Joseph B. Brown diary and artwork, [1847]-1957

Collection of approximately 76 drawings and sketches made by Brown in watercolor, oil, pastel, wash, pencil and ink. Thirty-one drawings depict army forts and western scenery, including Ringgold Barracks, Los Morus, Port Isabel, and San Jose, Texas; Forts Dalles and Nachess and Mt. Hood, Oregon Territory; Forts Stillicum and Taylor, Washington Territory

The two volume diary is a corrected typescript containing extracts from a diary Brown kept from 1849 to 1859, and includes 24 ink and wash drawings. Brown describes towns, forts, and missions in Texas and the Pacific Northwest; travels by land in Texas; conflicts with Indians in Texas, Oregon, and Washington; cholera and typhoid epidemics; travelling with his family; marching to Arkansas; spending time with Robert E. Lee; and travelling to the Pacific Coast via steamer. The 24 ink and wash drawings depict the front of the Alamo and the mission of La Conception, San Antonio; Mexican women making tortillas; breakfast on the march; the head of Las Morus River; officer's quarters at Ringgold Barracks, Fort Vancouver, and Fort Dalles; "Chenoweth, chief of Dog-River Indians, hung at Cascades"; and "Cut-Mouth John, friendly Cayuse Scout".

The diary and artwork are accompanied by a small collection of correspondence, documents, printed material and photographs gathered by Brown's family members that include photographs of Brown and a hospital ward in Louisville during the Civil War