The Susquehanna Near Wyalusing
William Rau is perhaps best known for his photographs commissioned by the Pennsylvania railroads. He began his career at age nineteen as a photographer on the 1874 U.S. government expedition to document the Transit of Venus, a rare celestial event in which each passage of the planet before the sun allowed scientists to recalculate the distance of the earth from the sun. After this first commission Rau traveled to the western United States to photograph the Rocky Mountains and to Egypt to capture the monuments. He never lost his wanderlust, but in 1885 he established a successful society portrait studio in Philadelphia with his father-in-law, the photographer William Bell.
This photograph of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania was made about 1895, when Rau was contracted by the Lehigh Valley Railroad to photograph along its new route from New York City to Niagara Falls. By that time, however, both Rau's subject and the large-plate camera he used to record it were anachronistic. The magnificent landscape he photographed had been largely domesticated by the railroad companies that hired him, and the faster, less cumbersome roll-film Kodak, invented in 1888, had already signaled a radical shift in the medium.
This photograph of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania was made about 1895, when Rau was contracted by the Lehigh Valley Railroad to photograph along its new route from New York City to Niagara Falls. By that time, however, both Rau's subject and the large-plate camera he used to record it were anachronistic. The magnificent landscape he photographed had been largely domesticated by the railroad companies that hired him, and the faster, less cumbersome roll-film Kodak, invented in 1888, had already signaled a radical shift in the medium.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Susquehanna Near Wyalusing
- Artist: William H. Rau (American, 1855–1920)
- Date: ca. 1895
- Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
- Dimensions: 43.4 x 52.0 cm. (17 1/16 x 20 1/2 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.1118
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
William H. Rau
Griffith & Griffith, American
1860s–80s
William H. Rau
ca. 1895
William H. Rau
Griffith & Griffith, American
1896
William H. Rau
Griffith & Griffith, American
1898
William H. Rau
Griffith & Griffith, American
1892
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.