The steam locomotive was instrumental in New York City’s growth as a bustling hub of transportation and commerce in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This technological marvel inspired many artists to capture the train’s power, grace, and grit — from many perspectives — in paintings and drawings. Alfred Stieglitz captured his images through the lens of a camera, and so his work was frowned upon by his contemporaries who felt that his mechanical apparatus had no place in the world of artistic expression — the machine does all the work, after all! The proliferation of inexpensive hand cameras at this time — and the resulting rise in popularity of amateur photography — only strengthened the art community’s disdain and derision towards the craft of photography.