Artwork Page for Bear Lake, LVRR

Details / Information for Bear Lake, LVRR

Series Title: Lehigh Valley Railroad

Bear Lake, LVRR

c. 1898–99

William H. Rau

(American, 1855–1920)
Culture
America
Medium
albumen print from gelatin dry plate negative
Measurements
Image: 43.5 x 51.9 cm (17 1/8 x 20 7/16 in.); Paper: 45.3 x 53.7 cm (17 13/16 x 21 1/8 in.); Matted: 55.9 x 66 cm (22 x 26 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1988.88
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

A distinguished commercial and documentary landscape photographer in Philadelphia, William H. Rau was commissioned in the 1890s by the Lehigh Valley Railroad to execute a series of scenic views along a new line. Realizing photography's advertising potential, the railroad company employed Rau to select picturesque subjects that might be seen while traveling by rail. Contact-printed from a mammoth plate negative, the landscape's shapes, textures, and tonal ranges are richly detailed.
A horizontally oriented albumen print in muted sepia tones depicts a still lake framed by overhanging branches on the left and a dense forest rising along the right. Across the glassy water, a small building with a tiered roof sits on the far shore. In the lower right foreground, low plants grow along a pale ledge. The composition captures the quiet symmetry of mirrored trees and structures against a light, hazy sky.

Bear Lake, LVRR

c. 1898–99

William H. Rau

(American, 1855–1920)
America

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