The rise and fall of asylums

Christopher-Payne.JPEGTake a peek at some fabulous photos from Christopher Payne that documents over 70 institutions across the US . Featured in the New Scientist .
Most people associate the word “asylum” with squalor and brutality – an impression strengthened by portrayals in books and films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – but they were originally designed to be places of sanctuary. Christopher Payne visited and photographed 70 such institutions across the US for his book Asylum: Inside the closed world of state mental hospitals, which documents how their fall from grace reflects changing attitudes to mental illness.

Source: New Scientist

Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals by Christopher Payne (Photographer), Oliver Sacks