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Description
This circa-1900 photograph reveals the prison yard at Folsom Prison, as viewed from the east. Arranged in a circle, the prison’s band conducts a practice session while inmates and prison staff observe. Years later, a 10-piece orchestra had its music transferred via public address system from the prison dining room to a student dance that was taking place at Larkin Hall, just beyond prison walls. In the background and to the left of the frame is the prison’s powerhouse, which was finished in 1891. It made Folsom, by 1893, the first prison in the United States to have electric lights. Wiring for electricity and an arc light, one of 18 on prison property, is visible to the far left of the photograph. Beyond the powerhouse is the western bank of the American River.
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