Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Greenhouse, 1906. 1906

Editor: This sepia-toned photograph, taken in 1906 by Woodhead Studio, is titled "Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Greenhouse." It's a stark scene. What does its institutional setting reveal to you? Curator: It speaks volumes about the treatment of people with disabilities during the early 20th century. The image, likely commissioned by the hospital itself, offers a controlled narrative, subtly reinforcing the institution’s role. Does the seemingly pastoral setting soften the reality of institutionalization, perhaps masking the social control exerted over these patients? Editor: That's a great point. It's unsettling to consider the possible intent behind such a seemingly tranquil image. I hadn't thought of it as carefully curated by the hospital itself. Curator: Exactly. Consider who held power then and who was being silenced. Even in its quietness, the photograph participates in a system of representation. It prompts us to question whose voices are absent from the historical record.