Erie RR and Factories

Reginald Marsh mostly lived and worked in New York, and much of his work captures urban life in his home city. Marsh was also fascinated by industry, evident throughout his numerous paintings, prints, and drawings featuring industrial motifs. This etching features a steam train in motion with a backdrop of factories, offering a realistic depiction of industrial America and the transportation systems that enabled its ever-increasing modernization. Marsh makes no attempt to romanticize the scene, yet it is done with a degree of meticulous care that makes the train and factories almost personal. When looking at this picture, it is impossible not to consider that even in 1930, amidst the Depression, industrial America was piling cargo onto steam engines that moved forward with a tangible energy.

Kristen Lauritzen ‘21

Similar Images (Etching)