San Marcos Record, San Marcos, TX

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  • “Crossing the Rio Grande” (left) is among the images that are included in “A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove,” by Bill Wittliff. Wittliff’s will be honored at a special reception on Oct. 13 in the Alkek Library. “Crossing the Rio Grande” was signed by Wittliff and series stars Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall. (Photo courtesy Texas State University)

    Crossing the Rio Grande
September 18, 2007

Lonesome no more

Book of set photos brings compelling story to life in the Wittliff Gallery

By Christian Prater

San Marcos — This fall one of the most intriguing sites to see on the Texas State University campus will be the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photography.

Texas State University will present the 10th publication in its series, “A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove,” by Bill Wittliff. This exhibit brings the stunning images of the Emmy Award-winning miniseries together at last. The celebration for this timeless miniseries and book began Aug. 23 and will last until March 30, 2008. Some 60 original photographs donated by Bill and Sally Wittliff permanently reside in the exhibit.

The Wittliff collection has been getting a lot of attention since its opening. When asked if there been any change in traffic since the exhibit opened, Michele Miller, the Texas State liaison for this exhibit, said she has noticed, “a wonderful increase in visitors to the campus and library.”

The presence of the exhibit has not just captivated the interest of people nationally but internationally as well. “Visitors from as far as Norway have come,” Miller said. The miniseries Lonesome Dove has been so popular for so long that having a major archive in the city of San Marcos is a huge treasure chest of information, she said, that many feel should be displayed and appreciated.

On Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. the celebration of Lonesome Dove culminates with an exhibit reception and book launch of, “A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove” by Bill Wittliff. Over 100 black-and-white photographs created by Bill Wittliff are present in the 188-page book, published by the University of Texas Press. Wittliff selected the images from over 5,000 negatives shot on the set of Lonesome Dove, a program Wittliff co-executive produced. What makes the book so impressive is that Wittliff is not only a great writer but a renowned fine-arts photographer. So each photograph was taken from the point of view of an artist and not just production stills on the set.

Wittliff’s book will be available from major booksellers and the UT Press in early October. The book includes a foreword from the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Larry McMurtry and an afterword by Bill Wittliff himself that chronicles the time he and the crew spent filming this memorable miniseries.

Oct. 13 not only marks the launch of Wittliff’s book but also the grand opening of the Lonesome Dove Exhibit Room. With expanded displays of authentic artifacts from filmmaking memorabilia and costume pieces worn by Woodrow F. Call and Augustus “Gus” McCrae played by Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall. The Wittliffs worked to be sure that the vast majority of the Lonesome Dove artifacts came to Texas State University. Connie Todd, who was on the set of Lonesome Dove and works in the gallery and with the collection said, “Lonesome Dove as a novel and miniseries is a great epic story that is universal.”

Todd is very excited about the opening of this new exhibit room and feels that, “It’s distinctly Southwest and together (series, book, and exhibit) this project is greater than it is separately.”

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