Departmental Papers (ASC)
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
6-29-2009
Publication Source
History of Photography
Volume
33
Issue
3
Start Page
288
Last Page
305
DOI
10.1080/03087290902752978
Abstract
This article explores the photographic physiognomy of Victorian asylum superintendent Hugh Welch Diamond. Through close readings of Diamond’s photographs as well as commentary published by Diamond and Dr John Conolly, the author argues that Diamond expanded the meaning of the word physiognomy to include metonymic traits such as clothing and hairstyle. Diamond used physiognomy for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, and he staged his photographs to maximize their efficacy for both, creating a mediated mirror through which his patients viewed themselves. Through photographic physiognomy, Diamond tried to change the nature of asylum practice, using images of his patients to nurture them to health without physical restraints.
Copyright/Permission Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in History of Photography on 29 Jun 2009, available online: [http://wwww.tandfonline.com/ ] http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03087290902752978.
Keywords
Johan Caspar Lavater (1741–1801), HughWelch Diamond (1809–1886), John Conolly (1794–1866), Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), physiognomy, photography, non-restraint, asylums, Victorian England
Recommended Citation
Pearl, S. (2009). Through a Mediated Mirror: The Photographic Physiognomy of Dr. Hugh Welch Diamond. History of Photography, 33 (3), 288-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/03087290902752978
Date Posted: 27 March 2017
This document has been peer reviewed.