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The Cat's Out of the Bag: Folk Art from the Alexander Troup Collection

Folk Art from the Alexander Troup Collection

Alexander M. Troup grew up in Dallas and witnessed first hand the transformation of the city to what it is today – an ever-changing metro-plex. But one thing about Dallas and its insatiable appetite for growth is that many times valuable pieces of history become lost in the process. This is where Mr. Troup saw a need to preserve the city’s rich history. His collection contains hundreds of artifacts, resources on material culture, archeology, and Dallas History.

The Troup Family is steeped in the history of Dallas. Gallery Trohafole, owned and operated by the Troup family in the 1960s, showcased items made by Dallas Artists and many pieces of folk art. The folk art represented in the Troup Collection includes items such as whirly gigs whose characters and themes are wholly Texan. One whirly gig is an oil well complete with a tall steel derrick. Another is made of egg beaters. Other pieces of the Folk Art include pottery from Dallas potters, rare penny dolls, a Hispanic wooden box, a bronze cast of an animal’s skull, and African American sculptures.

Not only a historian, and material culture preservationist, Mr. Troup is also an artist whose works echo his interest in history and material culture. His work transforms found objects such as wall paper found on a dig site with found china, found magazine clippings and wood honoring railroad baron Jay Gould, a found cupboard door which opens to reveal a woman (this piece is inspired by a recluse who lived in her attic), and a handmade newspaper clipping box filled with clippings and old fashion magazine excerpts.

The materials on exhibit here represent only a small portion of the Troup collection, acquired by UNT Libraries in 2012-2013. The collection has over twenty series which detail the material culture history of African Americans and Hispanics as well as history of many different neighborhoods in Dallas such as Deep Elm, Laws Street, Camp Street, and San Jacinto.

Small figure of a man standing next to a wooden truck on a tower with a windmill on it.
A box-like figure with a red roof, the bottom of it wooden. On the left side of this figure is a sign that says Comforts. Inside the house are different objects, like a small skull, clock and doll head.
A thin tin man stands on a platform with a windmill attached to it. There is a clear base to it.
Close up of a tin man with a tin truck to the left of him. The man has blue pants, a red shirt and hat. The truck is black with red on the wheels. The tin man is bending over and holding onto something attached to the truck.
Wooden figure of a woman washing clothes. She has a grey skirt and white shirt painted on. Her arms are sticks extended out to a barrel-like thing standing in front of her with a small piece of wood in it representing a piece of clothing.
Black doll sitting in a wooden chair. The doll has on a black dress with white polka dots. Its legs are sticking out, but are short and don't extend much out of the chair.
Olive colored jug shaped like a devil's face on the left and the black jug shaped like a devils face on the right. They are both shiny, but have some pieces chipped off from the horns. They are perfectly alike except for the color.
Wooden duck painted with a black tail, sandy body and a red head and sandy beak. It is lying flat, and its wing is able to move.
Yellow bird stands atop a box that is brown at the top and bottom and yellow in the middle. The front of the box has a small black round handle for a cabinet that extends from the yellow part. Around the bird are three small yellow poles sticking out.
Wooden box with the letters B and R painted in black on the long side of it. The box has no top. In the middle of it on the shorter side is a piece of wood over it, and halfway through the longer side is a wood dividing it. This makes for three different compartments in the box.
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