The backstory of a famous portrait

One of the most recognizable images of George Westinghouse Jr. depicts the inventor and businessman seated at a drafting board, a piece of paper in front of him and glasses perched on his nose. He is bent over the table, his eyes cast down at his work, with his thick, white whiskers obscuring the expression on his face.

This is not an official portrait or a pose, nor is it an image taken to commemorate an opening or an exhibition. It is, instead, an everyday photograph of a white-haired, turn-of-the-century engineer sketching away. There is a reason the image is called, simply, “Westinghouse at Work.”

This article from the Dietre Library of The Heinz History Center tells the history behind the famous photograph. Click on the image to read the article.

Westinghouse at Work

Click on the image to discover.