The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Inclined Plane F, Delaware and Hudson Canal Co.
c. 1860
(American, c. 1821-)
Image: 30.5 x 38.5 cm (12 x 15 3/16 in.); Mounted: 45.4 x 55.7 cm (17 7/8 x 21 15/16 in.); Matted: 55.9 x 71.1 cm (22 x 28 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2002.42
Location: not on view
Description
This engaging industrial scene is from a small, rare group of large-format photographs taken in the eastern United States during the Civil War era. Thomas H. Johnson operated a studio in Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1861 until at least 1865. He made a series of images documenting the Delaware & Hudson Canal and Gravity Railroad operations—primarily views of the Gravity Railroad's route through northeastern Pennsylvania. For this image, one of only a few the photographer made of inclined tracks, company employees stood on the railroad ties while Johnson set up his camera, coated, and then exposed his large glass negative in the early morning light. Seen from afar, the unidentified men provide a sense of scale for the large building and the expansive landscape in which the facility was located.- Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007); Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (October 3, 2009-January 3, 2010).Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro Collection of American Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 26-September 10, 2003).
- {{cite web|title=Inclined Plane F, Delaware and Hudson Canal Co.|url=false|author=Thomas H. Johnson|year=c. 1860|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.42