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Hemlock Forest, Lehigh Valley Railroad
About the Artwork
Realizing photography's advertising potential, the Leigh Valley Railroad, in the mid-1890s, commissioned the distinguished, widely traveled commercial and documentary photographer William H. Rau. He recorded a series of scenic views that would be seen while traveling along the new line running between New York and Niagara Falls. Rau utilized mammoth plate and panoramic negatives, developing them in a rail car specially outfitted with a darkroom. In this photograph, one of his most dramatic compositions, the parallel steel rails, positioned slightly off center, slice through a dense, mysterious forest. Ironically, the train line alters the pristine landscape so that a greater number of people can enjoy it.
Inscriptions
printed in white at bottom of image; "630 HEMLOCK FOREST LV.R.R." "WILLIAM H. RAU, PHILA"
Exhibition history
Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro Collection of American Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 26-September 10, 2003). 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).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- William H. Rau (American, 1855–1920)
- Date
- c. 1895
- Medium
- albumen print from wet collodion negative
- Dimensions
- Image: 43.2 x 51.8 cm (17 x 20 3/8 in.); Mounted: 43.5 x 52.5 cm (17 1/8 x 20 11/16 in.); Matted: 76.2 x 81.3 cm (30 x 32 in.)
- Type
- Photograph
- Classification
- Photograph
- Department
- Photography
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 2002.50
More by William H. Rau in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00013003
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