Andreas L. Dahl photographs and books, 1872-1880

Andreas Larsen Dahl was born in Skrautvall, Valdres, Norway. Dahl emigrated in 1869, joining an older brother in DeForest, Dane County, Wisconsin. From 1873 until his ordination in 1883 he worked as a traveling photographer in southern Wisconsin and in Iowa, providing an invaluable picture of life at that time.

Dahl made more than 1,200 images of people, towns, and landscapes primarily in Dane County. His photographs illustrate the development of Dane County and the growth of many of its towns and villages including Madison, Mazomanie, and Middleton, as well as rural farm life in the county. Dahl also photographed families, including many Norwegian, Swedish, and other immigrants, in front of their homes and farms, often with their most prized possessions. The negatives are held at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.