Moneta Sleet, Jr.
Prison Cellblock, Michigan

Prison Cellblock, Michigan

© Moneta Sleet, Jr

Prison Cellblock, Michigan
Prison Cellblock, Michigan
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Prison Cellblock, Michigan
Date1952
PlaceJackson, Michigan, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 1/2 × 10 1/2 in. (34.3 × 26.7 cm)
Sheet: 13 15/16 × 11 in. (35.4 × 27.9 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Harry and Macey Reasoner
Object number91.328
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
DescriptionIn April 1952, two maximum-security prisoners in Jackson, Michigan, overpowered a guard and used his keys to release the other inmates in their wing. The resulting takeover of the prison lasted nearly a week and kicked off a wave of similar riots around the country. By the end of 1953, more than 45 riots occurred in 21 states across the nation. Photojournalist Moneta Sleet returned to the Jackson prison to document the nature of the prison system. Sleet’s stark, silhouetted photograph conveys the harsh conditions and loss of individuality typical of incarceration.
ProvenanceThe artist; purchased by MFAH, 1991.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
verso center a stamp "PHOTO BY / MONETA SLEET JR."

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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