Willard Library

The Adele and Paul Torian Native American Leaders of the Mid-19th Century Exhibit features three volumes of Thomas L. McKenney’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America. With portraits and biographies of the great Native American chiefs of the 1800s, the series is considered one of the most important historical records of Native American life. The volumes were a gift to Willard Library from Adele and Paul Torian.

John Baker is the artist of this piece, featuring Library founder Willard Carpenter.

This likeness of famous fiction writer Edgar Allan Poe, painted in oil by John Helfrich, was given to Willard Library in memory of Bettie M. Matthews.

A teacher in the Evansville Public School System, Mary Elise Euler bequeathed the portrait by Nelson D. Wilson, along with one-fifth of her estate, to Willard Library. The portrait came to the Library after her death in 1982.

These four portraits are attributed to artist James Thomas Poindexter.

The subjects are library founder Willard Carpenter; his wife, Lucina Burcalow Carpenter; one of his daughters, Marcia Carpenter Keller; and his son-in-law, DeWitt C. Keller.

It is believed that Georgia Carpenter donated the portraits of her great-grandparents, Willard and Lucina Carpenter, which were brought directly from the Carpenter home. The portraits of Marcia and DeWitt Keller were donated by their daughter, Mary Marcia Louise Keller Markell.

The painting of Colonel Charles Denby is signed “Prince,” but is attributed to Evansville artist Fannie K. Pattison. The discrepancy leaves some doubt as to the true identity of the painter; it is possible that Pattison did not paint the portrait but, rather, acquired it. Pattison donated it to the library as the beginning of an Evansville Hall of Fame.

It is not known who photographed this image of Louise Carpenter, one of three children of Library founder Willard Carpenter.

Thomas E. Garvin was a trustee of Willard Library from 1876 to 1912. The photographer is unknown.

This plate of Willard Library was made in Germany by Wheelock for Kresent 5-Cent and 10-Cent Store in Evansville. The piece was given to Willard Library by Ann H. Pate in June 1989 in memory of Cora Hasson.

Fred C. Eilers painted the portrait of this library benefactor from photographs showing her at about age 70. Bessie Hornbrook Thrall was 96 and living in California at the time the Willard Library trustees commissioned the painting, which was ordered in appreciation of her donation of many art books to the library. Thrall died in 1973 at age 101.

The artist is Thomas P. Curtis. Marcia Wheeler was Head Librarian of Willard Library from 1956 to 1972.

Painted by Theodore Clement Steele in 1894, this piece was commissioned by the trustees of Willard Library to posthumously honor library founder Willard Carpenter. The portrait, which hangs on the east wall, was painted from either a photograph or daguerreotype.