Photograph
This is a portrait of a circus and vaudevillian performer who went by the name of Chief All O'Fire. It is speculated that he was actually Deaf Bull, a Crow chief active in the 1880s. Deaf Bull's sub name, Good Eye, was attributed to the one good eye he still had after a military prison guard hit him in the other eye with the back end of a rifle. Here he crouches in an action pose with a marked bow and arrow ready. He is wrapped up to the chest in a wool blanket and is adorned with large non-traditional necklaces, a scarf and brooch, and wide silver cuff around his arm.
Two Guns, the last Chief of the Pikuni Blackfoot Indians, was also known as John Two Guns and John White Calf. A widely held belief, by some historians, is that Chief Two Guns was the main model for the Indian Nickel. The Chief headed a secret group known as the “Mad Dog Society” whose purpose was to protect and sustain the Blackfoot Heritage. Chief Two Guns was very outspoken about US policies and the mistreatment of Native Americans.
In this portrait, Hixon has captured the playful youthfulness of Cleo and her friend. The two girls appear to be in a ship's cabin that is decorated with American flag streamers , a poster of soldier on horseback, and other miscellaneous items. Cleo is seated on the bed with her arms resting atop a life-preserver with the words "CLEO - Port of Kansas City" stenciled onto it. Her friend kneels behind her on the bed holding a pennant with the name "CLEO" on it. Both girls are dressed in nautical attire with fancy hats.
In this portrait of Cleo, Hixon depicts her in a seated profile pose. Cleo gazes in the distance with a bemused expression. She is dressed in a nautical outfit and holds a life-preserver with the name "CLEO" printed onto it. Cleo wears her hair up and a slight smile across her girlish face.
This photograph features Cleo Hixon, center, flanked by two friends while playing a game of cards. They appear to be in a casual seating area with a dense accumulation of memorabilia and small American flags strung across the walls. To the right of the gentleman in the photograph is a life preserver labeled "CLEO / PORT OF KANSAS CITY" which appears in a number of Hixon's scene photographs. Each of the figures is formally dressed with Cleo herself in nautical attire, a theme that reoccurs along with the life preserver in Hixon's work featuring her.
This portrait features Cleveland Bronner as a full length solitary figure with arms extended in the act of worshipful reverence. Bronner appears mostly nude with the exception that he wears a full feather headdress, long plumed boa, sparkling beaded arm and leg bands, and sandals. He takes a confident step forward, with his chin tilted up, generating a seductive atmosphere. The background is completely dark, allowing the lighting to accentuate Bronner's pose. The print appears chemically altered to emphasize the ornamentation with which he is adorned.
Clifton Webb's mother, with whom he lived until her death at age 91, transferred her own theatrical ambitions to the son she called "little Webb." He performed in Vaudeville and on Broadway, primarily in musicals, before director Otto Preminger took notice and brought him to Hollywood to appear in the 1944 film noir "Laura." Webb earned an Oscar nomination for best-supporting actor, then two more acting nominations for "The Razor's Edge" (1946) and "Sitting Pretty" (1948). His series of roles as the starchy Mr.
Clifton Webb performed in vaudeville and on Broadway, primarily in musicals, before director Otto Preminger took notice and brought him to Hollywood to appear in the 1944 film noir "Laura". His mother, with whom he lived until her death at age 91, transferred her own theatrical ambitions to the son she called "little Webb." Webb earned an Oscar nomination for best-supporting actor, then two more acting nominations for "The Razor's Edge" (1946) and "Sitting Pretty" (1948). His series of roles as the starchy Mr.
A member of the McCoy side of the long and infamous Hatfield and McCoy feud, Clyde McCoy was nine years old when he moved with his family from Kentucky to Ohio. He picked up the trumpet there and blossomed into a Dixieland Jazz great whose popularity as a performer and band leader spanned seven decades. McCoy pioneered the use of the growling, wah-wah mute featured in his signature 1930 song "Sugar Blues." He was co-founder of Down Beat magazine in 1935. In this portrait, McCoy wears a tuxedo and a serious expression.
This three-quarter length portrait is of a man recognized as Keltner, who was perhaps a member of the Clyde McCoy band. He is pictured here in formal wear with his hands in his pockets and his body turned away from the camera. Keltner turns slightly and addresses the camera with a stern expression. Most of the background is a stark white that gives way to hatched markings, revealing the sepia tone of the actual backdrop. The markings are a result of Hixon's photo manipulations that frame the well-kempt subject in this portrait with crude sketched lines in contrast.
This portrait depicts a member of the Clyde McCoy Band. The orchestra member is dressed in dapper attire wearing a dark tuxedo suit, dark bow tie and white dress shirt with a crisp collar. The figure is positioned to the left of the portrait, capturing him from the midsection upward. The sophistication of the model is accentuated by his quaffed hair and round spectacles. The backdrop alludes to an impressionistic landscape, painted foliage, and sun filtered clouds are suggested in the background.
In this portrait, a gentleman by the name of Rolla looks down at the saxophone in his hands. He was purportedly a member of the Clyde McCoy band and has signed the photograph over the breast of his tuxedo "To Clyde. Sorry I couldn't sell you a house. Rolla". It is unclear what this message means or what it has to do with Hixon and the photograph, but serves as an interesting snapshot in time nonetheless. As the photograph was treated with a dark contrast, the metal of the saxophone seems to pop out of the shot.
Dainty Marie Meeker was a vaudeville star and physical fitness icon in the early 1900s. She was originally from Leavenworth, Kansas, where her father was a guard at the prison. She rose to fame quickly for her multi-talented performances on the Broadway stage. She was cited in a 1913 issue of The Leavenworth Times for an act where she opens singing in a beautiful evening gown then disrobes into a body suit. She then climbs a trapeze on stage, and performs a number of acrobatic stunts.
This portrait features Cleveland Bronner as a full length solitary figure with arms extended in the act of worshipful reverence. Bronner appears mostly nude with the exception that he wears a full feather headdress, long plumed boa, sparkling beaded arm and leg bands, and sandals. He takes a confident step forward, with his chin tilted up, generating a seductive atmosphere. The background is completely dark, allowing the lighting to accentuate Bronner's pose. The print appears chemically altered to emphasize the ornamentation with which he is adorned.
Dorothy Jardon was an American opera singer and actress. She sang soprano in "The Wedding Trip" in 1912 and played the role of Bimoula in the musical comedy "Oh! Oh! Delphine!" in 1913. She is pictured in lavish pose and dress, looking upward while casting one hand with a dramatic flare near her face and the other to her posterior. Both movements have been emphasized by tapered lines extending from her fingers creating the illusion of long fingernails. Her nails, in addition to her overdrawn eyebrows and eyelashes, are embellishments made by Hixon in the developing process.
Dorothy Jardon was an American opera singer and actress. She sang soprano in "The Wedding Trip" in 1912 and played the role of Bimoula in the musical comedy "Oh! Oh! Delphine!" in 1913. She is pictured in lavish pose and dress, looking upward while casting one hand with a dramatic flare near her face and the other to her posterior. Both movements have been emphasized by tapered lines extending from her fingers creating the illusion of long fingernails. Her nails, in addition to her overdrawn eyebrows and eyelashes, are embellishments made by Hixon in the developing process.
Dorothy Knowles was a vaudeville dancer. In this photograph, she stands confidently with her hand on her hip. Her head and bust are wrapped in floral scarves. A concentrated light illuminates this part of her while the rest of the photograph fades into a black background. She looks to the side with a candid expression that when coupled with her confident pose make her appear comfortable in the spotlight.
Chief Eagle Horse was a Native American, purportedly from the Raven Clan of the Thlinket Tribe, hailing from the southeastern area of Alaska. Chief Eagle Horse was most notable for his robust bass voice and became a performer during the vaudevillian era. One of Chief Eagle Horse’s best-known featured performances was in the 1919 musical revue “Hitchy-Koo”. Chief Eagle Horse was such a public figure that during World War I he helped the U.S. Government to recruit for both the Army and Navy.
Eddie Cantor, born Edward Israel Iskowitz, became a show business legend who excelled on stage, in radio, film, television, and in the nightclubs. He also made records and wrote books. Cantor's big expressionistic eyes, unique dialogue delivery, and energetic singing made him a hit in a series of lavish, escapist movie musicals. His weekly radio show, "The Chase and Sanborn Hour", became a mainstay during the 1930s. He received an honorary Academy Award in 1956 for distinguished service to the film industry.
Eddie Rickenbacker was an American Fighter Ace in World War I, a race car driver, airline executive, and Medal of Honor recipient. Of his successes, he had the most victories in aerial combat in WWI and also raced in the Indy 500 three times setting a record of 134 miles per hour. On a secret mission in World War II, the B17 that Rickenbacker and a crew of men were in was shot down over the Pacific Ocean. The team was adrift at sea for over twenty days and Rickenbacker was one of the few survivors.