Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Second Year. Spica to shoulder. c. 1907

Curator: This photograph, titled "Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Second Year. Spica to shoulder," is attributed to Woodhead Studio. Editor: The sepia tones create an almost dreamlike quality, contrasting starkly with the institutional setting. The composition, with the two figures centered, feels very deliberate. Curator: Absolutely. It reflects the late 19th-century and early 20th-century attitudes towards disability and medical photography, aiming to document and categorize rather than empathize. The gaze of the patient is particularly unsettling. Editor: Note the geometric forms of the folding screen in the background which add a curious sense of depth. Curator: This photo sadly becomes a symbol of institutional power and the medical gaze on marginalized individuals. Editor: Precisely, a reminder of how visual language can both reflect and reinforce societal biases.