Orval Hixon
Otto Kruger, grand-nephew of former South African President Paul Kruger, first took the Broadway stage at age fifteen and by the 1920s was a Broadway star. The Ohio native turned to the big screen becoming a prolific and popular character actor who often portrayed the villain or a charming, but corrupt businessman. He appeared in 80 feature films, including the Alfred Hitchcock-directed "Saboteur" in 1942, "High Noon" in 1952, and "Magnificent Obsession" in 1954. He also guest starred on CBS' "Perry Mason" and other television series.
The photograph depicted here is of Pauline Frederick. Pauline Beatrice Libby took “Frederick” as her stage name and later as her legal surname after being disinherited by her father who disapproved of her pursuit of acting. Frederick was an accomplished stage actress, but began acting in silent films when she was 32 and successfully made the transition to talking pictures.
Pearl Harper was a chorus girl and vaudeville actress. She was known for her telephone performance skit under the production of Starr Piano Company. The clever use of a telephone recording along with audio from a record player introduced multi-media sound to the stage. In this three-quarter length portrait, Harper strikes a bold pose with hands on hips and shoulders thrown back with a no-nonsense expression. She wears a jeweled top, a long string of pearls, and a black satin hat whose slack brim umbrellas her figure.
Pearl Magley, and her husband Guy Magley were a popular vaudevillian dance duo that toured both nationally and internationally. One of their better known dance routines, titled “Dance Stories”, was popular during 1921. This publicized act featured other dance troupes such as the La Rouge Sisters and Seven Eleven. This print captures Magley in an erect pose with her feet positioned to the right, her torso is turned toward the front with arms held aloft. Her hands are pointed downward in a gesture that appears to be the beginning of a dance.
Phyllis Neilson-Terry was an English actress. She made her first stage appearance in "Henry of Navarre" (1909) and played leading roles in other Shakspearean plays. She took the title role in "Trilby" (1915) in New York for which she was very successful. Much of this photograph is obscured, emphasizing her face which turns toward the camera, yet her gaze extends past the frame. A light dramatically illuminates her face and casts a long shadow into the center of the frame.
Rita Gould was a Hollywood actress born in the Kherson Governorate of Russia. She was known for her roles in "Girls' Dormitory" (1936), "He Couldn't Say No" (1938) and "Kiss and Make-Up" (1934). In this portrait, Hixon captures Gould in an elegant pose, turning her cheek to the camera with one index finger resting on her chin that suggests the motion. Her hair is slicked back and out of view, her eyebrows are sharp, and she is well-adorned in multiple strings of pearls, a jewel ring, and numerous studded bangles.
Born in New Orleans and the son of a producer and stage manager, Robert Edeson spent nearly 30 years on Broadway and became one of the first stage performers to embrace film and move to Hollywood. The beloved character actor first appeared in a series of silent shorts in 1912 and 1913 and went on to forge an association with the famed director Cecil B. DeMille. Among their films were 1923's "The Ten Commandments", 1925's "Volga Boatman", and 1927's "King of Kings". In this portrait, Edeson appears unaware of the camera as he looks pointedly to his right with a grave expression.
Rose Herbert was a vaudeville actress known for her roles in "Lucky in Love" (1928) and "Hollywood Bound" (1928). Rose's maiden name was Epstein before she married Hugh Herbert, a fellow vaudeville performer. Rose Herbert had another industry alias, Anita Pam. Pam was featured in "Lucky in Love" alongside Rose Epstein, creating the illusion that there were two actresses when in fact they were both Rose Herbert playing two different roles. In this photograph, one hand holds a burlesque feather fan in front of her body while another reaches up to caress a wooden parrot.
For the daughter of a doctor and an inventor, born on a modest New Jersey farm to grow up to reach for and attain literal and figurative heights of the glamorous life of a reknowned dancer. As a dancer, Ruth St. Denis would grow up to co-found the American Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts as well as instruct several promising students who themselves would develop into notable performers. In this portrait, St. Denis poses in a contrapposto stance with her arms crossed above her head. Her chin is slightly raised and her eyes are closed.
Photographed by Orval Hixon in a period of America's history when cultural appropriation was not a concern, this portrait of Ruth St. Denis in costume certainly presents opportunities for deeper conversations around unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, and ideas of one people or society by members of another. It is apparent to the viewer that while St. Denis styled her hair in a timeless fashion, she also wears a low crown of flowers at the back of her hair reminiscent of a Japanese bridal Kushi Kanzashi set. Additionally, St.
Sammy Baird was a local KC dance instructor and vaudeville performer. This picture captures a profile view of Baird in a dancer's pose, effortlessly balanced on a single pointed toe with the other leg bent and lifted. She repeats the motion with her arms, holding a leveled hand to her front and back to conclude her overall balance. She looks down at a point before her with a calm, concentrated expression, although a bright swatch of light erupts in that space that resembles a burning fire.
Sammy Baird was a local Kansas City dance instructor and vaudeville performer. This picture captures a profile view of Baird in a dramatic dancer's pose, effortlessly balanced on a single pointed toe with the other leg bent and the knee and lifted. She repeats the pose with her arms, holding her left arm raised in the air above her while her right arm grazes her right calf to conclude her overall balance. As if being held in a dip by an unseen dance partner, she looks behind her with her chin pointed skyward.
James A. Reed was a political ally of Thomas Pendergast and served as a Kansas City mayor, senator, and presidential candidate. Reed arrived in Kansas City in 1887 and began a law practice. In 1896 Reed was appointed county counselor and in 1898 was elected prosecuting attorney for Jackson County. He caught the eye of the Pendergast brothers, Jim and Tom, and in 1900 Reed received the Democratic nomination for mayor and won the election. His election as mayor marked the rise of alderman Jim Pendergast as a political force in Kansas City. Reed served as mayor from 1900 to 1903.
When a punctured eardrum ended Japanese born Sessue Hayakawa's original dream of a naval career, he enrolled at the University of Chicago to study banking. During a 1914 trip to Los Angeles, Hayakawa was lured into acting and went on to become one of the great film idols of the early motion picture era, rivaling Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin in popularity. Hayakawa is best remembered today for his portrayal of the brutal Colonel Saito in the 1957 British film "The Bridge on the River Kwai," for which he received an Oscar nomination at age 68.
When a punctured eardrum ended Japanese born Sessue Hayakawa's original dream of a naval career, he enrolled at the University of Chicago to study banking. During a 1914 trip to Los Angeles, Hayakawa was lured into acting and went on to become one of the great film idols of the early motion picture era, rivaling Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin in popularity. Hayakawa is best remembered today for his portrayal of the brutal Colonel Saito in the 1957 British film "The Bridge on the River Kwai," for which he received an Oscar nomination at age 68.
Originally from a poor background in Scotland, Harry Lauder rose in the entertainment world to become a star of British Music Hall, American Vaudeville, Australian Variety, records, radio, and films. His act was a blend of storytelling and sly humor with sentimental ballads like “I Love a Lassie,” “Roamin’ in the Gloamin’,” and “The End of the Road,” and comic songs such as “Stop Yer Tickling, Jock”. He was Knighted for his support of the war effort during WWI. He and his wife are pictured here in affluent dress with Sir Lauder in the traditional Scottish kilt and tam.
Taylor Holmes began his career in Vaudeville and made his Broadway debut in 1900 in the controversial play "Sapho." The production was briefly closed on the grounds of "indecency" for suggesting two unmarried characters were ascending a staircase to an unseen bedroom. Holmes appeared in more than 100 stage productions, but is probably best remembered for his many film performances. He played Marilyn Monroe's potential father-in-law in 1953's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and voiced King Stefan in Disney's animated film "Sleeping Beauty" in 1959.
The Duncan Sisters were American actresses and motion picture figures of the 1920s. They were 12 and 14 when they entered vaudeville in 1914. They performed, as the Duncan Sisters, and were noted for their radio personas, “Topsy and Eva”. Later Rosetta and Vivian would find greater success, as a stage duo, with the act “Topsy and Eva”. Rosetta played the part of Topsy. In a contemporary context, this character is viewed as an insensitive role, as the persona was portrayed in blackface. Her older sister Vivian played the more subdued and innocent Eva.
Orval used his creative skills and abilities to create this “Flying Alcova” horizontal image. In his studio, he photographed her laying in position on a table. Later in the darkroom, he then removed the table from his 11x14 glass negative by dissolving the image using potassium ferricyanide. He then covered parts of the negative with lampblack and etched and painted additional details on the glass negative. Hixon's efforts greatly add to the perception of movement and sublimity. In this position, Alcova's bent right arm is raised above her head.
Before they endeared themselves to film audiences in "The Wizard of Oz," the Singer Midgets were stars on Broadway. Organized and managed by Viennese-born Leo Singer, all were from Austria or Hungary. The troupe averaged about 20 members, although many more were added along with a number of young girls aged 7-9 for the making of the class "Oz" in 1939. The Singer Midgets disbanded in the mid-1940s, though some including Billy Curtis and Jerry Maren enjoyed extended Hollywood careers.