Photos & Glass Negatives

Who Ard G. Emery was• Ard G. Emery was a 19th-century photographer. Everand+2WikiTree+2

He was born June 19, 1833 in Orono, Penobscot County, Maine. Everand+1

He died April 20, 1923. Everand+1

📸 His Work in Iosco County• In 1892, he established a photography studio and gallery in what was then a thriving community in East Tawas, Michigan (in Iosco County), on the Sunrise Side of Lake Huron. Everand+2Arcadia Publishing+2

For about 12 years (from 1892 until 1904), Emery operated that studio, documenting people and life in the county. Everand+1

He produced a large body of work: collodion glass negatives that captured portraits, everyday life, and the region’s working class and families. Everand+1

🏛 Legacy & Preservation• After Emery closed his East Tawas studio in 1904, many of his glass negatives survived. Everand+1

These negatives eventually were entrusted to the Iosco County Historical Society / museum (via various hands over time). Everand+1

In 2015, a book titled Iosco County: The Photography of Ard G. Emery 1892‑1904 was published (by the Huron Shores Genealogical Society) — collecting many of his photographs and stories from that era. Arcadia Publishing+1

🌄 Why He Matters to Iosco County• His photographs offer a visual record of Iosco County’s people and community more than a century ago — everyday life, families, workers, children, townspeople. Everand+1

Because much of his work has survived (archived glass negatives, digitized images), he provides a unique window into the cultural and social history of the region. Everand+1

For historians, genealogists, and local residents — his work helps preserve the identity and memory of Iosco County’s past.

Are you looking for someone in our vast negative collection? Family, friends or a general inquiry? We have over 4,000 of AG Emery's photographs. Fill out the inquiry below. If we have someone that you are looking for we would ask a small donation of $10.00 to be made to the Iosco County Society.