The Ephemeral State
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1956 Kennywood Park Westinghouse Air Brake Picnic Original Photo Lagoon Crowd — photo 1 of 2

Photo 1 of 2

About this piece

Original black and white photograph of the Westinghouse Air Brake company picnic at Kennywood Park, dated July 7, 1956, mounted on a heavy album or presentation page with the typed caption "Westinghouse Air Brake Picnic, Kennywood Park July 7, 1956" and the typed number A-49492-16. "Kennywood" is also written faintly in pencil at the top. Page about 10.2 x 8.2 inches; the photo is roughly 5 x 4 inches. Condition: used, mount lightly toned with minor edge wear; the photo is clean and sharp. The page is shrink-wrapped to a cardboard backer.

The view shows a huge crowd of picnickers lined along the edge of the park lagoon watching a rowboat on the water, with flower beds in the foreground, shade trees, park buildings and a tall spire at left.

Company picnic day at Kennywood was a beloved tradition for Pittsburgh-area industrial workers, and this is a crisp first-hand record of one, likely from a company or photographer's file given the numbering. Great for Kennywood and amusement park collectors, Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) and Wilmerding history, and Pittsburgh industrial and labor history.