Miriam Hardin

Eastern State Penitentiary

     I took these black-and-white photographs at the Eastern State Penitentiary, an old prison in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. The prison was established in the 1820s and designed by Quakers who believed that solitary confinement and quiet contemplation for all prisoners would lead to reform. Each cell was equipt with a bed, nightstand, toilet, Bible, and a back door to an individual exercise yard. Eventually, it became apparent that lack of human contact was driving the inmates insane, so prison authorities rethought the constant-solitary-confinement idea. The prison's last inmate was transferred out in the 1970s, and the prison is now open to the public for self-guided tours.

Skylight

                      Archway

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Miriam Hardin 's interest in Philadelphia landmarks dates back to her B.A. in Radio-TV-Film from Temple University in 1989. She has since earned an M.A. in English from Rutgers in 1995, and is currently a senior teaching fellow and doctoral candidate at Lehigh University.

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