Photographs, circa 1880s-1996 (bulk 1950-1960).

Scope and content:

Restricted: Photographs (identified or unidentified) of patients or those who may be patients, that are less than 125 years old. These photographs will be withheld from research for 75 years from the date of creation. Contains photographs and prints that document the hospital grounds, construction projects, and activities. The photographs are divided up into the following five groups: construction photographs, event and activity images, exterior photographs, interior images, and photographs of people. Most of the photographs were not originally labeled or grouped together, thus the categories were created for ease of research. The portraits reprinted on photograph paper date from the 1820s, and there are a few photographs from the late 1800s, but the majority of the photographs in this collection are from the 1950s. The 1950s black and white photos are dispersed throughout the categories, but account for most of the images in the "Construction," "Interior," and "Exterior" categories. Many of these photographs document renovation of the Old Site, and the construction of buildings at the New Site. The exterior and interior photographs document structures on the Western State campus, often also providing "before" and "after" images. The photographs in the "Event/Activity" files document anniversary celebrations, holiday parties, staff retirements, and staff performing various job duties. The "People" files contain group and individual staff photographs spanning several decades, as well as photographs of hospital superintendents Dr. Joseph S. DeJarnette and Dr. Lyn Harding, the members of the General Board of State Hospitals, and the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane. Unfortunately, a number of the photographs in this group are unidentified and/or undated. Some of the later photographs were accompanied by negatives, and a group of loose negatives can be found at the end of the list.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically according to subject category.

Access and use

Contents