About the work

This black and white photograph features a vintage train car at a Tampa station. This piece was created for a one-day juried art show held by the Henry B. Plant Museum to celebrate Henry Plant's 199th birthday. He was known for his love and appreciation for the arts as Henry surrounded himself with beautiful works of art of all mediums in his home and in his hotels. For 16-plus years I have made Tampa, a city renowned for its rich history, my home. It’s well known for its culture, social traditions, lifestyles, and architecture. The legacy of Henry B. Plant is known throughout the City of Tampa and I was happy to be apart of remembering his accomplishments. I was inspired by the visionary railroad and steamship magnate Henry Bradley Plant and wanted to evoke the spirit of Henry’s extraordinary accomplishments, his impact on the development of Florida, and more especially his transportation empire the Plant System. Transportation via train, while still used today, is not as appreciated as it was a century ago. I wanted to bring light to something that was once such a historical and innovative achievement. The perspective of this photograph is located on the platform, as I wanted to give the viewer the sensation of boarding a train in Tampa in the 1880s. I wanted to create a piece that could take you back in time and make you feel like you were experiencing this newfound advancement in transportation.