This undated glass transparency was taken by Winter Prather (1926-2005) in an unknown location. The image depicts a pipe connecting two oil tanks in an oil refinery. A blue sky is visible behind the tanks. The pipe connecting them blocks out the sun. While it is unknown whether Prather shot this image on behalf of a commercial client, Prather did shoot industrial sites on behalf of companies. For instance, he was employed by Argo-Midwest Industries, the Gary-Williams Energy Corporation, and Petro-Lewis Corporation to photograph oil fields and refineries.
Winter Phillips Prather (1926-2005) was a prominent commercial and fine art photographer who worked in Denver, Colorado and Taos, New Mexico during the mid 20th Century. Due to the physical and mental illnesses that Prather suffered later in his life, many images in the collection were not initially labeled with dates, subjects, or locations. Photographs that have been dated and identified were taken between 1940 and 1978 primarily in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Images in the collection demonstrate Prather's mastery of diverse photographic genera’s. Non-representational abstracts, industrial images, western landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, and art reproductions can all be found among Prather's photographs. In addition, the collection also contains Prather's experimental work with reverse negative printing, composite images, and solarization. This photograph is part of the Winter Prather collection (Ph.00332)