John K. Hillers (American, 1843–1925)

b. 1843 — d. 1925

John K. Hillers American, b. Germany, 1843-1925 John Hillers (born in Hanover) was hired as a oarsman on John Wesley Powell's exploratory survey of the Colorado River in 1871. Learning photography from the expedition's photographer, James Fennemore, Hillers took over the position when Fennemore left the expedition in 1872 due to ill health. He is best known for his ethnographic images made in the Southwest, especially his portraits of Native Americans. His landscapes and views of native architecture also are respected for their artistic value, and he produced hand-colored glass transparencies as well. Like Powell, Hillers was later employed by the Bureau of Ethnology and the United States Geological Survey, which he continued to work for until a few years before his death. T.W.F.