Etherton Gallery

O. Winston Link

(American, 1914–2001)

birmingham special gets the high ball at rural retreat by o. winston link

O. Winston Link

Birmingham Special Gets the High Ball at Rural Retreat, 1957

main line on main street, north fork, west virginia by o. winston link

O. Winston Link

Main Line on Main Street, North Fork, West Virginia, 1958

the popes, max meadows, virginia by o. winston link

O. Winston Link

The Popes, Max Meadows, Virginia, 1957

Biography

Timeline

1914
Born Ogle Winston Link on December 16, 1914 in Brooklyn, NY
1937 - 1942
Worked as a photographer for New York City public relations firm Carl Byoir Associates
1937
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Polytechnic Institute (now Polytechnic University), Brooklyn, NY
1942
Went to work for Columbia Institute Laboratory in Mineola, Long Island where he performed secret war research for the U.S. Government
Because of the proximity of the LIRR to the lab where he worked and his ongoing interest in trains, he started taking photographs of the trains
1945
Began working independently as a photographer after WWII
1955 - 1960
Photographed the trains on the Norfolk & Western Railroad in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina
1960
Returned to New York and continued as a commercial photographer
2000
He agreed to the creation of the O. Winston Link Museum to be located in the historic Norfalk & Western Passenger Station in Roanoke, VA, and the station was restored and refurbished by famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy
2001
Died in South Salem, NY

Exhibitions

2000
Classic & Rare Photographs of America’s Steam Railroad, Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago, IL (solo)
Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, MA (solo)
1999
Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM (solo)
The Photographer’s Gallery, London (solo)
1998
The Ralls Collection, Washington, DC (solo)
Expanded Visions: The Panoramic Photograph. Addison Gallery of American Art, Philips Academy, Andover, MA.
Robert Mann Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
1997
10th Anniversary Exhibition, Jan Kesner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
G. Gibson Gallery, Seattle, WA (solo)
Trains That Pass in the Night, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE

Public Collections

New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, CA
International Center of Photography, New York, NY
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
Madison Art Center, Madison, WI
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Literature

1999
The American Art Book, London, Phaidon Press, Ltd.
1997
The Photography Book, London, Phaidon Press, Ltd.
1995
The Last Steam Railroad in America: Photographs by O. Winston Link, Thomas H. Garver, Harry N. Abrams Publishing, New York, NY
1987
Steam, Steel, and Stars: America's Last Steam Railroad, Tim Hensley, Harry N. Abrams Publishing, New York, NY
1983
Night Trick: Photographs of the Norfolk & Western Railway, Norfolk & Western Railway - publishers, Norfolk, VA