No. 181. Marshall Ave. Bridge, Minneapolis & St. Paul
1889
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
2014.715.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
Henry P. Bosse’s *No. 181. Marshall Ave. Bridge, Minneapolis & St. Paul* captures a vital moment in American infrastructure at the close of the nineteenth century. Created in 1889 as a cyanotype—a photographic process prized for its deep Prussian-blue tones and sharp detail—the large sheet records the sturdy iron structure spanning the Mississippi River between the Twin Cities. At a time when railroads and urban growth demanded reliable crossings, such bridges symbolized both engineering ambition and the rapid transformation of the American landscape. The choice of cyanotype was especially fi...