James Wells, Angola, Louisiana 22 - 2001

Deborah Luster created "James Wells, Angola, Louisiana" using the 19th-century collodian process. This choice is significant because it connects the history of photography to the representation of incarcerated individuals like Wells. Luster's work confronts the viewer with the stark realities of the American prison system, especially its impact on African American men. Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, is notorious. The name ‘Angola’ comes from the former plantation that occupied the land, its name in turn derived from the African country that was the origin for so many enslaved people brought to America. Wells is pictured wearing a t-shirt that reads ‘Angola Boxing’, as well as a ‘Champion’ belt. The photograph doesn't shy away from the tensions between strength and confinement, identity and the legacy of exploitation. It invites us to consider how individuals create identity and community against a backdrop of historical injustice. It is a powerful, emotionally-charged image, reflecting the complexity of human experience within the prison system.