Through the beauty of his hometown of Chicago, Craig S. Glass and Ambrotype Visuals invite viewers to consider the enduring presence of his subjects within our lives, society, and culture.
His work depicts lasting objects and ideas situated in contemporary settings—some functioning as relics, others continuing to serve their original purpose.
The ambiguity between the two is intentional, challenging assumptions about what is old or new, what truly changes, and what becomes embedded in our collective memory.
If you’re not from Chicago, is your first association “Al Capone”? That was a century ago. Do you think about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow? Add another fifty years—and keep in mind that the story was not true after all. And yet both remain deeply embedded in modern conceptions of the city.
So then, what’s new?
The physical trains themselves, perhaps, but not the way they literally bring the city together from their iconic elevated tracks, morning in and evening out. The height and materials of skyscrapers may change, but not the way each one stands out while fitting perfectly into a coherent cityscape alongside the classic river bridges and original post-fire buildings. The cars change, but not the alleyways or, often, the detached garages that house them. The flag has evolved from two stars to three to four, but not its distinctive identity or the deep-rooted emotion it evokes in those who live, or have lived, there.
Chicago remains remarkably recognizable to the eye, no matter how much it grows, evolves, or modernizes, because it retains its core history, infrastructure, and identity as it does so—often quite literally. The challenge for the observer is to recognize that the timelessness of Chicago as a place is not found only in memories of events from long ago, nor in the specific materials or technologies used, nor always in particular buildings and structures. Rather, timelessness lives within the recurring rhythms of how the city functions, a truth reflected in what continues to happen there every day.
The buildings still touch the sky. The river still flows in the “opposite” direction. The big trains still come and go. The L still carries people around the Loop. And the old buildings are still beneath it.
About CRAIG S. GLASS
What makes something timeless? Must it evoke memories that never fade, or can it emerge from the persistent recurrence of the modern everyday? Are memories required to look old or feel old, and must the modern always look or feel new? If viewers did not know that the settings were contemporary—or if the trains and cars were replaced with period vehicles—would they be able to tell when certain photographs were taken?
Ambrotype Visuals proposes that if an image creates a feeling, resurrects a memory, or transports the viewer somewhere—or sometime—else, whether real or imagined, then its exact moment in time becomes irrelevant. In other words, those are the images that can truly be considered timeless.
Craig S. Glass founded AmbrotypeVisuals.com in 2022 after a lifelong interest in railroads led him to realize that he had already developed a substantial digital photography portfolio. Encouraged by family, peers, and even railroad crews themselves, he now uses digital editing techniques—never AI—to create artistic scenes. He describes his work as a place where viewers can #GoTimeless and where fine art meets the rails.
Craig’s portfolio also encompasses the enduring beauty of architecture, landscapes, nature, and more, particularly throughout his adopted home of South Carolina, including the University of South Carolina, as well as his native Chicago metropolitan area and beyond.
Working under the name Ambrotype Visuals—a play on his surname and the historic photographic process known as the ambrotype—his images have received awards and recognition from galleries and competitions across multiple U.S. states, as well as in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and from Smithsonian Magazine.
Craig originally hails from Deerfield, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, and is an ardent Chicago White Sox fan. He now resides in Columbia, South Carolina, where he works alongside the University of South Carolina. [Official Website]
