We always like to hear stories of lovable rogues, the scalawags who cannot help but be loved despite their moral gray areas.
Here is one such story.
You can still find the works of Alfred Montgomery hanging on the walls of many homes in the cities in which he lived.
After his death, Montgomery was somewhat forgotten. Thanks to a Pekin couple who began to collect him in the '70s and '80s, though, there is a traveling exhibit of Montgomery ear corn, and he has become popular among collectors.
Such paintings are now going for several thousand dollars apiece.
The occasional series McHistory is done in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History bringing you the words and times of central Illinois residents of other eras. GLT's Charlie Schlenker produces the series.
As part of McHistory, we bring you the words and life of a self-taught barnyard artist, a painter of sheep and corn, a tale spinner and huckster who called Bloomington home in the late 19th century.
