James Whitcomb Riley photograph collection
Collection — Folder: SP050
Identifier: SP050
Scope and Contents
This collection includes photographs and illustrations in Indiana ranging from circa 1860 to circa 1930 regarding author James Whitcomb Riley, people and places associated with him, his dog "Lockerbie", and his works. There are also photographs from his funeral and statue dedication in Greenfield, Indiana
Dates
- circa 1860-circa 1930
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Access
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
"James Whitcomb Riley, (born Oct. 7, 1849, Greenfield, Ind., U.S.—died July 22, 1916, Indianapolis, Ind.), poet remembered for nostalgic dialect verse and often called “the poet of the common people.”
Riley’s boyhood experience as an itinerant sign painter, entertainer, and assistant to patent-medicine vendors gave him the opportunity to compose songs and dramatic skits, to gain skill as an actor, and to come into intimate touch with the rural populace of Indiana. His reputation was gained first by a series of poems in Hoosier dialect ostensibly written by a farmer, Benj. F. Johnson, of Boone, contributed to the Indianapolis Daily Journal and later published as “The Old Swimmin’-Hole” and ’Leven More Poems (1883). Riley was briefly local editor of the Anderson (Ind.) Democrat, but his later life was spent in Indianapolis.
Among Riley’s numerous volumes of verse are Pipes o’ Pan at Zekesbury (1888), Old-Fashioned Roses (1888), The Flying Islands of the Night (1891), A Child-World (1896), and Home Folks (1900). His best-known poems included “When the Frost Is on the Punkin,” “Little Orphant Annie,” “The Raggedy Man,” and “An Old Sweetheart of Mine.” His poems were collected in Complete Works, 10 vol. (1916)."
From: "James Whitcomb Riley." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last modified October 3, 2018. Accessed June 8, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Whitcomb-Riley.
Riley’s boyhood experience as an itinerant sign painter, entertainer, and assistant to patent-medicine vendors gave him the opportunity to compose songs and dramatic skits, to gain skill as an actor, and to come into intimate touch with the rural populace of Indiana. His reputation was gained first by a series of poems in Hoosier dialect ostensibly written by a farmer, Benj. F. Johnson, of Boone, contributed to the Indianapolis Daily Journal and later published as “The Old Swimmin’-Hole” and ’Leven More Poems (1883). Riley was briefly local editor of the Anderson (Ind.) Democrat, but his later life was spent in Indianapolis.
Among Riley’s numerous volumes of verse are Pipes o’ Pan at Zekesbury (1888), Old-Fashioned Roses (1888), The Flying Islands of the Night (1891), A Child-World (1896), and Home Folks (1900). His best-known poems included “When the Frost Is on the Punkin,” “Little Orphant Annie,” “The Raggedy Man,” and “An Old Sweetheart of Mine.” His poems were collected in Complete Works, 10 vol. (1916)."
From: "James Whitcomb Riley." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last modified October 3, 2018. Accessed June 8, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Whitcomb-Riley.
Extent
0.02 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2019/06/08 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2019/06/08 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- Title
- James Whitcomb Riley photograph collection
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
