ELIZABETH KORNHAUSER: This painting, depicting the Berks County Almshouse—or debtor’s prison—in Pennsylvania, was made by one of its inmates, John Rasmussen. Rasmussen used the techniques of a sign painter, applying bright, primary colors on a zinc panel rather than canvas. He has also divided the composition into compartments. The prison appears in the center oval, surrounded by the four seasons, one in each corner. Typical of his style is the almost mechanical way he has applied the paint. Little is known about Rasmussen. He entered the prison at age 51, a widower, purportedly intemperate and a frequenter of prostitutes. He must have been friendly with another almshouse artist, Charles Hofmann, who painted similar compositions. Rasmussen painted portraits, landscapes, still lifes and at least six images of the prison itself. All of the paintings along this wall show intricate scenes of the villages and towns that were beginning to grow and thrive in 19th century America. The artists worked in a style we now call Folk Art. Most spent their careers moving from place to place, courting local audiences, so they developed compositional formulas that allowed them to work quickly, in makeshift studios with limited materials.