Dead eagle trail

Over the last twenty years photographer and filmmaker Jane Hilton has documented many different facets of American Culture, from legalized prostitution to the marriage culture of Las Vegas, resulting in a series of exhibitions, publications and a ten-part documentary series for the BBC, The Brothel/Love For Sale.
Growing up in suburban England, in contrast to the wide-open spaces of America, and spending Sunday afternoons watching Westerns with her dad, has contributed to Hilton's affection for the Wild West. Dead Eagle Trail is a celebration of the west, from the buckaroos of Nevada to the cowpunchers of Arizona. Hilton has photographed cowboys in their own homes, surrounded by western artefacts, revealing their obsession with the lifestyle. Not only is their need to hold onto their heritage clearly visible, but in less familiar territory their softer, possibly more feminine side is also exposed. As the price of petrol and animal feed rises, the ranches struggle to survive and the lifestyle of the cowboy of the twenty-first century is threatened.
Jane Hilton lives in London. Her work is regularly published in the Saturday Telegraph Magazine and the Sunday Times Magazine.