Jerry Bywaters: A Quick Trip to Farmers Branch
by Paula Bosse
Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, SMU
by Paula Bosse
One of the joys of being a fan of an artist is discovering works you’ve never seen before. And here are two, both by a favorite of mine, Dallas artist Jerry Bywaters — and both are watercolors of the very nearby Farmers Branch. Bywaters must have been quite taken with the picturesque little depot there, because it snuck into at least two of his paintings. The one above is untitled, and the one below is “Farmers Branch In the Early Days.”
I can’t find dates for either of these, but the top work appears to have debuted at an exhibition at the Lawrence Art Galleries in November 1937 (it is mentioned in a review of the show by Frances Folsom in The Dallas Morning News — “Exhibition of Art Works by Jerry Bywaters Opening,” DMN, Oct. 31, 1937).
The depot is still standing — it was restored and relocated to the Farmers Branch Historical Park in 1985. Read a great history of the depot here.
The photo below is from the City of Farmers Branch site. Who wouldn’t want to spend a day with those girls?
I think I need to explore Farmers Branch.
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Sources & Notes
Top painting (“Untitled [Farmers Branch Train Depot]”) is an undated watercolor by Jerry Bywaters, from the Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, SMU Libraries — more info on this can be found at the SMU site here.
The second painting, “Farmers Branch In the Early Days,” is an undated watercolor by Jerry Bywaters; it was sold by Heritage Auctions in 2010. (A notation on the back of this framed piece indicates that it once belonged to the legendary Judge Sarah T. Hughes, or it was purchased by her to give to a very lucky friend.)
The photo of bobbed flappers loitering around the depot is from the City of Farmers Branch website, here.
Other Flashback Dallas posts with (very different) examples of Jerry Bywaters’ art:
- “’Along the Tracks’ in the Fair Park Area”
- “Gusher at Old Red! — 1890”
- “Jerry Bywaters: ‘City Suburb at Dusk’ — 1978”
A version of this post originally appeared on my Patreon page.
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Copyright © 2023 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Flashback : Dallas 
Farmers Branch was my grandparent’s home, and mine, for many years. There was no highway then, only a two-lane blacktop road into Farmers Branch. It was a great little town.
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I’m only 60 and yet I can remember when Farmers Branch didn’t look all THAT different from the second painting. Yeah, the roads were paved, but that was about it, even in the late 60s.
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[…] And, finally, last but not least, art! I have posted so little art this year. I need to rectify that in 2024. I suppose art is my real passion, and Dallas has produced some wonderful artists. One of the best-known Dallas artists is Jerry Bywaters. I found this undated Bywaters watercolor while I was looking for something unrelated. It shows the old Farmers Branch depot. I love this. From “Jerry Bywaters: A Quick Trip to Farmers Branch.” […]
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