06/21/2026
A little rabbit hole I absolutely did not plan on falling into… but here we are. 🫣✨
I’ve been sorting through stacks of antique cabinet cards and photographs, and instead of just appreciating the faces frozen in time… I found myself flipping them over and getting obsessed with the names behind the camera. 📸
Turns out, some of these photographers weren’t just taking pictures, they were documenting Decorah history one portrait at a time.
✨ Spurr Photography
The Spurr name has deep roots in Decorah history. E. Willard Spurr operated a local photography studio in Decorah around the 1890s, capturing the faces and stories of the community. His son, Melbourne Spurr, born right here in Decorah in 1888, later took that creative eye west and became a well-known Hollywood celebrity photographer in the 1920s. From small town Iowa to Hollywood icons… casual. 💅✨
✨ Solberg Photography
Otto T. Solberg was a Norwegian-American photographer who documented Decorah during the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work captured everyday residents, immigrant families, local landmarks, and the changing community around him. Many surviving portraits and negatives are now incredible little windows into early Decorah life.
✨ B.J. Reynolds — Star Gallery
Bartley J. Reynolds operated the Star Gallery here in Decorah around the late 1800s into the early 1900s. From cabinet cards and family portraits to graduating classes and regional scenery, his photographs helped preserve the faces and stories of early Winneshiek County.
✨ Renaas Studios
Founded by Decorah native Albert Renaas, Renaas Studios became another piece of the area’s photographic history capturing generations of portraits, landscapes, and everyday moments that would have otherwise disappeared.
✨ Longstreet Photography
The Longstreet name also left its mark behind the lens in the early 1900s, documenting everything from local residents and families to scenes throughout Decorah and the surrounding northeast Iowa area.
Over 100 years later these little cardboard photographs are still doing exactly what they were meant to do… keeping stories alive. 🖤
