Ringling Bros. Horses--Kenneth Heilbron 1945

Photographer Kenneth Heilbron, born 1903 in Chicago, died 1997 in Galena, IL. His family apprenticed him to a Parisian milliner in 1926, but it was the Paris of Hemingway, Picasso and Josephine Baker, an exciting time for American expatriates. Heilbron quickly switched to photography, perfecting his art until 1932, when he returned home to Chicago. There, he taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, authored a textbook that’s still being used today and worked for Time, Life, Fortune and Marshall Fields. His studio on North State Parkway was in what later became the Playboy Mansion, when he moved to Old Town. Although he had studio assistants, Heilbron did all his own printing. His series include: circus, cats, fashion, advertising, portraits, nature, Paris and Chicago. He retired to Galena in 1985. His estate was left to The Art Institute of Chicago