Ogle Winston Link

Ogle Winston Link was a commercial photographer whose subject was the Western railways of the United States. The last journeys of steam engined trains were documented by Link, both visually and in audio, making his photographs important archival documents. His monochrome, dramatic images have developed a cult following in recent decades for their Americana stylistic qualities. 

Link was born in New York, 1914. His interest in photography began early in life alongside his developing career in engineering. Soon after receiving his degree in Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, he began working with Carl Byoir, a public relations specialist. Through Byoir, Link found work photographing the American railway system. During the Second World War he volunteered with the United States Army as a photographer and engineer, after which he created his own photographic studio in New York. In 1955, Link began photographing the Norfolk and Western project in Virginia, for which he began developing new approaches to his practice by employing large, high powered flashes. The rest of Link’s career was given to commercial advertising, as well as photographing other industrial projects. He died in 2001.