O. Winston Link: Hot Shot
The monumental historical and artistic photographs by O. Winston Link (1914-2001) honor the marvel of the now extinct steam-powered locomotive. With the exhibition Hot Shot, Robert Mann Gallery unveils a curated selection of classic works from Link’s prolific output during the 1950s. As the Norfolk & Western Railway transitioned from steam to diesel, Link dedicated five years to chronicling the trains and the communities along Virginia’s tracks. A revered figure among rail enthusiasts, Link posthumously received recognition from the art world for the foresight of his photographic vision. His talent for creating cinematic scenes and staging images is now celebrated as a precursor to the dramatic compositions of artists like Gregory Crewdson and Jeff Wall, while his focus on the socio-historical landscape of the railroad has influenced another generation of photographers such as Jeff Brouws and Mark Ruwede.
A master craftsman, Link developed an array of innovative lighting techniques to achieve his desired ambience, resulting in images that are both eerie and enchanting. Elements such as airplanes, trains, and automobiles converge in the iconic Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia, 1956, where the dramatic narrative is enhanced by the sensual atmosphere of a drive-in theater. Joyful summer evenings are captured as children frolic near the Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole while a locomotive thunders overhead. The fact that his work has been variously labeled as surreal, futurist, Norman Rockwell-inspired, cinematic, and even as (constructed) historical documents is a testament to their enduring allure. Beyond their artful construction, Link’s railroad photographs do not simply celebrate the lush interplay of smoke and light; they also situate the trains within compelling human stories. His work vividly reanimates the legendary steam railroad as a fantastical emblem of a bygone, yet familiar, American life.
Having collaborated closely with the artist during the final decade of his life, Robert Mann Gallery remains the foremost authority on O. Winston Link’s photographs. His legacy is further celebrated at the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, Virginia.
Link’s photographs are part of numerous prestigious museum collections worldwide, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Permanent Collections at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
About the Author
O. Winston Link, born on December 16, 1914, in Brooklyn, NY, initially pursued a degree in civil engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, graduating in 1937. Over the course of more than 40 years, Link forged a career as a commercial photographer, creating images meticulously tailored to meet his clients’ demands. His most celebrated endeavor—the photographic series of the Norfolk and Western Railway—emerged from his determination to document a rapidly vanishing chapter of American history. Intent on preserving the legacy of the steam engine’s final days, he set out to produce images that would forever honor that transformative era.
In contrast to the conventional street photography of his time, which relied solely on natural light, Link’s method involved intricate staging and the extensive use of synchronized flash. He engineered innovative lighting systems, rigging 43 flash bulbs to fire simultaneously in his quest to capture locomotives in dynamic action. Moreover, he preferred a large-format camera over the widely used 35mm to achieve unparalleled detail.
Link’s body of work has been immortalized in two published books—Steam, Steel, and Stars (1987) and The Last Steam Railroad in America (1995). His photographs now reside in prestigious museum and gallery collections worldwide, and they offer enthusiasts a chance to own a piece of steam-era history. O. Winston Link passed away on January 30, 2001, in Katonah, New York.
O. Winston Link: Hot Shot
February 27 – March 28, 2025
Robert Mann Gallery – New York
More info:
