Summary

Creator:

Larson, Nate

Abstract:

Collection comprises a set of 48 color photographs, 13 reproductions of historic postcards, and several introductory panels, from a project by photographer and artist Nate Larson entitled "Map of All the Railroads," inspired by H.V. Poor's "Map of All the Railroads in the United States in Operation and Progress" (1854). The 13x19 inch digital color photographs, taken in 2015, explore social and economic aspects of thirteen railroad-centered cities and towns identified in Poor's publication, and their progress and potential future. Images feature cityscapes, railroad tracks, buildings and businesses, abandoned sites, monuments, several portraits of people, and other subjects. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.

Extent:

1 Linear Foot
2 boxes; 63 items; 13 x 19 inches

Language:

Materials in English

Collection ID:

RL.11419

Background

Scope and Content:

Collection comprises set of 48 color photographs, 13 reproductions of historic postcards, and several introductory panels, part of a project by photographer and artist Nate Larson entitled "Map of All the Railroads," inspired by H.V. Poor's "Map of all the Railroads in the United States in Operation and Progress" (1854). The 13x19 inch digital color photographs, taken in 2015, explore social and economic aspects of thirteen railroad-centered North Carolina cities and towns identified in Poor's book, and their progress and potential future.

The cities are: Charlotte, Concord, Gaston, Goldsboro, Greensboro, Halifax, Hillsborough, Raleigh, Salisbury, Warrenton, Wayne, Whiteville, and Wilmington. Images include views of businesses, cemeteries, railroad tracks and crossings, monuments, construction sites, abandoned buildings, and several portraits of people.

The artist's statement reads: "In November 2105, I visited twelve of these cities and the site of one former city to survey their progress and contemplate their future. These photographs are observations of the man-altered American landscape and seek to understand of the human experience within it. The images function as a meditation on the passage of time, shifting dynamics of progress and development, and the peculiarities of historic events that shape the present."

Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.

Biographical / Historical:

Nate Larson is a contemporary artist working with photographic media, artist books and digital video. His projects have been widely shown across the United States and internationally as well as featured in numerous publications and media outlets.

Larson holds a full-time faculty appointment in the photography department at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. During his 2015 sabbatical, he was the Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel Visiting Artist Fellow at Duke University and a Rubys Artist Project Grant Recipient from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.

Acquisition Information:

The Nate Larson photographs were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2017.

Processing information:

Processed by Paula Jeannet and Leslie Hayes, April 2017.

Accession(s) described in this collection guide: 2017-0024.

Arrangement:

Arranged in plate number order as assigned by artist.

Rules or Conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:

Cities and towns -- North Carolina
Documentary Photography -- North Carolina
Postcards -- North Carolina
Railroads -- Economic aspects -- Southern States
Railroads -- North Carolina -- History
Railroads -- Social aspects -- Southern States

Formats:

Color photographs
Inkjet prints
Digital prints

Names:

Archive of Documentary Arts (Duke University)
Larson, Nate

Places:

North Carolina -- History
North Carolina -- Pictorial works