Alma R. Lavenson found inspiration in bold industrial forms and machinery. Influenced by the photographers of the f/64 group, named for the smallest aperture on a large-format camera, Lavenson’s sharply focused photographs invite viewers to look more closely at subjects like oil tanks, smokestacks, and trains. The Union Oil Company of California (now Unocal Corporation), referenced in Union Oil Tanks, oversaw oil production, refining, and the construction of pipelines and tankers. By the 1930s, California had become the largest oil producer in the United States, responsible for a quarter of the world’s oil supply. The significant impact of industrialization on California’s environment prompted government action such as the California Clean Air Act of 1988 and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.