Michael Ruth, Angola, Louisiana 17 - 1999

This photograph, titled "Michael Ruth, Angola, Louisiana," is part of a series of works by Deborah Luster, exploring the lives of people in Angola, Louisiana, a notorious prison farm. The image depicts Michael Ruth, a prisoner, standing in a cotton field, a stark reminder of the prison's history of forced labor. Luster's use of vintage-style photographic techniques adds a layer of historical context, referencing the long history of African American exploitation in the South.