Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: 1906. Group of Nurses. 1906

Editor: This photograph, "Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: 1906. Group of Nurses.", by Woodhead Studio, shows a group of nurses outside a hospital. The title is unsettling. What does this image tell us about the social attitudes of the time? Curator: The explicit title forces us to confront the historical context of eugenics. Consider the power dynamics at play: who is being labeled, and by whom? This image isn’t just a portrait; it’s a document of social control and pathologization of difference. Editor: So, the photograph normalizes a discriminatory perspective? Curator: Exactly. It reflects the institutionalization of prejudice disguised as scientific observation. Editor: It’s sobering to think about the individuals behind these labels. Curator: Indeed. It encourages us to critically examine the legacies of these practices in our contemporary understanding of disability and social justice.