Hillers, John K., 1843-1925
Dates
- Existence: 1843 - 1925
Biographical History
John K. Hillers (1843-1925) was a German American photographer whose work focused on the American West.
John Karl Hillers (Jack Hillers) was born in Hanover, Germany in 1843. After immigrating to the United States, Hillers was hired in 1871 for John Wesley Powell’s survey team exploring the Colorado River area. He was originally hired to be a boatman, but after he became interested in the team photographer’s work, he became an assistant photographer. The next year, he was the expedition’s chief photographer. From the 1870s-1900, Hillers photographed the landscapes and people of the American West, working under Powell as part of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology. He is especially known for his photographs of Native Americans. John died in Washington D.C. in 1925 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Citation:
Getty Museum, via WWW, June 18, 2024 (John K. Hillers; 1843-1925; b. Hanover, Germany; d. Washington D.C.; first hired by John Wesley Powell’s survey team as a boatman; started assisting team’s photographer in 1871 and then became the expedition photographer in 1872; worked as a photographer for Powell under the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology; 1870s-1900, photographed the American West, focusing first on geography and then more especially on Native Americans; worked as a government photographer)FamilySearch, District of Columbia Deaths 1874-1961, via WWW, June 18, 2024 (John K. Hillers; b. Germany, 1843; d. Washington D. C., 1925; buried in Arlington Cemetery; retired photographer)
Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:
John K. Hillers glass transparencies
Collection includes two oversized, framed glass transparencies of photographs taken by John K. Hillers. Images are of Western landscapes. Dated approximately 1870-1919.
John K. Hillers photographs of Utah landscapes
Collection consists of eight images of Utah landscapes taken by John K. Hillers. Dated approximately 1870-1899.
John K. Hillers stereograph
Albumen print stereograph by Hillers of John Wesley Powell with the Ute woman Tau-ruv, taken in the Uinta Valley, Utah around 1874. It is from the "Indians of the Colorado Valley" series entitled "The Mirror Case." It was printed for the U.S. Topographical and Geological Survey of the Colorado River of the West by J.W. Powell and A.H. Thompson.
Mouth of the Narrows (looking down)
Materials include a albumen stereograph taken in 1872 by John K. Hillers and published by J. F. Jarvis. The photograph was taken on the banks of a tributary of the Colorado River during J. W. Powell's expedition in 1872. Another of the photographer's cameras can be seen on the opposite bank.