1858—Hesler Panorama

Chicago Tribune, December 7, 1858

VIEWS OF CHICAGO.—There be many views of Chicago extant, and varied in character. There are views, and these chiefly at the East, that Chicago is a bubble, and the bubble is expected to break, and old Hunks sits with his money bags ready to be in at the death, for a share of the pieces.

Now we know of a conflicting “View” to the above, and it just—Hesler’s, who, as if to show his confidence in Chicago, has stepped in and taken the whole, from Lake View to Cottage Grove, and to the prairies on three sides of us. If any one can glance at Hesler’s Panoramic Photograph View of Chicago, and still believe Chicago a bubble, he will further believe that the pieces will be worth the picking up when that bubble bursts.

A leading business man at Boston has, in accepting the above view of Hesler’s View, procured a copy, with the design of putting it up in the Merchant’s Exchange of that city. If it do not convince some of the “solid men” there—away that Chicago is a “settlement” of promise, they are beyond conviction. We believe it would be for the advantage of our city to place these views of Hesler’s in every “Change room of the seaboard cities.

Chicago Tribune, August 6, 1859

The Journal says that a London Insurance Company having instructed their Chicago agent to take no risks in our “wooden city,” a copy of Hesler’s great photograph, the city at a glance, has been sent out to refute the calumny.

Chicago Tribune, August 26, 1859

VIEWS OF THE CITY.—Of a verity there be many views of Chicago, and they differ somewhat; but none are more striking and reliable than this the sun paints for Hesler. We stated, the other day, that he has sent to England—on orders from capitalists—a copy of his large panorama photograph of Chicago. We learn that the latter work will probably be exhibited at the National Fair, under magnifiers, after the “dioramic view” style, to give the thousands of strangers what they will scarcely get in any way equally as well—a view of the entire city at a glance. Hesler, at his new gallery on Lake street, has also just completed some exquisite views of that prominent business street.

Chicago Tribune, April 3, 1938

Alexander Hesler’s Panorama of Chicago from The Courthouse
West

Chicago Tribune, July 6, 1895

Alexander Hesler, the pioneer photographer of Chicago, and for many years the most famous daguerreotypist in the United States, died at his home in Evanston yesterday morning at 8 o’clock. Mr. Hesler had not been ill twenty-four hours. While taking a flashlight picture in the afternoon of July 4 for one of his neighbors he was stricken with apoplexy. He became unconscious and was removed to his home, No. 216 Lake street, where he died the next morning without regaining consciousness. The funeral exercises will be held at the house Sunday at 4 p.m. and the internment will take place at Racine, Wis., the next day.

Mr. Hesler’s photographs made him famous. Among them are two of Abraham Lincoln, the first ever taken of the martyr President. The one of Minnehaha Falls. taken in 1856, is said to have inspired Longfellow to produce “Hiawatha.” Mr. Hesler has won many medals from international exhibitions. He was honored thus at the Crystal Palace of Londin, the Centennial Exposition, and the Paris Exposition.

Mr. Hesler was born of English parents in July, 1823, at Sorell, near Montreal, Canada. He came West when a young man and settled at Racine, Wis. He was in the hardware trade for a while, but in 1847 he learned daguerreotyping. He followed this profession for two years in Racine, and removed to Galena. While in the latter city he prepared an exhibit of daguerreotypes for the Crystal Palace Exhibition at London in 1851, on which he received several medals, one of which was a first prize. He came to Chicago in 1853, where he became famous. From 1853 to 1858 he occupied rooms in the old Metropolitan Block, and from 1858 till the building was burned in the great fire he occupied quarters at No. 113 Lake street.

After photography had superseded daguerreotyping he became well known also in that line. His “bird’s eye view of Chicago” taken the year before the fire² from the top of the Court House, has become famous and is now the most correct likeness of what the city was in those days.

In February, 1857, Mr. Hesler took a daguerreotype picture of Mr. Lincoln. It was duriungb the time of Lincoln and Douglas were stumping the State together, and Lincoln came over to his office one day from the Court House and said “the boys wanted him to have a picture taken.” Mr. Hesler made a bust picture which was nearly a profile of the right side. The picture is similar to one taken four years later, with the exception that Lincoln’s hair in the first one was long and appeared disheveled, Mr. Hesler suggested at the time that he comb it, but Lincoln said no, the boys would not know if he did. Mr. Lincoln was so well satisfied with this picture that after his first nomination, when there was a call throughout the country for his likeness, he sent to Chicago for Mr. Hesler, who went to Springfield in June, 1860, and made two more pictures of the great statesman. One of these became the most famous likeness of Lincoln, taken while his face was yet unbearded. It was almost a profile, showing the right side of his face.

Makes Pictures of Lincoln.
The other picture taken at this time was almost a front view. The uneven outline of his face, his high cheek bones, show up distinctly against a dark background in this portrait. His coat was plain black and he wore a black bow tie, with a white collar turned loosely over it. These two pictures in miniature were ordered by the hundreds of thousands and sent all over the country.

In 1855, Mr. Hesler was in Minnesota and took what was probably the first picture of the Falls of Minnehaha. It was in November and the trees and brush in the vicinity were glistening with frost from the spray and the adjacent rocks were covered with snow. A copy of this picture was given to Henry W. Longfellow. A year later Mr. Hesler received a copy of “Hiawatha,” with the compliments of the author and an autograph letter from him saying that was Mr. Hesler’s picture of the romantic falls that suggested to him the poem. When he wrote the poem Mr. Longfellow had never seen the falls, and it was not for several years later that he did see them.

Mr. Hesler was a lover of flowers and of children. He kept many plants in his house during the winter from which to cut flowers to send to his neighbors.

Several years ago Mr. Hesler took a picture of the little daughter of Dr. Jewell. The child was laughing, and the likeness was so lifelike and beautiful that it was copied and recopied in this country and Europe. His book called “Picturesque Evanston” is a collection of artistic views of his own home town.

Mr. Hesler was married in 1849 to Helen E. Dorchester, daughter of Capt. J. Dorchester of Racine. He survived her scarcely a year. He leaves four children: Dr. Fred Hesler, a surgeon in the United States navy, on the Philadelphia, Arthur J. Hesler, a traveling salesman for Reid, Murdoch & Co., Harold R. Hesler of Evanston, and one daughter, Miss Helen.

The Lincoln Portraits by Alexander Hesler

Court House

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