A review by liralen
Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals by Christopher Payne
5.0
This was...fascinating, actually, and sparked in me a brief rampage through whatever asylum-photography books I could find. The photos depict old state hospitals in various states of disrepair, often left to crumble with furnishings still in place.
I hadn't given a lot of thought to asylums prior to finding this book, but the author-photographer has clearly done his research, and he makes some very intriguing points about the way that mental hospitals have evolved. There's so much history packed into each photograph that it's impossible not to wonder about the stories within.
I hadn't given a lot of thought to asylums prior to finding this book, but the author-photographer has clearly done his research, and he makes some very intriguing points about the way that mental hospitals have evolved. There's so much history packed into each photograph that it's impossible not to wonder about the stories within.