Photograph Collections

Photograph Collection Indexes & Online Resources

Musser Public Library is home to several local photographic collections. These include both historical negatives of the area as well as images by local-area professional photographers who have donated their negatives to the library.

Of particular interest is the Oscar Grossheim Collection, which consists of over 50,000 glass plate negatives taken from approximately the late 1890’s to the early 1940’s and include stunning portraits of local citizens as well as critically important local scenes. Over 6,000 images from the Grossheim Collection have been digitally archived and uploaded to the Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive, where they can be viewed.

To request prints from this collection, please see the information below.

Requesting a Photograph

As a service to the public*, the Reference Staff provides access to high quality, photographic images in print, for a reasonable fee:

5×7 or smaller: $8.00
8×10: $12.00
11×14: $22.00
16×20: $35.00
Panoramic: $(inquire)

Postage & Handling Charges: TBD depending on order size

All orders must be placed through Musser Public Library.

We will retrieve up to 10 images for viewing purposes prior to printing. Due to limited staff time, the library cannot scan negatives and email thumbnails for viewing purposes. We do not scan/print private negative/photo collections nor do we allow patrons to handle or scan the library’s negatives.

* For any requests other than personal, private use including commercial inquiries, please contact the library for further information at refmus@muscatineiowa.gov or 563-263-3065 ext. 111

Photograph Collections

The following list reflects those collections owned by the library either through donation or purchase. The library reserves all rights to the photographs contained within and special permission must be granted in order to reprint any of these images for commercial purposes. For more information regarding permissions please contact the Reference Desk at 563-263-3065 x.111. or refmus@muscatineiowa.gov.

Current Collections:

We are in the process of uploading the indexes to these collections so that they will be viewable online. These indexes are available via the library website and through the Muscatine County IAGenWeb site.

The indexes represent the direct transcriptions from the photographers’ log books and therefore are not 100% accurate. It is also important to note that while an image may be listed in the index it does not necessarily mean that the library is in possession of said negative. Often times, negatives go missing through the years or are damaged beyond repair.

To request an image or images from any of these collections, please stop by the Reference Desk or contact them via phone or email at 563-263-3065 x.111 & refmus@muscatineiowa.gov.