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Home ◊ About Willard Library ◊ Artwork ◊ Special Collections Department

Special Collections Department

The permanent art displays in Willard Library have stories of their own to tell. Click on the pieces below to learn more about them.

Burl Walnut Wardrobe
Carpenter Coat of Arms
Drawing of Eleanor Johnson
English Lithographs
Photograph of Mary Parke Foster
Photograph of the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, 1998
Portrait of William Baker
Portrait Rev. Albion Fellows
Six Murals: Music; Poetry; Philosophy; Science; Prose; Sculpture, Architecture, Painting
Stained Glass Windows: Willard Carpenter, Homer, William Shakespeare
Watercolor Painting of Willard Library
“Water Street” Print, 1981

Burl Walnut Wardrobe

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Presented to Willard Library in the late 1970s by Dalton L. Jobe, the burl walnut wardrobe was restored by the Friends of Willard Library, and is now used for storage.

Carpenter Coat of Arms

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The pen-and-ink sketch came to the Library from the Carpenter family home. Willard Carpenter claimed this as the Carpenter family coat of arms, with the motto, “Celertius, Virtus, Fidelitas” (swiftness, virtue, fidelity).

Drawing of Eleanor Johnson

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The original crayon drawing, by John Douglas, was a gift of the Vanderburgh County Christian Home, which Eleanor Johnson founded in 1870.

English Lithographs

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This pair of English lithographs, created by an unknown artist, was a gift to the Library in 1978 from the descendants of Henry Bischoff. The lithographs had been owned by the Bischoff family since 1892.

Photograph of Mary Parke Foster

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Mary Parke Foster (1841-1922) was president-general of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution from 1895 to 1896. The photographer is unknown.

Photograph of the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, 1998

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The photograph of the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, #75 of 100 taken by F. Lewis in 1998, was given to Willard Library in memory of Martha Rogers.

Portrait of William Baker

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This portrait was painted by James G. Forbes. William Baker was mayor of Evansville from 1859 to 1868, and 1871 to 1872. It is not known how Willard Library obtained this painting.

Portrait Rev. Albion Fellows

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Rev. Albion Fellows, Annie Fellows Johnston's father.

Six Murals: Music; Poetry; Philosophy; Science; Prose; Sculpture, Architecture, Painting

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Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist Robert J. Smith painted the murals for the Montgomery County Public Library in Dayton, Ohio. The pieces were abandoned when that library moved to a new building, and were acquired by Evansville Public Museum Curator Sigfried Weng. After being displayed in the Museum for several years, the murals were permanently loaned to Willard Library, where they now hang.

Stained Glass Windows: Willard Carpenter, Homer, William Shakespeare

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These stained glass windows, original to the Library, depict Willard Library founder Willard Carpenter, and literary giants Homer and Shakespeare.

Watercolor Painting of Willard Library

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Dean Davis is the painter of this watercolor rendering of Willard Library.

“Water Street” Print, 1981

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Calvin Magliner is the artist of this 1981 print depicting Water Street circa 1900.

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