Jackson Hole 1955
Kodachrome Images by Orson L. Arvin
Orson Arvin married Bettye Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky in the summer of 1955. They headed west for Los Angeles in a brand new red and black 1955 Buick Super Coupe and landed in Hollywood where his first job was with Twentieth Century Fox. Orson first learned of a place called Jackson Hole while chatting on a film set with the actor Chuck Connors who told him: “It’s too hot here — I’m headed to Jackson Hole.” Orson recalled the conversation when he was later offered to join his friend’s construction company building roads in and around Jackson, Wyoming. Agreeing it was “too hot” in Los Angeles — they set out for Jackson Hole and a new life.
They were warmly welcomed into the Jackson Hole community and formed many new friendships. One of the first was with Roy and Becky Chambers who offered them a cabin on their ranch, convenient to Orson’s construction sites and offering beautiful views of the Teton Range from their kitchen window. Among other new friends was Harry Moulton, one of the original builders of the iconic Moulton Barn on the Chambers Ranch, who regularly hosted dinner parties with the Arvins as guests.
Bettye was a registered nurse and found work at the doctor’s office located on Main Street above Jackson Drug. She also served as pianist at the Community Assembly Church. In addition to his construction work, Orson worked on the ski patrol at Snow King Resort in Jackson.
Photography was a passion that Orson Arvin actively pursued while living in Jackson Hole. Clearly, he was inspired by the landscape and environs he encountered. His camera was a Canon rangefinder he purchased in Tokyo, Japan while in Korea on active duty service in the US Army. Without exception his film of choice was Kodachrome, a slide film long since revered for its saturated colors and clarity. Processing was a proprietary service and required mailing the exposed film directly to Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY. It would often take several weeks to receive the mounted slides back from Kodak. The film was discontinued in 2009 due to the complex processing required and replaced with new transparency films that would never duplicate the look of Kodachrome.
Kodachrome had unmatched color rendition and clarity, but required a mastery of camera settings and precise evaluation of light for proper exposure. What is notable about Orson Arvin’s work in these images is not only his composition and timing when clicking the shutter, but also his technical skill in capturing his subjects in extreme lighting, without the benefit of a light meter. The images range in conditions from sunrise to brilliant midday light to sunsets and even long nighttime exposures on a tripod. Beyond the technical, there is an esthetic presence in the images. His work recalls vintage magazine ads of the era, and possesses a level of artistry that feels instinctive, and never forced or contrived.
Orson Arvin began his career as a race car driver and pilot. Following military service he was certified as a metal joiner and went to work as a welder on the Panama Canal locks and later as foreman for a steel company in Northern Africa. After marriage and life in Jackson Hole, he returned to Kentucky to focus on his education and at age 44 was noted as the most senior ever to graduate medical school at the University of Kentucky. He had a private medical practice in rural Kentucky for 25 years, and later returned to Africa in retirement, working in medical missions. In service at the age of 72, he passed away in Kigoma, Tanzania.
