Saturday Postcard 189: Retrieving Little Dutch Hall

An old Press-Citizen newspaper clipping of an Irving Weber article published more than a quarter century ago
provides a test of retrieval of an old image from a difficult source. The paper has aged to a dark golden yellow,
ink bleed-through is evident in the light sky background and the clipping is imbedded in a protective plastic lamination.

A trimmed, lightened, brightened and higher contrast image results from several tricks using an Adobe Photoshop program on a home 
computer. Note the ink bleed-through still shows in the sky, trees block the sign and obscure the shape of the building.
The 1977 clipping is from the private collection of Iowa City native Carol Chopek Seydel.

Other tricks remove obscuring tree trunks and foliage, recreate hidden signage and building front and make unwanted ink vanish. 
Enhancements create an even brighter, clearer image. With a hundred hours of experience, it takes perhaps 20 minutes
to produce an image that is a lie; but, does its improved comprehension mitigate that? 

Other tricks remove obscuring tree trunks and foliage, recreate hidden signage and building front and make unwanted ink vanish. 
Enhancements create an even brighter, clearer image. With a hundred hours of experience, it takes perhaps 20 minutes
to produce an image that is a lie; but, does its improved comprehension mitigate that? 

By Bob Hibbs

An Iowa City image from about 1914 can be rehabilitated to visual acumen by modern computer technology, several dozen hours of experience, and about 20 minutes of digital wizardry. 

The case in point surfaced recently after a phone call from Iowa City native Carol Chopek Seydel recalling her family’s connection to the dome at Old Capitol.  

Her son, Lyle Jr., recently pulled the rope guiding the new golden dome into place atop Old Cap, marking continuation of a multi-generational odyssey dating to Lyle’s three-greats grandfather Michael Seydel who helped build Old Capitol during the 1840s.

On Carol’s side of the house, Lyle’s grandfather Lee Chopek worked the metal recovering in 1927.  

In the process of writing the story of Carol’s family connection to Old Capitol for the Press-Citizen in 1977, the late historian Irving Weber chose an accompanying image featuring Little Dutch Hall which was located on the north bank of 
the Iowa River across from City Park. It was a popular late 19^th and early 20^th century party spot usually approached byboat, although it also was accessible from a dusty trail now called Taft Speedway.

Weber explains that the Chopek family owned a cabin next door to the hall site for several decades, a cabin previously owned by several generations of the Hanlon and Englert families.  A 2001 book published by the Press-Citizen which was esearched and written by this reporter carries an image of Carol’s parents on the dock at the cabin. The family still spends considerable time at the site.

During conversation in her home, Carol recently produced a precious roll of lamination which contained a copy of the 1977 article. Since it was not reprinted in any of the eight volumes of Weber columns, it provided interesting reading. It also presented a challenge of what might be done with its faded images.

As a retirement gift to himself, this reporter purchased a home computer system several years ago which included, 
among others, a program called Adobe Photoshop. Slowly since then, a self-teaching process has been ongoing. The results, produced without damage to Carol’s original, are presented with this article.

But, alas, retrieving Little Dutch Hall from the Iowa River is impossible.  It was washed away by floodwaters in June 1918, hung up on a snag in the river and was pulled apart by the onrushing waters.

Computer manipulation can only do so much.

P.S. This reporter will conduct a four-part seminar on local history during the first four Fridays in May. Each will be a two-hour session beginning at 3 p.m. with a 10-minute mid-session break. They will feature images which speak to the title: “A Hundred Good Stories: Vignettes Which Make Iowa City History Come Alive.”

The April 25 registration deadline approaches and class size is limited. Fee is $30. For other details or a brochure call Jan Rigotti at 335-3245. Registration is open to anyone interested, and sponsored by the UI Retirees’ and the Emeritus Faculty associations with support from the UI Alumni Association.  

Although it’s part of what’s called Senior Collage, no one discriminates based on age; young people have been known 
to attend the offerings. And, the only test will be of the instructor’s memory, and he uses notes.

Sessions will occur in the Van Allen Hall auditorium which is best approached from the south across Iowa Avenue from Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery a block north of the Senior Center. Parking is available in the Tower Place ramp; and, believe it or not, often along Iowa Avenue on Friday afternoons.

According to advance puffery, “this review of Iowa City’s history will be crisp, fun and informative.

Next Saturday: There was no county jail!