John Laux (1901-1985) was born on the far north side of Chicago in 1901.  He received his B.A. from Holy Cross College, a small liberal arts school in Worcester, Massachusetts, and later obtained his law degree from Northwestern University.   Eventually, he chose a career in real estate law and taught several courses in this subject at Northwestern University Law School. Around 1940 he married Eleanor Getzendanner, a talented equestrian from Nebraska. 

A man, who was as much in love with his wife as she was with her horses, purchased a small farm just South of Chicago. It is on this farm that they trained a former racehorse, which had gone blind, named “Elmer Gantry,” to jump hurdles--a story that was later made into the movie “Pride of the Bluegrass.”   The time frame and reasons for John's  love of photography are unknown, but they appear to have developed in the early 20’s all the way through the 50’s with the photographing of these horses. This “hobbyist” gathered a collection of cameras and negatives more extensive than many professional photographers' during that time period. (About 30 cameras were found including Nikkromat, Leica, Rolleiflex, Mamiya, Robot Royal and many more.)

This timeless project allows people today to view a glimpse of what one man saw through his extensive travels in the Southwestern United States, Mexico and Guatemala during a time when images were an advancement of truth and knowledge.   Through these images, John Laux is able to share his visions long after he has left us.