O. Winston Link

(American, 1914–2001)

O. Winston Link was a pioneering American commercial photographer. Best known for his images of steam locomotives, Link is responsible for developing the equipment and techniques that allowed for some of the earliest examples of night photography. Born on December 16, 1914 in Brooklyn, NY, he went on to receive a civil engineering degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1937. He developed several new forms of photographic equipment, notably rigging 43 flash bulbs to fire simultaneously so as to capture a steam locomotive at night. Of his preference for shooting after dark and in black and white, he once quipped: “The locomotives are black. The coal is black. The tracks are black. The night is black. So what am I going to do with color?” Today, there is an O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, VA dedicated to his photographs, audio files, and video works documenting the last days of steam locomotives along the Norfolk and Western Railway. He died on January 30, 2001 in Katonah, NY. 

Related Categories

Contemporary Art, Contemporary Realism, Photography

Related Artists

Walker Evans, Sally Mann, Hiroshi Sugimoto, George Tice

O. Winston Link Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

O. Winston Link (1,059 results)
A group of 5 photographs depicting..., 1950–1959

O. Winston Link

A group of 5 photographs depicting..., 1950–1959

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Giant Oak, Max Meadows, Virginia., 1957

O. Winston Link

Giant Oak, Max Meadows, Virginia., 1957

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, Luray,..., 1956

O. Winston Link

Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, Luray,..., 1956

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Hotshot Eastbound, 1957

O. Winston Link

Hotshot Eastbound, 1957

Sale Date: September 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Luray Crossing, Luray, Virginia, 1956

O. Winston Link

Luray Crossing, Luray, Virginia, 1956

Sale Date: September 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Hot Shot, 1955–1956

O. Winston Link

Hot Shot, 1955–1956

Sale Date: August 29, 2023

Auction Closed

Coal Extra Working Upgrade at Blue Ridge Grade,...

O. Winston Link

Coal Extra Working Upgrade at Blue Ridge Grade,...

Sale Date: August 18, 2023

Auction Closed

NW Extra Eastbound to Blue Ridge, Virginia, 1987

O. Winston Link

NW Extra Eastbound to Blue Ridge, Virginia, 1987

Sale Date: August 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Sometimes the Electricity Fails, Vesuvius,..., 1956

O. Winston Link

Sometimes the Electricity Fails, Vesuvius,..., 1956

Sale Date: July 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Luray Crossing, Luray, Virginia, 1956

O. Winston Link

Luray Crossing, Luray, Virginia, 1956

Sale Date: June 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Giant Oak, Max Meadows, Virginia, 1957

O. Winston Link

Giant Oak, Max Meadows, Virginia, 1957

Sale Date: June 19, 2023

Auction Closed

NW Extra Eastbound to Blue Ridge, Virginia, 1987

O. Winston Link

NW Extra Eastbound to Blue Ridge, Virginia, 1987

Sale Date: June 19, 2023

Auction Closed

[The Popes Watch the Last Steam Powered..., 1983

O. Winston Link

[The Popes Watch the Last Steam Powered..., 1983

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Hot Shot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia, 1956

O. Winston Link

Hot Shot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia, 1956

Sale Date: June 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Birmingham Special, 1983

O. Winston Link

Birmingham Special, 1983

Sale Date: May 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, Luray, Virginia, 1956

O. Winston Link

Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, Luray, Virginia, 1956

Sale Date: May 24, 2023

Auction Closed

Birmingham Special, Rural Retreat., 1957

O. Winston Link

Birmingham Special, Rural Retreat., 1957

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia., 1956

O. Winston Link

Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia., 1956

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

NW1643 West Bound Birmingham Special and..., 1957

O. Winston Link

NW1643 West Bound Birmingham Special and..., 1957

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

Auction Closed

NW 609, Watering the 104, Bristol..., 1955

O. Winston Link

NW 609, Watering the 104, Bristol..., 1955

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Ghost Town, Stanley, Virginia, 1957

O. Winston Link

Ghost Town, Stanley, Virginia, 1957

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia, 1957

O. Winston Link

Hotshot Eastbound, Iaeger, West Virginia, 1957

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Main Line on Main Street, North Fork, West..., 1966

O. Winston Link

Main Line on Main Street, North Fork, West..., 1966

Sale Date: March 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Maude Bows to the Virginia Creeper * Double..., 1956

O. Winston Link

Maude Bows to the Virginia Creeper * Double..., 1956

Sale Date: February 23, 2023

Auction Closed

English (US)

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