Edward Hopper’s famous painting House by the Railroad is featured in this video from Picturing America Onscreen. As the railroad tracks rattle by a once-grand Victorian home, so intersect the themes of modern progress and historical continuity. Students explore the period of urbanization and growing feelings of isolation in America after World War I, make ELA connections in studying the significance of symbolism and setting, write an ad to sell the house in the painting, and enrich the study of the play Our Town in the accompanying discussion questions and classroom activities.