The 20th Century Limited Time Machine

Once upon a time the Titans of Industry traversed the lands between New York and Chicago on the 20th Century Limited. On a fall day in October it served as a conduit for friends to experience the first class sophistication of the mid 20th Century with each other and without screens in front of them. The wonderful humans shown in the following series did not dress the part for the train ride. They're part of a community of vintage wear and lifestyle enthusiasts. Their mannerisms aren't posed or altered for photography. This is essentially a group of friends enjoying one another's company, but looking damn good while doing it. For this shoot, it was essential to use a medium that related to the time of the 20th Century Limited's latest and most famous design by Henry Dreyfuss. His train design ran from 1938 until the closure of the line in 1967. These photographs were made with a Rollei SL66 medium format camera on Ilford HP5 black and white film.