Alfred A. Hart

Alfred A. Hart is best known for his photographs of the transcontinental railroad during its construction. Hired by the Central
Pacific Railroad, Hart documented the progress of the project from Sacramento, California to Promontory Point, Utah.

Hart was born in Connecticut and trained to be a painter. Though skilled in his original medium, he began working at a daguerreotype studio and moved to California to work as a photographer in the 1860s. While in Sacramento, Hart photographed the interior of former Governor Leland Stanford’s home. These images were referenced during the restoration of the Leland Stanford Mansion in the 2000s. Many of Hart’s negatives were eventually purchased by photographer Carleton Watkins, who continued to publish them.