New photography by Pat Cagney captured with a digital camera-2005.

The Norfolk and Western Railway Crossing at Cave Street, Luray, Virginia

Artist O. Winston Link (American, 1914-2001)

CultureAmerican

Date1956

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 19 7/16 × 15 9/16 in. (49.4 × 39.5 cm)
Overall, Support: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Overall, Mat: 28 1/2 × 24 in. (72.4 × 61 cm)

InscribedSigned and dated by the artist in pencil on the verso of the print. Artist's Studio stamp on the verso of the print.

Credit LineGift of Susan and David Goode

Object number2021.50.20

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is a gelatin silver print.

Label TextTHE NORFOLK AND WESTERN RAILWAY CROSSING AT CAVE STREET Luray, Virginia, 1956 L2004.11.20 Few people driving on this modest street in Luray, Virginia, would have taken any notice of the point where the road crossed the tracks of the N&W's Shenandoah Division. What interested Winston Link about the spot was the combination of objects he found there. These included the crossing gates and lights, the crossing watchman's shanty mounted high up on a steel column and the strong shapes of the warehouse buildings in the background. These were all objects that had the sort of industrial geometry that Link liked to photograph. He set up his camera so that when the crossing gate was down, it acted like a giant finger pointing directly at the oncoming locomotive, creating a scene with a powerful sense of deep space. Link loved strong foreground objects pointing the way towards a scene in the background-and all of it in perfect focus. Here, second 51 southbound, a merchandise freight pulled by Class Y6 locomotive 2120, is about to pass the camera at 3 AM. Edited By: DS Approved By: MHM Approval Date: 07/25/2005Exhibition History"Norfolk and Western Railway Photographs by O. Winston Link," Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., July 1 - December 31, 2005. "Norfolk and Western Railroad Photographs by O. Winston Link," Kaufman Theatre Lobby, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA., March 4, 2009 - October 18, 2009.