The Kirkbride-Langenheim collaboration: early use of photography in psychiatric treatment in Philadelphia.
Early Use of Photography in Psychiatric Treatment in Philadelphia R ECENT research into the Kirkbride Archives at the Pennsylvania Hospital has shed new light on the connection of the "moral treatment" of insanity with the new art of photography, both developing at the same time in mid-nineteenth century Philadelphia. The Kirkbride Achives, now part of the Clifford B. Farr Historical Library, contains numerous letters, hospital records, memorabilia from the early days of the hospital, and in addition thousands of photographic images, some as old as 1851. The bulk of the photographic collection consists of over 3500 magic lantern slides used as a means of education and amusement for the patients of the hospital from 1844 through the end of the nineteenth century. This material was not ignored by previous scholars, but they did not recognize the critical role it played in the development of photography. This is not surprising, since the study of the history of photography has only in the last decade expanded in interest to the point where professorships in the subject have been funded at major universities. When the attention is focused on the photographic point of view, an entirely new and fascinating story emerges from the Kirkbride Achives. The use of