Lone Stars

When the frontiersmen of the backwoods Republic chose a star to adorn their new nation’s flag back in 1836, they had high hopes that Texas would one day shine brightly in the constellation of nations. Well, it didn’t work out quite that way, but we Texans still have a special affection for that symbol of the Lone Star State. Photographer Pat Berry went looking for stars, and he found them everywhere: in the main streets of our cities and in the nooks and crannies of yesterday’s Texas, on our signs, on our buildings, and on our clothes. As his photographs show, Texans may not have a monopoly on stars, but we’re on the way to cornering the market.