Ramsey County History – Spring 1967: “Restless, Troubled Opportunist: Portrait of a Pioneer Photographer”

Restless, Troubled Opportunist: Portrait of a Pioneer Photographer
Author: Henry Hall

William H. Illingworth, born 1844, came to St. Paul in 1850 and became a professional photographer in 1867. A pioneer of outdoor wet-plate photography, he went on an expedition with Custer in 1874, then illicitly sold the prints he made but was not convicted. Back in St. Paul, he made many images of the young city that are prized today. Illingworth had a tormented personal life; he married three times, was widowed twice, and divorced once. He took his own life in 1893.
PDF of Hall article