Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
SHAFFER, James
Shaffer, James. (Dubuque, IA-- ). Photographer. In 1994, Shaffer became the first photographer to win the Elisha Darlin Arts Award from the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society. With more than forty years of experience, Shaffer captured photographic studies ranging from celebrities such as Pope John Paul II, American presidents, and entertainers to black and white photographs of unidentified persons from everyday life in the Midwest.
Beginning his career at the age of eighteen as a darkroom technician for the TELEGRAPH HERALD, Shaffer became a reporter/photographer with the paper. He finally became the photo and feature editor. Increasingly involved with freelance work, he left the paper at the age of thirty-six to further develop his photographic career. Possessing one of the most complete private photographic collections of historic Dubuque, Shaffer showcased many of his photographs in the publication of Dubuque: The Encyclopedia. He teamed with John Tigges in the publication of Dubuque: The 19th Century, Dubuque: The 20th Century,Railroads of Dubuque, and Iowa's Last Narrow-Gauge Railroad.
Widely recognized for his expertise and the quality of his work, Shaffer won national prizes as a picture editor from the National Press Photographers Association and was frequently asked to lecture on photo editing and photography. He served two terms as president of the Iowa Press Photographers Association.