Miguel J. Morales and a Lost Legacy

by Javier R. Garcia

Telling the story of one of Brownsville’s most prolific photographers without a supply of photographs is quite a challenge.  We take for granted that vintage photos taken in Brownsville by its most famous photographer, Robert Runyon, can easily be accessed by searching online.  Thousands of his photos spanning at least two decades beginning in the early 1900s are treats for the amateur RGV historian.  Another photographer who began at the same time and lasted much longer but is not as well-known was Miguel Morales.  Bronsbil Estacion will make a feeble attempt to preserve the memory of this forgotten pioneer but warns the reader, not many of his photos are available to the public.

He was born into a pioneering family of Brownsville, Texas, we presume, in 1880.  His grandfather Rafael Morales was a soldier in Santa Anna’s army while fighting against Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto (1836) and his great grandfather fought as a soldier in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain in 1821. 

As a boy he became a messenger for Western Union and received his education at St. Joseph’s College.  He was a life-long fisherman and loved swimming.  He shot his first deer in West Brownsville and could play billiards with the best pool sharks.  At the age of twenty-four he traveled the northern continent beginning at St. Louis where he witnessed The World’s Fair in 1904.  From there he wanted to look across Lake Michigan through a telescope from top of the Montgomery Ward tower in Chicago.  Wanting to achieve greater heights he traveled to Washington D.C. so he could go up to the top of the George Washington Monument.  From the Atlantic coast he made his way to the Pacific coast and from San Diego, California ventured into Mexico where, it was written in a 1936 Brownsville Herald article, he spent a great deal of time traveling the country.  He was also an avid dancer and life-long Catholic member of the Knights of Columbus and Woodmen of the World Society.

Two photos undoubtedly made by M.J. Morales are of the (1911) Ebony Band belonging to the Woodmen of the World and la "Coronacion de S. Majestag Madeline II, Reina de las Fiestas Patrias del 5 de Mayo de 1939"

In 1908 there were very few photography studios in Brownsville.  Robert Runyon is well remembered today but there were also the Gilhousens, a husband and wife couple who ran a photo studio and later bought a movie theater.  Other photo postcards published during this era can be identified by their store marks such as: Willman’s Pharmacy, The Texas Confectionary, Rutledge Curio Co., Variety Store and Cunningham & Co. but we do not know who the photographer for each was.  Another mark on vintage postcards that are rare is T.J. Barrett or Grombach-Faisans Co., Ltd from New Orleans.  There are probably others but other than names stamped on postcards, we know nothing else about them. 

When revolution forces came near our border with Mexico in 1913, photographer Robert Runyon took many photos like what we see above and theater owner Adolf Dittman took a movie camera and filmed Lucio Blanco's soldiers as they prepared for the "Battle of Matamoros."   Not wanting to miss his opportunity to capture such a historic event we can asume Morales contacted his old friend Mr Pressey by reading the back of the postcard below:   

“My Dear Mr. Prissy—This is one of 35 dead piles – 645 killed at battle of June 3/13 in Matamoros, Mex. 21 Federals killed in trenches & 25 executed. Where can I get a moving picture camera? The Federals will try to retake Matamoros in a week or so. Let me hear from you. I got married. When are you coming here? My address—M. J. Morales—Brownsville, Texas.

A seller on Ebay erroneously claimed that Morales was a "bronco buster" who tamed wild bulls, worked for the railroad and became a telegraph operator before becoming a photographer and also asked $149 for the postcard.  We copied it before it was sold.  

In 1906 Miguel J. Morales became associated with Fred Pressey and by 1908 brought his studio and equipment which was located at 1200 E Washington [Esquina de Oro].  During this time he took photos of President Warren G. Harding, William Jennings Bryan and Mexican Generals Jesus Carranza, Lucio Blanco and Pedro Gonzales.  All we know about Fred Pressey is that he owned a movie theater called “The Electric Theater” in Brownsville which was sold to Adolf Dittman who later sold it to the Mr. & Mrs. Gilhousen after he had the Dittman Theater built in 1911-12.

Morales family portrait (courtesy of Joe Hinojosa)

 1920s view of E 12th St and Washington from Market Square (photographer unknown) 

 1929 Decoration Day Parade  (photographer unknown).  Photo courtesy of Rod Bates - Port Isabel, Texas. 

This late 1930s to early '40s photo shows location of "Brush Court" set-up for Charro Days with Morales Studio sign barely visible.  It looks like the "White Kitchen" sign (see 1929 photo) was recycled and became "Anthony's Waffle Shop".  We have not identified the creator of this photo but will assume for now that it was taken by Miguel Morales.  Maybe his photos were marked with an "M" followed by a dash and three-digit number.  (Brownsville Historical Association photo)

1944-45 ads appearing in English and Spanish printed Brownsville Herald publications

By 1911 Morales established himself permanently at 540 12^th St in a small border-brick style commercial structure built by H.M. Field around the 1870s-80s.  It was from then on and into (perhaps) the late 1950s that he operated his studio.  Other studios in existence that year were Roger’s Studio, Burgess, Holm, K. Welch, Morales and Alex (all names ending in ‘studio’).  The damn troubling shame is that there are very few remnants of Morales photos available to the public today.  It can only be presumed the bulk of his photographs he surely would have preserved until his death in 1968 were scattered among miserly collectors, lost or destroyed after his death.

 Lilian Merking owned an insurance business on E Washington and 12th when she took this photo in 1938.  Notice the bilingual Morales Studio  signage behind her?  Photo courtesy of Rene and Lucy Torres.  

Lucy Tijerina in front of Morales Studio (photo Rene Torres)

 This "Market Place" photo taken less than a block from the Morales Studio may be attributed to Morales.  How do you ask?  His pronounced use of serifs in his lettering  of early photographs may be a dead giveaway for the discerning photo detective.  Compare writing on photo with "Ebony Band W.o.W." photo above and see if you agree or not. (BHA photo)

Here's another photo with an "M" and three-digit number we hope we can credit M.J. Morales with.  If our guesses are correct, we may have found a key to helping us identify sources of photos to be preserved for future teling of our history for generations to come.

Thanks to the Brownsville Historical Association and Jesus Trevino for their help.  Online newspaper databases yielded a great deal of information for this article.  This story was meant to inaugurate  BiciBistro as a truly historic business location added to or downtown development.