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A room at the former Dickinson Witch Hazel bottling plant, now known as "River Valley Junction" has been transformed into the "Oliver O. Jensen Gallery", which opened July 11, 2008. Oliver was one of the founders and chief visionary of The Valley Railroad Company and for many years President and/or Chairman of the Company.
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Remembering Steam Locomotives by Frank Barry
"Remembering Steam Locomotives" is an exhibit of black and white, steam locomotive photographs taken in the United States, Canada and Mexico between 1955 and 1985. The locomotives and the men who ran and cared for them are portrayed along the railroad line, in the roundhouse and in the repair shop. They are shown in urban settings and remote rural areas including deserts, rugged canyons, forests, and snowy, mountain passes. The photographs portray the essence of these majestic machines that so effectively captured the imagination of travelers, songwriters, poets and others -- young and old -- during the steam era. "Remembering Steam Locomotives" contains 26 silver gelatin prints on archival paper. It was originally prepared for, and exhibited at the Herbert Johnson Art Museum at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. during the summer of 2008. The Johnson Museum brochure described the images as "beautiful and dramatic…emotional…and haunting." Frank Barry, born in 1937, resides in Groton, New York. He began photographing steam locomotives when he was just 9 years old and learned to develop his own film at the age of 10. He has since traveled in 20 countries on 4 continents to record steam engines on film. His photographs and articles have been published in over 50 books, magazines and newspapers. For more information, contact: fb12@cornell.edu. |
Steam Steel and Snow - Frank Barry |
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Locomotive Quarterly Covers by Robert Hauschild
As the Oliver Jensen Gallery continues its mission to promote awareness of the steam locomotive through the arts, we’re certainly proud to display Locomotive Quarterly Covers by Robert Hauschild. The exhibit will feature Hauschild’s original watercolor paintings that served as covers for Locomotive Quarterly, a periodical and showcase for 1920’s - 1950’s railroad photography. "Bob’s paintings put more feeling into the locomotives than the original photos possessed", says Dave Conrad, VP, Chief Mechanical Officer of The Valley Railroad Company. He continues, "For Bob, the photo was merely a starting point to create his impressions of the era." |
NYO & W Locomotive Painting - Robert Hauschild |
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Pinhole Revisited / The Photography of Brandon Dole
Featuring Brandon Dole’s pinhole technique, a historical photography process that Brandon used to record vignettes at Essex Station. It’s no wonder that Brandon Dole, Chester resident and 7th grade student at John Winthrop Middle School, would fall in love with photography. His father is Jody Dole, a professional photographer whose enthusiasm for photography is absolutely contagious. And, caught it Brandon did - his love of pinhole photography is all his own. While pinhole photography dates back to the 1850s, Brandon enjoys exploring pinhole photography in today’s high-tech world and appreciates its simple technique. |
Locomotive Wheel by Brandon Dole |
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Original Artwork for "Old 97 Saves the Day" / Gretchen Hatfield
The original illustrations created by artist Gretchen Hatfield for the new children's book: Old 97 Saves the Day are on display at the Oliver O. Jensen Gallery at the River Valley Junction display building adjacent to the Essex Depot. In the book, two children on Christmas vacation discover an abandoned railroad complete with roundhouse, a steam locomotive (Old 97) and a mysterious old man who asks for their help getting the locomotive running. Along the way the children learn about railroads and how a steam locomotive works and help repair Old 97 before going on a magical trip to the North Pole and back. |
Old 97 Saves the Day - Artwork by Gretchen Hatfield |
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Faces of Essex Steam Train & Riverboat / Caryn B. Davis
The show is made up of twenty-two, large format color photographs of Essex Steam Train & Riverboat employees at their workplace. The exhibit was inspired by Davies' "Chester, Poetry of Place" show. A committee selected the representative employees. J. David Conrad composed the scenes, scheduled the shoots and organized the lighting. The complete set of photographs can be viewed online here. |
Faces of the Essex Steam Train by Caryn B. Davis |
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The Valley Railroad Company
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