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Photographs of work, 1950-1968

 Series
Identifier: MSS 6140 Series 12

Scope and Contents

This series contains professional photographic works of Eugene Heil which includes topics such as buildings, fashion, artists, and advertising. materials are dated 1950-1968.

Dates

  • 1950-1968

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Photographs: Open for public research. Items kept in cold storage; access requires 24 hours advance notice. Negatives: Open for public research. Items kept in cold storage; access requires 72 hours advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical / Historical

From the Collection:

Eugene Francis Heil (1925-1968) was a photographer in New York.

Gene Heil was born 25 March 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri. He began the study of the violin at eight, and became concertmeister of the St. Louis Philharmonic by sixteen. After high school, he served with the Navy Seabees in the South Pacific (New Guinea and the Philippines) during the Second World War. He was battalion photographer and was later encouraged to cultivate it as a medium in the fine arts.

After two years of military service, he attended the world-famed Parsons School of Design in New York City for three years; he also spent a term at the Parsons Atelier in Paris, which included an extensive tour of the arts of France and Italy. In 1950, he became a protégé of Lady Mendl at Versailles, and later, of Andre Ostier in Paris. He photographed members of the French government and aristocracy for French magazines. Gene photographed mainly fashion and architecture in Europe, Africa, North and South America.

Over the years, he was a photographer for the National Audubon Society, from 1946 to 1949, and for Ostier Associates, from 1949 to 1952; and a Public Relations Officer for the U.S. Army, from 1952 to 1954. He founded Gene Heil Studios (for General Commercial Photography and Interior Design) in 1954, and it remained open until his death.

Gene joined the Church in June 1963 and devoted his artistic talents to the Lord's service, as well as to Cole Porter’s 'Out of This World.' As of May 1967, he was Assistant to the Director of the Research Project on World Music within the School of International Affairs of Columbia University. He was also employed with Aladdin Business Service (seasonal sales of resort brochures, postcards, photography, and commemorative Church books), from 1963 to 1968. He married Lillian Elinor Harmon 10 June 1967. He died in an automobile accident a year later.

Extent

35 boxes ( 17.5 linear ft.)

39 folders (1.95 linear ft.)

8 oversize folder (1.6 linear ft.)

1 oversize box (1.15 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This series is arranged in seven files: 1. Photographs of buildings, 1950-1966. 2. Photographs of product advertising, 1958-1967. 3. Photographs of fashion, 1950-1964. 4. Photographs of portraits, 1950-1968. 5. Photographs of weddings, 1960-1968. 6. Photographs of artists and works, 1954-1967. 7 Candid photographs, 1954-1968.

General

Negatives can be found in Series 13.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States