Bill Jeffcoat has been photographing the people and activities of Abilene and Kansas for more than fifty years. He is the third Jeffcoat generation to do so. Lucy Fritz Jeffcoat (1871-1950) was the first member of the family to photographically document the history of Abilene and Dickinson County. Her son Paul H. Jeffcoat (1899-1976) opened a studio in downtown Abilene in 1921 at a location still in existence. Bill (1925- ) started doing odd jobs in the studio for his father in 1938 and continues to “go to the office” every day.

Click photo to enlarge

Landmarks of the Prairie, 1963
Black and white photograph on paper

The storing of wheat made some men very wealthy. When out driving, “elevators” are seen miles and miles away. To emphasize their hugeness, I took this view so that the mass of concert would fill up and dramatize the entire negative.

– Bill Jeffcoat