JACK DEOjack_deo

History and photography were always a part of Jack Deo’s life growing up in Dearborn, Michigan. Deo’s mother collected antiques, and the Henry Ford Museum was in his neighborhood. Deo’s next door neighbor was the Tintype Photographer in the Village. In high school, Deo enrolled in his first photography class, and he continued to take classes through college.

In 1973, Deo moved to Marquette to attend Northern Michigan University. This was the first time Jack saw Lake Superior. He was hooked. Deo spent the next 40 years trying to capture the beauty and intensity of Lake Superior on film.

In 1978, the Childs Art Gallery was selling the cameras and negatives from their 110 years in the photography business. From his experience at Greenfield Village, Deo knew this collection was something to preserve. Deo acquired the equipment and negatives of the greatest photographer on Lake Superior, Brainard F. Childs. After 40 years of collecting, Deo now owns the largest, private negatives collection in Michigan.