Alfred W. Mueller
Galena
What began as a childhood pastime became a lifelong pursuit for this Galena native. For over ninety years, Alfred W. Mueller has amassed a collection of historic images of the City of Galena and the surrounding area. At last count, the collection numbered in excess of 10,000 items that are available for public use thanks to Mueller. The jury stated that, “it is rare in this country to find an individual archivist dedicated to the conservation of such an extensive collection.” The oldest pieces in the collection are a series of 1840s daguerreotypes, an early form of photography that is no longer practiced. Photographs and post cards from Mueller’s collection were a primary source for the 1977 publication The Building of Galena which documents the architectural history of the city.