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William Digby portrait print

 Collection — Folder: S3495
Identifier: S3495

Scope and Contents

This collection includes a print of the painting of William Digby created by George Winter in Indiana circa 1852. The print was created sometime after that, probably in the early to mid-20th century. The original painting belongs to the Tippecanoe Public Library.

Dates

  • undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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

William Digby was born in 1802 to William (1770–1838) and Catherine (Bailey) Digby (1754–1849) in Kentucky. He made a living as a river boat captain, land speculator, trader, and gambler during his lifetime.

Digby is considered the founder of Lafayette, Indiana. He platted the town, named after the Marquis de Lafayette, on the southeast bank of the Wabash River in May 1825. Lafayette was designated the county seat of Tippecanoe County in 1826. He also platted nearby Americus, Indiana in 1832. Digby died on May 23, 1864 and was buried in Greenbush Cemetery in Lafayette.

About 1852, artist George Winter painted William Digby sitting on a log outdoors. The painting was in the possession of a Lafayette resident for over 50 years before it was sold to a secondhand dealer in Chicago, Illinois after the owner's death. The work was then sent to a secondhand dealer in Lafayette. The Lafayette School Board purchased the painting and gifted it to the Tippecanoe Public Library.

Sources:

DeHart, Richard Patten. Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, vol. 1. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen and Company, 1909. Accessed June 9, 2022. Google Books.

Findagrave.com. "William Digby, Jr." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19243643/william-digby.

Kriebel, Bob. "Old Lafayette: How 1852 Marked Milestones in Many Areas." Lafayette Journal and Courier, December 3, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://www.jconline.com/story/news/history/2018/12/03/old-lafayette-1852-marked-milestones-many-areas/2184905002.

Tippecanoe County Historical Association. "Digby, William." Person Record. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://tippecanoehistory.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Digby%2C+William.

Wikipedia. "Lafayette, Indiana." Wikipedia.org. Accessed June 9, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette,_Indiana.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection consists of one item.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Kate Milner Rabb in 1928.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2022/06/09 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2022/06/09 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
William Digby portrait print
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