No. 135. Iowa State Penitentiary - Fort Madison, Iowa

Art Historical Context

Henry P. Bosse’s cyanotype “No. 135. Iowa State Penitentiary – Fort Madison, Iowa” presents a striking view of one of the Midwest’s earliest correctional institutions. Created in 1891, the large-format print records the prison’s imposing brick and stone architecture with crisp clarity. Bosse, who worked extensively along the Mississippi River corridor, often used photography to document the built environment of the region, and this image forms part of that broader visual record. The cyanotype process, which yields its distinctive Prussian-blue tones, was prized in the late nineteenth century ...