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A Conversation with Bill Suttles — Puerto Rico, 1951

Aug 17 2026 | By: Todd Suttles

Bill Suttles at age 21 in Puerto Rico in 1951 alongside Bill at age 96 reviewing his original photographs.

I

n 1951, 21-year-old Bill Suttles was serving in Puerto Rico with a camera.

Seventy-five years later, Bill sits down with a group of his original black-and-white photographs and recalls the people, places, and experiences behind them.

During this eight-minute conversation, Bill remembers photographing fishermen along the coast, flying aboard a PBY Catalina, and being positioned in the aircraft's side blister to photograph a Marine transport helicopter in flight. An image of fishermen also brings Ernest Hemingway and The Old Man and the Sea into the conversation.

Run time: 8 minutes

The photographs shown here are Bill's original images from c. 1951 and are preserved as part of the Suttles Arts archive.

These recorded conversations are part of an ongoing effort to document Bill Suttles's life and more than seventy years as a working American artist. By revisiting his paintings, photographs, documents, and other surviving material with Bill himself, we are preserving the identifications, memories, stories, and artistic knowledge that exist beyond the objects themselves.

Explore the Suttles Arts YouTube Channel:
Suttles Arts | Bill Suttles Art Estate & Legacy

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From the Archive

SA2340 - First lot (27) Original printed photographs

Studio Notes
Original photographs made and printed by Bill Sutlles while serving in the US Airforce, Puerto Rico, c.1951.

View the Studio Archive

Preserving and celebrating the creative continuum of Bill, Pat, and Todd Suttles — a living archive connecting generations through art, story, and digital preservation. 

• Collector Note: If you own this piece, I would love to record it in the Suttles Arts Archive. Please feel free to message me.

Suttles Arts | Bill Suttles Art Estate & Legacy  visit www.BillSuttles.com to explore more.

Legacy & Estate 30 % Off through 2025 — an invitation for collectors to participate in preserving the Suttles Arts Estate while supporting the ongoing creative continuum.

 

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