Carbonate Days: O. Henry's First Professional Prospect
This exhibit examines a collection of 27 hand-drawn illustrations, created by a 21-year-old William Sydney Porter long before he was known as the short-story master O. Henry. The illustrations, which depict comedic or adventurous narratives that follow themes of the American West in the 1800s, were made to accompany the frontier mining memoirs of Joseph T. Dixon or "Uncle Joe," an eccentric character who had spent several years prospecting in the Rocky Mountains. After the O. Henry Museum acquired the collection in early 2021, the illustrations underwent an extensive conservation process, and have been cleaned, stabilized, and prepared for exhibition. We invite you to come explore this unique, one-of-a-kind collection of illustrations and examine the early and evolving art style of William Sydney Porter, before he became O. Henry.
“Beyond the Veil: Spiritualism in the 19th Century" - Online Exhibit
Athol Estes Porter, William Sydney Porter's first wife, died of tuberculosis on July 25, 1897. At the time of her death, thousands of Americans followed a new religion called "Spiritualism", which believed that the living could communicate with the dead. This exhibit explores the roots of Spiritualism and ties in with the museum's Halloween special event "Journey into the Beyond" (October 31st).
"More Than Just A One Story House" - Online Exhibit
If you're unable to make it to the museum, you can still explore the life of William Sidney Porter in Austin! This online tour of the museum discusses our permanent exhibits, and provides a wealth of biological information.
Collections
The museum’s online collections database is an excellent resource for scholars and enthusiasts.