| Description Of Item | This section contains one volume of 249 items. The drawings were originally commissioned as illustrations to Morison's lectures on physiognomy as a method of psychological diagnosis. The earliest are probably copies of drawings executed at the Salpêtrière asylum for the French alienist Esquirol. After a tour of the Paris asylums, Morison followed Esquirol's example by commissioning portraits of the insane in 1826, the draughtsman being François Rochard (1798-1858). In 1835, when Morison was appointed visiting physician to the Bethlem Hospital, he resumed his commissions to Rochard. From 1836 he patronised the Scottish portrait painter Alexander Johnston (1815-1891). Some of Johnston's and Rochard's drawings along with copies from Esquirol were engraved as illustrations to 'The Physiognomy of Mental Diseases' (1840). Around 1841 Morison began to employ Charles Gow (fl 1844-1872), many of whose portraits were reproduced in the 'Outlines of Lectures' (1848). This information comes from Smailes' work, cited below. The catalogue, which also gives entries from Morison's diaries as they relate to the patients, can be consulted on request.
Gow and Johnston signed their work but none of the drawings are signed by Rochard. Where the drawings are unsigned, Smailes' attribution has been given in brackets.
Because of the amount of detail given for each picture it was decided to list them separately. The entry gives the caption on the drawing, and where there are two these have usually been conflated; the plate number in 'Physiognomy', if it appears; the artist's name; and additional information from Smailes' catalogue, including a plate number from 'Outlines of Lectures'. The date with the artist's signature has been entered where given. This sometimes differs from the caption date which has been used if necessary although this may not be the date the drawing was done. Also the dates of the original drawings sometimes differ from the dates in the book. As many of the drawings have been matched with the book as possible but some may have been missed. Where the drawings have been used in the book they have been printed in reverse.
The abbreviation 'Bethlem C D' is used in entries and this stands for 'Bethlem Criminal Department', which was the immediate predecessor of Broadmoor Hospital. It was a distinct part of the Hospital, maintained on behalf of, and governed by, the Home Office.
[Source: Introduction to the Catalogue of Drawings by Helen Smailes, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1981] |