About the Object
This photograph, taken in the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Plant in Buffalo, New York, features the top of a ladder set against the factory ceiling, lights, and a row of skylights. This ladder, in varying states of abstraction, figures prominently in several related works in the Collection, including Factory with Yellow Center Shape, (VF2013.01.01).
Additional Information
In December 1944, Crawford received a commission from Burton Tremaine, president and chairman of the Miller Lighting Company, to commemorate the installation of nine miles of continuous fluorescent lighting in the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Plant in Buffalo, New York. Crawford was given special permission to photograph inside the plant, taking a least a dozen pictures and creating dozens of drawings, many of which were drawn on the back of War Department letterhead.
The Artist;
By descent to the Artist’s son, John C. Crawford, New York;
Chadds Ford, PA. Brandywine River Museum of Art. Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War (June 19-September 1, 2021); Dayton, OH. Dayton Art Institute (October 30, 2021-January 23, 2022).