The world became a smaller place in the middle of the 1800s as two emerging technologies changed everyday life in unimaginable ways. The invention of photography made it possible to record people, places and events, creating images that defied time and documented the reality of what had been. Likewise, the steam locomotive opened new possibilities for travel; where previous forms of transportation such as horse and cart or walking restricted how far one could travel in a day, the train changed the way we understood and dealt with the land we live on.

Trains are a source of mythic fascination. As children we are taken to the tracks to wait in anticipation for the train to storm by. We counted the cars as we sat at the train crossings and lay in bed, listening to the blowing whistles in the distance, longing to watch the boxcar chain. We built model railroads, recreating the sights and sounds that have drawn us to the tracks. The nostalgia of trains is used in many tourist areas as a means to provide a scenic trip through wilderness or to hard to reach towns. And behind all of the dreams, charm and enthrallment that trains evoke, the railroad continues to be a reliable and permanent way to move things and people around the world.

This exhibition features more than 50 photographs taken from the nearly 500,000 in the George Eastman House photograph collection. Together, this selection provides a survey, not only of the history of photography, from daguerreotype to digital, but also of a broad cultural history of technological advances, changing notions of landscape, and the ideas we have held in the last two hundred years. Tracks: The Railroad in Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection includes works by William Henry Jackson, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Lewis W. Hine, Arron Siskind, William Rau, Richard Misrach, David Levinthal, Lori Nix, and Paul Fusco.

Click here to review the brochure.

Images from left to right:
Richard Misrach, Train Tracks, Colorado Desert, California, 1984, from Desert Cantos I / The Terrain, color print, Courtesy George Eastman House, ©Richard Misrach, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles, and Pace/MacGill, New York
Lewis W. Hine, [Man working on steam boiler] from the series Railroad Workers and Rail Photos, ca. 1920, Toned gelatin silver print, Courtesy George Eastman House
William Henry Jackson, Approaching Hell Gate, Col. Midland R.R., ca. 1885, albumen print, Courtesy George Eastman House

Movies Under the Stars!

Summer fun for the whole family at The Trout Gallery!

7:00 pm: Lawn opens. Chairs, blankets, and even picnics welcome! Visit the TRACKS exhibition and receive a ticket for free popcorn.

Dusk: Movie begins. In case of rain, the movie will be moved indoors

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The Polar Express
Friday, June 26, 2009

A doubting young boy boards a magical train to the North Pole and Santa Claus, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
Starring Tom Hanks

Murder on the Orient Express
Friday, July 10, 2009

Set in 1934, this Agatha Christie thriller takes us and detective Hercule Poirot aboard the famed Orient Express, en route from Istanbul to London. When the train is stopped by deep snow, the detective is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
All-star cast

The Train
Friday, August 7, 2009

In 1944, a German colonel loads a train with French art treasures to be sent to Nazi Germany. The Resistance must stop the art train and save the priceless cargo on board. Based loosely on a true story and considered to be one of the best train movies of all time.
Starring Burt Lancaster

25th Anniversary Celebration
of Gifts to The Trout Gallery

January 23–July 11

Opening Reception: Friday, January 23, 5-7 pm

This exhibition features a number of gifts of art that have been made to The Trout Gallery during the course of its 25 years. Thanks to all the donors for their generosity and for joining in the celebration and strengthening the collections at The Trout Gallery.

Image:
Thomas Sully, Powhatan Ellis, 1853, oil on canvas
Gift of Samuel Rose and Julie Walters, 2008.9