Honoring early photography families

Chronicling the history of two family photography businesses in Mt. Pleasant was the challenge last night at the Iowa Wesleyan Chapel, for historian Paul Juhl of Iowa City.

Juhl, a retired school counselor, is an avid photography buff and presented a program entitled, "Photography in Mt. Pleasant: 2 families, 152 years." The subject of his talk, sponsored by the Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House, was on the studios and the photo work of the Leisenring Brothers and the Dyall family in Mt. Pleasant. Juhl is a member of the Harlan-Lincoln House board.

Nearly 50 people who braved the cold temperatures, including members of the Dyall family, specifically Charles and Margorie Dyall and their daughter Hope Dyall-Scarff, the current owner and operator of the studio, attended Juhl's talk.

Juhl commended the Dyall family for having "possibly the oldest, continuous family photography studio in the country." There have been Dyall studios in Mt. Pleasant and Henry County for 115 years.

The Leisenrings and the Dyalls were not the only studios in operation around the county during early settlement days. There were dozens of shutterbugs that came and went, all with varying degrees of photo skill and quality of work.

But, Juhl indicated, few could top the professionalism of the Leisenring Brothers in their heyday, who continually sought to improve their skills and technological knowledge of their craft.

And in testament to her commitment to excellence, Hope Dyall enjoys the accolades of having been named Photographer of the Year by the Professional Photographers of Iowa four times - 1988, 1989, 1996 and 1999. The Professional Photographers of America has honored her as a master photographer.

You can read the entire story in our Jan. 19 issue.