Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Laundry, 1908. 1908

Curator: This photograph, taken around 1908 by Woodhead Studio, is titled "Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Laundry." The scene depicts a horse-drawn cart filled with laundry outside a brick building. Editor: The sepia tone lends a sense of quiet bleakness. The figures are posed almost like mannequins, adding to an unsettling sense of detachment from their labor. Curator: Indeed. These images, often made under the auspices of institutions, speak volumes about the history of disability and institutionalization. The very title "Defectives, Epileptics" reflects the dehumanizing language of the time. Editor: How does the seemingly mundane task of laundry function within this broader context of power and control, and the labeling of certain bodies as "defective?" It forces us to think about the eugenics movement. Curator: Exactly. It reveals the way in which labor was used within these institutions, and how photography itself became a tool for classification and control. The social and institutional history of this image is so very important. Editor: It is, yes, and these photographs, like this one, should provoke questions and conversations about how we understand care, agency, and social justice today.