No. 34. From Bluffs at Merrimac, Minnesota Looking Down Stream
1885
Medium
Cyanotype
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 1/2 × 17 3/16 in. (36.8 × 43.7 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Charles Wehrenberg and Sally Larsen, 2014
Accession Number
2014.715.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Henry P. Bosse’s “No. 34. From Bluffs at Merrimac, Minnesota Looking Down Stream” offers a tranquil view of the American Midwest captured in 1885. Rendered as a cyanotype, the large sheet presents the river valley in the medium’s signature deep blue tones, emphasizing the broad sweep of water and bluffs. The vantage point from the heights invites viewers to share the artist’s elevated perspective looking downstream. Cyanotypes, developed in the 1840s, were valued for their straightforward chemistry and ability to produce durable, high-contrast prints without a darkroom. Bosse employed this pr...