Photographic Sources in the History of Psychiatry

This chapter provides tools for using photographic sources in the history of psychiatry. It demonstrates that photographs are very versatile sources that can be integrated into the history of psychiatry in different ways to explore the history of psychiatric categories and medical theories, patients’ experiences and more. The first section examines several case studies, from the renowned images made by Hugh Welch Diamond and Jean-Martin Charcot to lesser known materials. It discusses questions such as the supposed objectivity of photographs, the emergence of photographic protocols and the lack thereof, the circulation of photographs and practices among different institutions, the agency of patients, the relationship between photographs, text and other visual media and the impact of colonialism and criminology studies. The second section presents the main historiographical trends, from the influence of Foucauldian studies on power and the medical gaze to recent work on material practices. Lastly, the final section provides tips for searching medical photographs in archives and discusses the ethics of researching and publishing sensitive sources.