August 1, 2007

Purdue, historical society collaborate to put famous artist's works online

The materials come from handwritten journals, manuscripts and artworks by one of the state's best-known artists, George Winter. His works cover Native Americans in Indiana from the 1830s to the 1870s. However, most of the works to be digitized are from the 1830s and 1840s and document the removal of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes. All of the works are owned by the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and have been made available in digital form by Purdue Libraries, which has created a Web site for the collection. The collection can be viewed online at https://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/gwinter

The digitization project will serve two purposes: One is to provide increased access to the primary source materials to students, teachers, researchers and the general public. The other is to preserve the materials by decreasing handling of the originals.

A grant from the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and provided through the Indiana State Library will cover the majority of the $50,880 digitization cost.

"Students, teachers, researchers and historians have expressed ongoing interest in the collection, which contains striking visuals," said Sammie Morris, head of archives and special collections for Purdue Libraries who is serving as the project director. "The digitization effort is aimed at increasing accessibility while lessening the need for frequent handling of the fragile original materials."

Some 1,233 pages of text and works of art have been digitized. Highlights of the collection include:

* Written firsthand accounts of the encampments of Native Americans.

* Winter's journals and correspondence.

* Sketches of the Native Americans.

* Portraits of chiefs and members of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes.

Primary audiences for the online materials are students in grades 4-12; undergraduate and graduate students studying Indiana history and the history of Native Americans in Indiana and the United States; and those studying 19th century American artists. However, librarians and historians say the online collection will appeal to all ages and types of students and researchers, as well as the general public.

Purdue professor Kristina Bross recently used Winter's works in an undergraduate research practicum class called "Raiders of the Lost Archives." Bross is an associate professor of English and a scholar in Native American studies.

Grant funds also enabled the creation of lesson plans for fourth-graders using the digital collection for Indiana National History Day class projects.

"The Tippecanoe County Historical Association has been extremely pleased with the many uses of the collection in the past for school projects, courses, publications, programs and other educational and research purposes," said Kathy Atwell, the association's interim executive director. "The online George Winter collection will only add to its appeal."

According to the Tippecanoe County Historical Association's Web site, Winter was born in England and moved to New York, where he studied for a short time at the National Academy of Design. He moved to Logansport, Ind., in 1837 to learn about Native Americans. He gained the confidence of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes, which allowed him the access he needed to document their vanishing culture.

An extensive collection of Winter's works was donated to the Tippecanoe County Historical Association in 1986 by Mrs. Cable G. Ball, the widow of Winter's great-grandson.

Writer: Jim Bush (765) 494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu

Sources: Kathy Atwell (765) 476-8411, ext. 208, Kathy@tcha.mus.in.us

Sammie Morris (765) 494-2905, morris18@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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