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American Sketches: Prison Life in Blackwell's Island, New York - outdoor work, 1876. Creator: Unknown
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American Sketches: Prison Life in Blackwell's Island, New York - outdoor work, 1876. Creator: Unknown
American Sketches: Prison Life in Blackwell's Island, New York - outdoor work, 1876. The outdoor employments assigned to most of the male convicts, who number above five hundred, are quarrying and stone-cutting, building a sea-wall, grading, road-making, and other earthworks, also planting and gardening. The stone-quarries, however, seem now at Blackwell's Island to be nearly exhausted; and it has, therefore, been thought fit, as well as for the sake of a greater distance from the city, to remove this establishment to Hart's Island, sixteen miles from New York'. From "Illustrated London News", 1876
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Media ID 36375442
© The Print Collector/Heritage Images
Convict Convicts Drinking Water Felix Elie Regamey Felix Régamey Hammer Hammering Hammers Hard Labour Island Men At Work Penitentiary Prison Prison Officer Prisoner Prisoners Quarry Quarrying Quarryman Regamey Felix Regamey Felix Elie Roosevelt Island Stripe Striped Stripes Tools Uniforms Water Supply Welfare Island Afro American Metaphor Stonebreaker
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph, titled "American Sketches: Prison Life in Blackwell's Island, New York - outdoor work, 1876," offers a striking glimpse into the daily life of convicts at Blackwell's Island Penitentiary in New York City during the late 19th century. The scene portrays a group of African American and Afro-American male prisoners engaged in hard labor, performing various tasks such as quarrying, stone-cutting, and road-making. The exhaustion of the stone quarries on the island has led to plans to relocate the establishment to Hart's Island. The prisoners are dressed in simple, drab clothing, with some wearing hats to shield themselves from the sun. They are seen hammering away at rocks, using hammers and other tools to shape the stones, or carrying heavy loads of gravel. Prison officers, dressed in more formal attire, oversee the work, ensuring order and efficiency. The prisoners drink from a nearby water source, taking a brief respite from their labor. This engraving was first published in the "Illustrated London News" in 1876, providing a window into the industrial and penal systems of America during this era. The image offers a poignant metaphor for the concept of penitence through hard labor, as well as a snapshot of the geographical and industrial features of Blackwell's Island, which lies on the East River in New York City. The photograph serves as a reminder of the harsh realities of the criminal justice system during this period and the physical demands placed upon its prisoners.
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