Collection of 9 albumen and silver print stereoviews on flat and curved publisher card mounts, Austin, Texas, ca. 1870s - 1890s. Imprints and backmarks feature leading pioneer Austin photographers Hamilton B. Hillyer ("H. B. Hillyer, Photographer, Austin, Texas" and "H. B. Hillyer's New Gallery, Austin, Texas") and Samuel B. Hill ("S. B. Hill, Photographer, 818 Congress Ave., Austin, Texas"). Includes views with contemporary manuscript titles, one with an extensive 15 May 1888 dedication by German immigrant C.W. Rummel of Round Top, Texas, recording architectural dimensions of the new Capitol. 

A historically significant architectural archive chronicling the rapid civic and institutional evolution of Austin, Texas, across the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction eras. Foremost Austin view maker H.B. Hillyer established his prominent gallery on Congress Avenue in the late 1860s and became the definitive chronicler of the Texas capital, later joined by S.B. Hill. The lot includes:

1. Exterior view of a large, multi-story building situated at the top of a gently rising pathway. Manuscript notation on mount recto "State University - Austin" and verso "State University." The building pictured is the west wing of the old Main Building, ca 1885, approximately two years after the University of Texas first opened.

2. Exterior view of the front of the Texas Governor's Mansion Verso with manuscript notation "Governor's Mansion." This Greek Revival residence was completed in 1856 and is defined by six Ionic columns stretching across the expansive veranda. 

3.Exterior view of the Elijah E Myers-designed Texas State Capitol, which opened to the public in 1888. At the time of its construction, the capitol was billed as "The Seventh Largest Building in the World." Verso with extensive manuscript notation headed "Capitol of Texas at Austin. May 15. 1888." The subsequent note is written in old German script, and describes the remarkable physical characteristics and features of the massive building, including red granite construction, measurements, electric lighting, and a ride service to the dome. The notation is signed by "C.W. Rummel" of Round Top, Texas, 25 May 1888. 

4. Exterior view of the 1876 Travis County Courthouse, a three-story "Second Empire" limestone building with a distinctive clock tower with horses and a wagon parked in front

5. Another exterior view of the Travis County Courthouse, but from a slightly farther vantage point and with no trees surrounding the building.

6.Exterior panoramic view of Austin, Texas, ca 1870s. Sweeping view features the second Texas State Capitol at center and a large array of buildings fanned out from the imposing central Capitol building, with a large grove of trees in foreground.

7. Engraving of the Texas State Capitol.

8. Exterior view of the second state Capitol building in Austin. An exceedingly scarce early view by Hillyer looking up the stone-paved walkway toward the limestone building with its small dome. The second state capitol was built in 1853 and burned to the ground in 1881.

9. Exterior street view of a bustling downtown Austin with commercial storefronts, horse carriages, and pedestrians. Notably, the bottom right features the sign of the photographer's studio: "H.B. Hiller / Photos to Life Size / Old Pictures Copied & Enlarged - City View for Sale."

Hamilton Biscoe Hillyer (1835-1903) opened his first studio in Austin 1867 or 1868, By that time he had already mastered the art of daguerreotype and ambrotypes, and is credited with making some of the earliest photographs on paper in Texas. He served for years as the official state photographer of Texas, and as vice president of the National Photographic Association in 1872. Samuel B. Hill (ca 1841-1917) moved from Kentucky to Austin in 1877, and after a brief partnership opened his own independent studio in Austin in 1879. By 1882 Hill began experimenting with the stereoscopic process.

Representing both the lost antebellum seat of government and the  completion of the granite Capitol in 1888, this cohesive grouping stands among the more impressive documentary records of 19th-century Austin urban history to appear at recent public auction.

[Austin Texas, Texas State Capitol, Old Capitol, Sunset Red Granite Capitol, 1888 Capitol Dedication, H.B. Hillyer, Hamilton B. Hillyer, S.B. Hill, Congress Avenue, Texas Governor's Mansion, University of Texas, UT Austin, Old Main, Travis County Courthouse, Texas Frontier, Stereoviews, Texas History, 1870s, 1880s]

Very good condition. Prints exhibit strong contrast and rich tones, with sharp focus throughout. Mounts remain firm and structurally sound with only minor scattered foxing, light corner rubbing, and handling wear consistent with age.