Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Industries at the Mass. Hospital for Epileptics. Cow barn. 4. 1907

Editor: This photograph, by Woodhead Studio, is titled "Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Industries at the Mass. Hospital for Epileptics. Cow barn." It's… unsettling. The rows of cows seem like they’re in cells. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It's a stark visual representation of institutionalization and the dehumanization inherent within that system. The cows, like the patients, are reduced to their utility. Consider the title itself. How does it reflect the eugenic ideas prevalent at the time regarding disability and productivity? Editor: So, it's not just about cows; it's about how society categorizes and controls certain groups? Curator: Precisely. The photograph serves as a document of those power structures and the way they intersect with ideas of normalcy and deviance. What does it make you question about our present? Editor: It makes me think about how we still categorize and marginalize people today. It is a really disturbing reflection.