No. 204. Iowa Central Railway Bridge at Keithsburg, Illinois 1889

Henry Bosse captured the Iowa Central Railway Bridge at Keithsburg, Illinois in a cyanotype print. The bridge becomes a symbol of industrial progress, but it also raises questions about the social and environmental impact of this progress. The choice of cyanotype, a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print, gives the image a dreamlike quality, yet its sharp focus and careful composition document the engineering feat of the bridge. It was made during a period of rapid industrial expansion in the United States, as railroads were critical infrastructure for economic growth and westward expansion. The image doesn't shy away from questions about the social and environmental impact of industrialization. Looking at this image today, we can use historical archives, engineering documents, and environmental impact studies to understand the bridge's wider effects. The meaning of the photograph is dependent on this socio-historical context.