wallis.

The only identifiable steamboat is the "Enterprise" on the right.  The one on the left looks similar to the famous steamboat "Bessie" of which we have several photos to compare it with below.  For local residents wanting to know "where was this at?" you must remember that the Rio Grande once reached up to Levee St which explains how street got its name.  The course of the river changed over the years.  If one wanted to pinpoint location they might conclude that area where water is, is now a parking lot and houses behind boats would be on 12th St where Ross Store is today (also space where Missouri Pacific railroad Depot once stood).  

This map sent by Jose Cazares shows a comparison of the changing shoreline from 1877 to 1869

Local lore mentions an incident about the time El Jardin was built the rib carcass of a steamboat was dug up during the early basement excavation but we'll never know for certain until later maybe.

By their appearance, the people on the bank look to be Mexican well covered in ponchos to keep warm.  There are two males and one female.  The two boats on the right appear to have two men standing on each with small wooden boat next to "Bessie."  You may also notice there are some people in front of houses to the left if you stretch your imagination.

 "Bessie" - last of the Rio Grande steamboats (cropped Brownsville Historical Association photo)

(BHA)

Steamer Bessie on Rio Grande loading up at Fort Ringgold (cropped BHA photo)

[Lasworth, Virginia White, and Earl James Lasworth. Texas Steamboat Register, 1829-1998. Marshall, Tex.: Privately published, 1998.]

This page sent to us by Aurelio Romo is a page from "Texas Steamboat Register 1829-1998" shows that the steamboat in 1865 photo is not "Bessie."  

To the right of the boats are a few more people and what looks like stacked building lumber which was probably delivered and unloaded right there.  The owner maybe had to fetch a wagon to pick up all the wood.  This area would be near 12th or 13th on E Levee St today.  That facade painted red looks like it could be a sign for a general store. 

Here is a closer look at section above.  It looks like three boys playing marbles in the dirt road. 

Continuing to the right we can see there is a lot of activity.  The are several people concentrated in the area. The carriage on the right is of interest because we can surmise several things by looking at the details such as the driver or "hack" who is neatly dressed with hat and tie.  Only a wealthy person could afford a driver in uniform and with two white horses to drive his carriage.  

The two-story building on 13th St facing levee would be destroyed in 1867 along with others by a powerful hurricane. 

Here is the most interesting part.  The man in the photo appears to be curiously staring directly at the photographer.  It was hoped at first that this might be Charles Stillman because the warehouse on the right was one of the first brick warehouses built on the American side of the river once the land was surrendered over to the United States.  There are only two known photographs of Charles Stillman; one of him in his 30's and another in his 60's but that's not him so we'll instead take a look at the un-edited photo of the man then look at the enhanced version.

On close inspection the man appears to have a malformed right cheek and unusually long handle-bar like mustache.

Care was taken leave the facial features unaltered while trying to attain best possible improvement for the image.  Check out photos of de Planque that follow and decide if you think it may be him or not.

Compare facial features to this 1867 New Years postcard.  Notice that both men have a supraorbital ridge or heavy brow ridge in common and high cheek bones.  

Notice that mustache ends extend to chin level?  Both men possess a bulbous tip nose also.  

Here is another photo of de Planque taken around 1871.  He also uses the same thumb-out-of-pocket position as the unidentified man in 1865 photo.  De Planque was originally from Prussia but his mustache at the time would not have been an unusual style to wear in 1860s Europe or North America.  Pancho Villa also had a handlebar mustache.

Please feel free to add own your observations about the photograph or knowledge of river boating on the Rio Grande during this brief time in Brownsville's history.  Thanks for reading.  

1871 Corpus Christi Public Libraries Louis de Planque dressed up for a Columbus Day parade in Corpus Christi

Here is another de Planque photo taken about the same time.  The quality was not very good to begin with so the results are not as pleasing.