About the Object
This photograph, taken in the Curtiss Wright Aircraft Plant in Buffalo, New York, features four aircraft wings lined up on the factory floor. The two closest wings are cast in shadow. On the left-hand side of the image a pile of an unknown substance sits in front of a wooden crate. A wall of the factory is visible behind the wings, including the lights, rafters, and skylights.
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, resulting in at least 11 related paintings.
The Artist;
By descent to the Artist’s son, John C. Crawford, Brooklyn, NY;
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), ill. p. 123.
Ward, Meredith. Ralston Crawford: Images of War. New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 1993, ill. p. 6.