Gesell began his photographic career in Reads Landing, Minnesota, in 1873, but later moved
across the Mississippi River to Alma, where in 1876 he set up his studio and gallery. There
he remained until his death, photographing daily life in and around Alma and Fountain City,
while developing a reputation for taking fine portraits of the townsfolk and members of his
fellow German immigrant community. Gesell also spent much of his time photographing the
activities of his five children. Some 245 original glass plate negatives and innumerable
photoprints trace the development of this German-American family, including Gesell's
illustrious son Arnold (1880-1961), director of the Clinic of Child Development at Yale
University.
