The ceremony was hosted by the Karl L. King Archives. About 25 people attended.

King, born in 1891, is one of Fort Dodge’s best-known citizens. He was a composer and band leader.

The first image features King at the age of 4, while he still lived in Ohio.

According to Nancy Olson, a Karl King Archives volunteer, that portrait had to be digitally restored.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Paul Hochmutch, of the Karl King Archives, presents information about Karl L. King during an unveiling of King’s portraits at the Fort Dodge Public Library Friday afternoon.

The photographer remains unknown.

The second image of King dates from the 1920s. It’s oil and ink on canvas. The portrait shows King after he came to Fort Dodge to conduct the Fort Dodge Municipal Band.

The third image, from the 1940s, is an oil painting. It was painted by Carl L. Sigmund (1895-1949). Sigmund was a church decorator and church interior designer who did work in Fort Dodge and elsewhere in Iowa.

The final image dates from 1966. It’s a photograph that’s hand-colored with thinned oil paints and ink. It was done by Kay Isaacson (1920-2004). She taught photographic painting and had a studio in Algona. She was later employed by Baldwin Studio in Fort Dodge.

King died in 1971.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Susan Garro, of Pomeroy, reads information about a Karl L. King painting during the unveiling of four portraits of the famous Fort Dodge composer Friday afternoon at the Fort Dodge Public Library.

To restore each of the portraits, Olson sought out the advice of conservator Barry Bauman in Chicago.

The actual restoration work was done by several individuals. The 1966 and the 1920s images were restored by Julian Baumgartner at Fine Art Restoration in Chicago. The 1940s oil painting was restored by Bauman, and the digital restoration of the 4-year-old picture was done by Seaborg in Chicago.

Each image is representative of different stages in King’s life and career.

The 1920, 1940 and 1966 images were done by Fort Dodge artists, according to Olson.

The images will remain preserved with the Karl L. King Archives.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Paul Hochmutch, of the Karl King Archives, describes a painting of Karl L. King during an unveiling of restored portraits at the Fort Dodge Public Library Friday afternoon. Nancy Olson, of the Karl King Archives, looks on.

Funding for the restoration was through the Karl L. King Archives.