Oliver Jensen Gallery

Join us for an Opening Reception Friday, May 10, 2019  5 – 7 pm

Complimentary Lite Fare and Beverages

Opened in July of 2008, the Oliver Jensen Gallery is located in River Valley Junction – the former Dickinson Witch Hazel bottling plant. The gallery offers seasonal art shows, usually featuring an exhibition in summer and winter. The gallery is named in honor of Oliver Jensen, one of the founders and chief visionary of The Valley Railroad Company. Mr. Jensen served many years as President and/or Chairman of the Company, dedicating his life to the preservation of this historic landmark that is now enjoyed by thousands of visitors every year.

Current Exhibition   – Beebe & Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy

May 10, 2019 through October 29, 2019

Opening Reception Friday, May 10, 2019  5 -7 pm

Complimentary Lite Fare and Beverages

Essex Steam Train & Riverboat proudly announces the summer/fall exhibition: Beebe & Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy, photographs from the book of the same title by John Gruber and John Ryan assisted by Mel Patrick, featuring photographs from the Collection of the California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, published 2018 by the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Madison, Wisconsin. Lucius Beebe was a chronicler of New York “high society” with what was then a very unusual hobby: photographing trains. In 1938 he published the first of what are generally called: railfan books, books that were mostly photographs of locomotives and trains with little text beyond the captions. Amazingly, these books sold well, creating a market which continues to grow. In 1945, he was joined by his life partner, Charles Clegg and together they roamed the United States photographing trains and producing over two dozen books until Beebe’s death in 1966.

In 2016, Clegg’s sister, Ann Clegg Holloway, donated the Beebe-Clegg archives to the California State Railroad Museum. In 2018 the Center for Railroad Photography & Art published the book from which our show was created.

Previous Exhibitions

Hidden in Plain Sight: An exhibit of the photographic work of Thomas J. Nanos 
Tom Nanos’ dedication to the art of photography had ebbed and flowed until late 2001 when he began photographing railroad operations.
November 9 – December 29, 2016

Railroads and the American Industrial Landscape: Ted Rose Paintings and Photographs
Ted Rose (1940–2002) dedicated much of his career to artistically capturing the railroad in American life and culture.
May 28 – October 23, 2016

Images of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Artwork by members of the Essex Art Association
November 6 – December 29, 2015

The Railroad Photographs of Jim Shaughnessy
Jim Shaughnessy is heralded in the world of railroad photography as an innovator, artist and documentarian as the age of the steam locomotive gave way to modern diesel engines. Curated by the Center for Railroad Photography & Art in Madison, Wisc.
June 25 – October 25, 2015

Images of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Artwork by members of the Essex Art Association
November 14 – December 28, 2014

A Dozen Miles in a Decade: The Valley Railroad from Old Saybrook to Haddam – 2003-2013
An exhibit of the photographic work of Thomas J. Nanos
May 30 – October 26, 2014

Images of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Artwork by members of the Essex Art Association
November 9 – December 29, 2013

On the Job
A Photo Essay by Caryn B. Davis
June 20 – October 27, 2013

Images of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Artwork by members of the Essex Art Association
November 16 – December 27, 2012

Requiem for Steam
The Railroad Photographs of David Plowden
June 24 – September 5, 2011

Remembering Steam Locomotives
by Frank Barry
June 3 – August 29, 2010

Locomotive Quarterly Covers
by Robert Hauschild
June 25 – October 12, 2009

Pinhole Revisited
The Photography of Brandon Dole
May 13 – June 21, 2009

Original Artwork for “Old 97 Saves the Day”
Gretchen Hatfield
Nov 22 – Dec 28, 2008

Faces of Essex Steam Train & Riverboatonline
Caryn B. Davis
July 13 – Oct 10, 2008