JOHN WAYNE'S GUN AND HOLSTER, 1966

 

John Ralph Hamilton was an American photographer considered among the most prolific of the 20th century for his intimate portraits and sweeping landscapes that capture the gritty glamour of celebrity life, filmmaking, and the Western Frontier. A child of the Depression, Hamilton captured the allure of the American Dream, and his images serve as a lens through which to view timeless American themes: a love of celebrity and the freedom of the American West. 

 

His first movie was The Searchers, a classic 1956 film starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. The film catapulted Hamilton’s career as a cinema lensman and served as the catalyst for an enduring partnership between Hamilton, Ford and Wayne.

 

Over the next 30 years, Hamilton chronicled some 77 movies (many of them Westerns), photographed 300 magazine covers, and shot hundreds of commercials. While he worked across all genres, Hamilton became known as "Remington with a camera" for his iconic Western photography. The long list of leading men and women, musical legends, distinguished film directors, and household names Hamilton photographed reads like a “Who’s Who” of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

 

Hamilton worked until his death in 1997 at the age of 74.