Kipp Soldwedel painting of Audie Murphy. Photo Source: Texas State Preservation Board. Photo used with written permission from the Texas State Capitol Preservation Board.

This beautifully painted portrait of Audie Murphy hangs in the Texas State Capitol building in downtown Austin, Texas. It was commissioned by "a group from Dallas" and presented to the governor of Texas, Allan Shivers on April 17, 1951. When the portrait was presented, Audie Murphy flew in from Hollywood for the ceremony held at the state capitol.

Among those attending the ceremony were Major General H. Miller Ainsworth, commander of the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard. General Ainsworth took the opportunity to introduce Murphy to both houses of the Texas state legislature who cheered him. Audie told the state representatives and senators "It's a long way up here from an East Texas cotton patch (Simpson, p.412)."

In a letter dated May 14, 1999 sent from the Texas State Preservation Board, the board stated ...

"Murphy's portrait was painted in 1950 by artist Kipp Soldwedel. As of March 19, 1999, the Murphy portrait hangs in the House Chamber of the Texas State Capitol. Recently, the portrait was on display at the Capitol Visotors' Center (which is the old General Land Office Building, or GLO) in an exhibition commemorating native Texans who received the prestigious Medal of Honor for service in a war. Prior to this exhibit, the portrait hung in the Senate Chamber on the second floor in the east wing of the Capitol; and, before that the painting hung in the outer office of the House Sergeant-at-Arms from circa 1951 until 1985."

In an email to the webmaster, James C. Mosier wrote ...

"The painting of Audie in the Texas Capitol was, as you say, hanging in the Sergeant-At-Arms office until 1985. The painting was moved back into the House where by law it was supposed to always hang. In 1979 I went to the capitol to see this painting and found it hanging behind an office door in the Sergeant At Arms office. It could not be viewed by the public. I fired off an angry letter to the Governor of Texas and later to the Governor after him . Seven years later and many more letters led to the painting being in a place of honor in the capitol. Guided tours now make stops at the painting and the history of Audie is told."

A brass plate attached directly on the lower part of the picture's frame. The plate's text is shown below near the bottom of the page.

There are hour long FREE guided tours every 15 minutes. The tour times are weekdays 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. and on weekends 9:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Tours are conducted by the Capitol Information and Guide Service. Their phone number is: (512) 463-0063.

The text engraved on the artist's plate is as follows ...

Below the artist's plate is another brass plate which reads ...

To buy a copy, use the contact information below ...