Alexander Hesler

American daguerreotypist, born Canada
American, (1823–1895)
Born in Montréal (Québec, Canada) in 1823; died 5 July 1895 in in Evanston, Illinois. In 1833, Hesler moved to Racine, Wisconsin. In 1847, he learned the daguerreotype process in Buffalo, New York and opened a daguerreotype gallery in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1848, Hesler moved to Galena, Illinois, and continued to make daguerreotypes. In 1851, Hesler daguerreotyped along the Mississippi River, from Galena, Illinois, to Saint Paul, Minnesota, cataloguing inland towns for a guidebook. In 1853, he opened a daguerreotype gallery in Chicago, Illinois. In 1872, Hesler opened a studio in Evanston, Illinois, and produced daguerreotypes until 1895.