Janet Scudder, arguably the most famous artist to have come from Terre Haute, was born Netta Deweeze Frazee Scudder in 1869 (not 1873 as she would have people believe). Her first art training began with Saturday drawing classes at the Rose Polytechnic Institute (now the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology), where one of her classmates was Caroline Peddle (Ball). Scudder and Peddle were admitted to the all-male institute through the influence of Peddle's father, who was on the board of the school.

In 1887, Scudder entered the Cincinnati Academy of Art. The school's registrar told her that Netta was not a real name and, after much consideration she changed her name to Janet, which she thought suggested seriousness and ...