Orval Hixon

Nance O'Neil was called the American Bernhardt, playing significant roles such as Lady Macbeth and Camille. She moved from theatre to silent film in 1915 after signing with William Fox. She was overshadowed by Fox's other star Theda Bara and returned to the theater in 1918. Nance came back to talking films around 192...

Nan Halperin appeared on the vaudeville stage at the age of fifteen performing impersonations and comedic musical numbers. Over the course of her career, she became known as America’s “Famous Satirist” for her impersonations of the life stages of ordinary American women as well as the "Wonder Girl" because of how fast...

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 W...

George Beban was born in California in the year 1873. Beban was an actor, writer, director, producer, and editor of over thirty films through 1910 to the 1920s. Beban had been a minstrel performer with the legendary team of Weber & Fields. Beban personal success was achieved producing and co-writing the play "The Si...

Originally born in Stockholm, Sweden, Jan Rubini was an actor, concert violinist, and composer. He was known for Clancy Street Boys (1943), Bal Tabarin (1952) and Jan Rubini and Orchestra (1937). Hixon manipulated the background of this portrait with sweeping brushstrokes that fade into solid white along the left-hand...

Emil Chaquette was a violinist and leader of a 'society orchestra' in the early 1900s. Chaquette and well-known pianist Eddie Kuhn joined forces to create the seven-piece Kuhn-Chaquette Orchestra in 1918. Loren McMurray, a star saxophonist in the scene, joined them and their individual fame set the young group up for s...

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 h...

Sammy Baird was a local KC dance instructor and vaudeville performer. This picture captures a profile view of Baird in a dancer's pose, effortlessly balanced on a single pointed toe with the other leg bent and lifted. She repeats the motion with her arms, holding a leveled hand to her front and back to conclude her ove...

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, wi...

Orval Hixon was a Kansas City photographer whose artistic abilities out rivaled those of his contemporaries. Hixon was a master of his craft, summoning all his skill set to produce works capturing his subjects in profound poses. Hixon from an early onset pursued an interest in the arts. After learning he was color bli...