Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society

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Home > Historical Tidbits > People > 1880’s – Photographer H.H. Cole

1880’s – Photographer H.H. Cole

Henry H. ("H.H.") Cole
Pioneer Photographer

Photo of HH Cole
Henry H. ("H. H.") Cole

Henry H. ("H.H.") Cole first established his photography business in Pekin in 1879.

He photographed Abraham Lincoln at Peoria during Lincoln's campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1858 (Lincoln lost to Stephen A. Douglas).

Cole was a well-known Tazewell County photographer, having studios in Pekin & Delavan.  Over the years, he has become recognized as an early pioneer in the photographic art form.

Photo of Abraham Lincoln 1858
Abraham Lincoln 1858

Mr. Cole created a historical picture gallery of notable Tazewell County residents—displayed at one time on the hallway walls of the Tazewell County Courthouse.   Many of these photographs are of early Tazewell County settlers.  They had been stored in the basement of the courthouse for many years.

Our archivists were given access to over 1500 of the 5"x7" photos that had been stored in the basement of the Tazewell County Courthouse for decades.  The photographs were scanned digitally (lossless tiff format, 200 dpi).

Many hundred hours of work by our volunteers went into this project.  We are fortunate that we have been able to preserve these important images— we have heard about for years—but very few ever had access to them.

Here's some samples of the photographs (size reduced to fit available space):

 

John Herget Notable Man Photo
John Herget
Teis Smith Nobable Man Photo
Teis Smith
John Hinners Notable Man Photo
John Hinners

Check our list to see if your ancestor is in our Notable Men Photo Collection!

Although Mr. Cole is most remembered for his many historical photographs of Tazewell County buildings and prominent businessmen, farmers, and politicians, he also took thousands of simple family photos like the ones displayed below.

August 2020 Mystery Photo of young girl.
Jacob & Elizabeth Fischer Wedding Photograph
July 2020 Mystery Photo
August 2020 Mystery Photo of young boy.

If you have a Tazewell County related
article, photo, letter, or document you'd like to share,
here's how to make a submission.

If you have questions or comments, please contact us.

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