Railroad photograph cars and studios on trains

The expansion of the railway and the rise of photography were parallel revolutions. As iron rails cut through the landscape, photographers were hired to document the engineering feats and sell the scenery to future travelers. But the train was not just a subject; it was a studio.
 
This theme looks at the purpose-built photographic railcars—luxurious salons with glass ends for viewing, and fully equipped developing rooms on board. Used by the likes of William Henry Jackson and F. Jay Haynes, these rolling studios allowed photographers to capture the monumental scale of the expanding nations while living on the tracks.

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Ride the Rails
 
Explore the rolling studios of the railway era.