British photographer Jane Hilton has harnessed her European fascination with the American West in a new series of photographs, a selection of which are currently on view at Schilt Publishing Gallery. The exhibition focuses on two particular series: Dead Eagle Trail, which portrays cowboys in the intimacy of their interiors, and Precious, which featured sex workers from legal brothels in Nevada.
“I hadn’t even thought about prostitution until I walked into a brothel,” the artist states on her website. “I was probably very naive, which actually in retrospect did me a favor. I am by nature very non-judgmental, and feel it is very important to have experience of a subject matter before making any points of view about it.”
“I know there are some incredible women hidden in these brothels,” she continues. “And I wanted to show this.” Hilton has produced ten documentary films on the subject.
Jane Hilton, Dead Eagle Trail
Courtesy the artist
Dead Eagle Trail pictures cowboys in the states of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Threatened by the depletion of ranch lands by developers and a waning interest in livestock, these individuals cling to the cowboy lifestyle as a crucial part of their identity. This is put in sharp relief by the setting of these images: rather than picturing her subjects on horses or against the magnificent Western landscape, Hilton has chosen to shoot them in their homes and bedrooms, as if tapping into the very core of their being.