National Library of Medicine

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In the 19th and 20th centuries, reformers in the United States and Europe built asylums in response to a range of social issues including disability - mental health, and alcoholism. These documents and images from the NLM Digital Collections bring to life the day to day experiences of people at these sites: the conditions of the asylums and the limits on liberty that many people in them experienced.

An illustration of people dancing

Patient ball at the Insane Asylum on Blackwell’s Island, illustration by W.H. Davenport, NY, Harper’s Weekly, 1865

Courtesy National Library of Medicine

Often, officials at asylums worked to rehabilitate people with social and recreational activities such as sports, concerts, theater, and dances.