Donald Yena Notecards

Bring the spirit of Texas history into your correspondence with this beautifully crafted notecard set featuring artwork by renowned Western artist Donald Yena. Inspired by the enduring legacy of The Alamo, these notecards showcase Yena's evocative depictions of pivotal moments, historic landmarks, and the brave individuals who shaped this iconic story. Set of 7 note cards with envelopes of each:

“Spanish Longhorns, Texas 1790” 
2015
The Spanish introduced cattle to the New World, a part of which later became the American Southwest. These hardy cattle were originally referred to as Spanish Longhorns and were the predecessor of the larger Texas Longhorns. Set in West Texas, this painting shows a large herd of mixed cows with calves and a bull being driven or drifted to another grazing ground or a marketplace.

“Comanche, A Life to Change 1770”
2020
By 1750, Comanche Indians dominated a large portion of the American Southwest and because of this, the area became known as Comancheria. Small bands of Comanche traveled vast distances for food, water, and shelter. This group is watching as a new Spanish settlement is built that includes a large church. Such settlements were often raided by Comanches. A significant change of life for the tribes is on the horizon. 

“El Rancho, Spanish Texas1790” 
2017
This painting depicts a Spanish Colonial ranch in Texas, much like those of the 1760’s to 1800’s. In this evening scene, the ranch in the painting shows an early Spanish house with two men enjoying a cigar and a cup of hot chocolate. 

“Jacal Tejano, Spanish Colonial 1790” 
2019
This painting depicts a jacal or house around 1790. The roof is thatched, the walls are made of heavy vertical posts set in the ground, and plaster on the walls is made of adobe. A little brown dog naps near a donkey’s pack saddle while a child feeds corn to the chickens.  In the background, a summer rain falls on the hillside.

“Los Sabinos Del Rio Medina 1850” 
2020
This painting depicts a pristine, free flowing Medina River as it would have appeared in 1850. The family in the background, like many families in the 1850s, were looking for a place to settle and build a home. Many of these original settlers still live along the Medina River, which is located west of San Antonio.

“First Spring Planting, Espada 1790”
2024
This painting depicts life at Mission Espada near the end of Spanish Rule in Texas. The missions received little support from the Spanish crown and were expected to be self-sufficient, planting crops and raising livestock. In this painting you can see men working in the fields, planting the first spring crop, with a Spanish soldier standing at the ready t, should a threat arise. Espada and the other Texas missions began the process of secularization in the late 1700s and ranchlands near the mission were divided between local inhabitants.

“First Light, Gunsmoke, Bayonets, and Texas History”
2019
The Battle of the Alamo began on the morning of March 6^th 1836. This painting shows the north wall of the Alamo Fort, where some of the most desperate fighting occurred. Nearly seven hundred Mexican Army soldiers attacked this wall and it was one of the first to fall. At the back of the scene, defensive gunfire from the cannons at the rear of the church light up the historic Alamo church.