On May 10, 1869, Alfred A. Hart, Andrew Joseph Russell, and Charles Roscoe Savage each photographed the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads at Promontory Point in the Utah Territory. The Golden Spike Ceremony marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad. For the 150th anniversary of this historic event, associate curator Heather A. Shannon will discuss the role photography played in the race to lay tracks across North America.
Over a professional life spanning seven decades, Edward Steichen (1879–1973) established himself as one of the most important figures in the history of photography. What is less known is that for much of that time, Steichen devoted himself to the nurturing of plants and gardens, an activity that sustained him and through which he developed ardently held beliefs regarding the relationship of art, nature, and creativity.