Browse Items (22278 total)

Robert M. Douglas, son of Stephen A. Douglas, sits for a portrait. Unlike his staunchly Democratic father, Robert sided with Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans, helping reconstruction efforts in the South and serving as personal secretary to…

Charles B. Farwell poses for a portrait in a dark suit coat. A resident of Lake Forest, Farwell served in the United States House of Representatives (1871-1876) and the United States Senate (1887-1891). He and his wife. Mary Eveline Smith, donated…

Actress Mary Garden poses for a portrait wearing several pieces of jewelry. Garden was a popular opera performer in France and the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Talented both as a soprano and as an actress, Garden made…

John J. Hardin, a prominent resident of Jacksonville, poses for a portrait wearing a military uniform. Hardin represented Morgan County in the General Assembly, fought in the Black Hawk War and Mormon War of Hancock County, served one term in the…

A photograph of an oil painting of Major Thomas James features James in a military uniform. On verso: "Maj. Thomas James, from oil painting owned by his son Dr. Lewis James of Racola, Mo."

William McMurtry poses for a portrait with a cane in his right hand. McMurtry was a resident of Knox County (1829-1875), a member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1836-1840) and the Illinois Senate (1842-1849), and the state's eleventh…

Joseph Naper poses for a portrait wearing a dark suit. Naper was one of the founding members of Naperville, Illinois (est. 1831), a veteran of the Black Hawk and Mexican-American Wars, and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from…

Walter Bennett Scates poses for a photograph which was later used as a memorial portrait. Scates moved to Illinois in 1831 and began practicing law. He served as States Attorney pro tem (1831-1834), Attorney General (1836), Judge of the Third…

Chief Shabbona, a member of the Ottawa tribe and Chief of the Potawatomi in Illinois during the nineteenth century, poses for a portrait. Originally not friendly towards white expansion and Indian relocation, Shabbona fought alongside Tecumseh…

Major Isaiah Stillman poses for a portrait wearing a large dark tie. Stillman commanded the Illinois militia in the first battle of the Black Hawk War, the Battle of Stillman's Run.

Lorenzo D. Thompson poses for a portrait wearing a dark suit. A celebrated wrestler, Thompson defeated a young Abraham Lincoln while serving together during the Black Hawk War.

George E. Walker, the first sheriff of LaSalle County and an Indian interpreter during the Black Hawk War, poses for a portrait. On verso: "George E. Walker First Sheriff La Salle Co."

Four unknown men stand atop a telephone pole, perhaps in Dixon.

A group of unknown people ride atop early motor carriages, the precursor to the automobile.

A dog lies in front of a rural landscape setting in a photo studio.

A horse stands tied to a windmill while a man looks over a drove of pigs.

Horses travel down a dirt road through a heavily wooded area.

A bearded man and two young girls prepare a garden.

An exterior view of the W. E. Haxtun home highlights the building's Victorian architecture. Haxtun was the president of Haxtun Steam Heater Company in Kewanee, Illinois.

Two young girls stand in the front yard of a home on Tremont Street.

Snow covers Tremont Street during the winter of 1893.

A young man wearing a suit and top hat stands beside a fence post on Tremont Street.

The Kewanee (Illinois) High School building sits in an open area with trees on the perimeter of the property.

A young girl leans on the side of a chair as though deep in thought during a portrait session.

Charles E. Purcell punishes one of his children by spanking. Crumpled papers lie on the floor at his feet.