Pa.) Ledger Print (Philadelphia
Blind Tom, the Musical Prodigy.
ca. 1865
13 1/8 x 10 inches
Lithograph.
Purchase, Charina Endowment Fund.
2021.77
Notes
Thomas Greene Wiggins (1849-1908) was a blind autistic savant, nationally famous from early childhood as a composer and pianist under the name Blind Tom. Born enslaved, Wiggins is sometimes referred to in press of the time as Thomas Greene Bethune, after the family name of the owner-turned-manager (Georgia lawyer/publisher James Neill Bethune) who continued to profit by his career decades after Emancipation. This lithograph is likely made after a photograph by Bendann Brothers, Baltimore.
Summary
Portrait of Thomas Greene Wiggins seated next to a piano.
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