Comments

gorgeous shot Motts.

well done.
(:

Your photos make me feel again.

Looks like one of those small, long windows they used to put in institutions to let a little light in. The flashlight has a yellow hue to it, but the other light has a blue tint, like light from the outside. Is that room full of water? What's with the black ooze?

That water looks like clam chowder. Gross!!!

Fishsunderwear: It does look like the key says 666! Any comments, Motts?

Maybe the door would lock when it shut and someone didn't want to get locked in/out while they were alone.

Really nice contrast. The chair would look stunning against a B&W background.

Maybe they installed it because the florescent light kept flickering. (or maybe I watch too many horror movies) ;-p

Asbestos, anyone?

Uh, didn't you imply that they used a brush? If they didn't use their finger my guess is that it's probably just some kid on a dare. Ahh, the disgusting things people will do for a laugh. But wouldn't the common teen be more compelled to go "all out" and write the word "shit" instead? Hmmmm....

A little research on the web showed that bright colors were in fashion back when these places were built. Although not yet a proven science, bright colors were thought to cheer people up as well; hence the popularity. (Amanda: My heart goes out to you. My mother also has Seasonal Affective Disorder. She has had to put up with skepticism from family and friends as well. Doc didn't prescribe a disco ball but he did prescribe lots of sunshine.) Light, too, has always been thought to have a positive effect on patients of all sorts; most likely the reason that most of the old hospitals had solariums. My point being that just because it wasn't a proven theory yet doesn't mean that there has to be another explanation for it. *referring to the reason for the bright paint

I, too, feel sad looking at it thinking that maybe the child who wore this didn't make it out of there. Before the discovery of streptomycin they performed numerous exploratory surgeries to help the patients: Most of which didn't make it through it. The ones who did were left crippled. Look up pneumothorax. It was a procedure that involved removing ribs to relieve pressure on the lungs. I believe something like 5% of the patients even survived it.

Good one! Fresh air was believed to help TB patients. Most TB hospitals had open air solariums where patients spent most of their time. At Waverly Hills the patients slept on porches with snow on the foot of their beds!

This place is a children's TB hospital. There are other pictures of it on the web.

Definitely pitchers. Notice the large handle and spout? There are also the lids lying about. Looks like they changed them once a month probably due to low funds. Remember, they weren't as cleanly then as we are now.