Theodore Gentilz (1819-1906) was born in France and came to Texas in 1844 as a surveyor for Henry Castro, who had received land grants from the Republic of Texas. Gentilz assisted Castro in the layout of the town west of San Antonio on the Medina River, which would become Castroville. Later, Gentilz moved to San Antonio and was an art teacher at St. Mary's College. His own artistic training was at the Imperial School of Mathematics and Drawing in Paris. His paintings are finely executed with jewel-like tones. Often, they are painted on a small scale and have a simple, unsophisticated quality. His most typical subjects are local landmarks such as the Missions and genres scenes reminiscent of Costumbrista paintings. His paintings are valued for their accurate depictions of Early Texas life.