Defectives, Epileptics: United States. Massachusetts. Palmer. State Hospital for Epileptics: Women's bldg. 1906. 1906

Curator: Looking at this photograph, "Defectives, Epileptics," taken in 1906 by Woodhead Studio, one is struck by the clinical detachment. Editor: Yes, that's the immediate feeling. The building itself...imposing, orderly, but also terribly sad. It feels like a place where life is meticulously managed, perhaps without much joy. Curator: Indeed. Institutions like the Palmer State Hospital were built on now-outdated and often cruel ideas about disability and mental illness. Photography played a role in categorizing and pathologizing individuals. Editor: It's so interesting—how a building, even in photograph, can speak to these societal attitudes. The way it looms, almost pressing down on the landscape... it's a visual metaphor for control, isn’t it? Curator: Absolutely. And the muted tones, the stark architecture…it all contributes to this sense of isolation and confinement. Editor: It's a stark reminder of how far we've come, or still need to go, in understanding and treating those with differences. I’m feeling somber, a bit shaken. Curator: A potent image, a somber reminder of a time when care meant segregation.