Please check this out.
Hi Everyone, Lin Stuhler has been working for the last 10 years to reclaim some respect to the patients at Willard and other New York State institutions. She recently posted this on her site “The Inmates of Willard“. Please read it.
I am really interested in moving ahead with lobbying NY State legislators to sort this issue out. If any of you have ideas on how to proceed or have connections to state legislators, please get in touch.
Thanks for following.
The above photo is from Margaret D.’s collection. It is amazing. Check it out here. There are over 500 photos in the gallery so make sure you click on the 500 link at the bottom. Also if you are on Instagram, I am posting an image almost daily. @willardsuitcases.
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D / 17 June 2015
I am pretty sure that this was the last day we photographed any of Margaret D’s things. It is possible that as I move through the editing process I will come across more of her possessions, but I think this is it.
It was a mixed bag of items that we saw on this day.
Here is more of her work with a needle and thread.
This little button caught my eye.
I did a quick internet search for “TU-TEE” and found nothing. This almost never happens anymore. A commercial product with an interesting concept and zilch! “This game is something different, and enjoyed by old and young alike. It is replacing progressive card games in many sections of the country.” Apparently not in that many sections of the country or there would be some evidence of it. (Edit. As I was reading this post once it was public, I realized that the type face on the TU-TEE box looks exactly like the one I use for all of these posts. It is Palatino, and I’ve been using it for years. What a strange coincidence.)
This cup and saucer are so delicate and lovely.
So, that’s it for Margaret. Hers is the most complete collection of household and personal items in all of the cases that I shot, and in a funny way, it is difficult to move on to other Willard patients. Up next though is Herman G, whose story is fascinating in its own way. Thanks for following. You can see all of the cases here, and all of Margaret’s here. (Don’t forget to click on the “500” button at the bottom of the page, as I think the default page only shows the first 25. And as there are over 600 photos in her collection, you have to click on the “next” button to see the rest.)
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D / 14 April 2015
I am working my way through Margaret’s cases and her collection never ceases to amaze me. You can see the latest here. (Don’t forget to click “view all” as there are now close to 500 images in her collection.)
Margaret brought quite a number of sewing items with her when she came to Willard, including the above stencil with Masonic designs.
I am currently editing a shoot that was mostly delicate items like the above undergarment, as well as some of her nursing uniforms. I’ll have a post up sometime in the next few days with those photos.
I would also mention that Margaret was one of the 10 folks originally featured in the State Museum’s 2004 exhibit. The made-up surname they used for her was Dunleavy and if you do a search for her name and Willard you should come across very detailed information about her life. The “Lives They Left Behind” book has a surprisingly complete history of her life before Willard.
I am often asked about how much I know about the patient’s lives before and during their time at the institution. It is way too complex for me to elaborate here, but needless to say, I have very strong feelings about my need to separate the patient’s clinical lives from what we can learn about them through their possessions. I tend to talk about it when I present the project to various groups, so maybe one day we will get the chance to meet up and chat. Thanks for following.
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D / 12 March 2015
I have just uploaded another one hundred or so photographs to Margaret’s page. Check it out here.
There are some really interesting items here.
My breath was a bit taken away when I opened the LaLure box and saw the beautiful cutlery inside.
I love this tiny Statue of Liberty, which was one of several that we came across during our work on the suitcases.
Lots more of Margaret to come. Thanks for following. Tell your friends!
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D / 2 March 2015
I just uploaded another batch of photos to Margaret’s page. Check it out if you get the chance. (Make sure you click on the “view all” button; the default view is 25 per page.)
I think this little Devon Violets vase is beautiful.
This lone pill was wrapped in the paper on which it is placed. It is difficult to read the pencil writing but it looks like amid(something) barbital.
Having seen other photographs of her, I am quite certain that it is Margaret in these shots.
Have a great weekend everyone, and thanks for following.
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D / 17 February 2015
Quite a few of the Willard residents brought small carved dogs with them. This looks like a little Skye Terrier. The thread collar is quite touching.
The doggie theme is repeated here. I believe that this is a strong thread wrapped around this paper that is used for bead work.
There were thousands of these small (glass?) beads.
I often tried to document Peg’s work and the care we took in putting everything back the way we found it. These beads were difficult to wrangle, but I am pretty sure we got them all back in the bag.
This photo really gets to me for some reason. Check the comments for a description of this process as my pal Dhyan will probably chime in. She has been following the project since early days, and I really appreciate her knowledge of anything to do with fabric and yarn. Thanks Dhyan!
Here’s some string wedged into a hair comb. So many questions.
I think we decided this is a post card of the well known dancer Ann Miller. (Peg’s mom helped identify her if I remember correctly.) I was pretty sure it was Bess Myerson.
I have started using the date of shooting in the title of these Margaret posts as it is the only way to differentiate the various posts from one another. Check out the full uploads of Margaret’s things here. There is a LOT more of her to come.
Willard Suitcases/Margaret D./NYC Talk
Margaret D. came to Willard with almost all of her household, including her car. I posted here and here about her before. / The cutlery in the La Lure box is very cool.
On Tuesday the 9th of February I will be giving a presentation about the suitcases sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society. It will take place at the New York Public Library branch, 524 Main Street on the island. The start time is 6.30 pm and I would encourage anyone coming to get there a bit early, as the branch closes at 7.45 and we will need to start on time.
There is very little on-street parking, I would encourage everyone to come by public transport. (Hey, it’s New York City!) Here is a link for travel directions. If you are coming by tram, the station is at Second Avenue and 60th Street. You will need to pay with a Metrocard ($2.75). When you arrive on the island, take red bus (free) to the second stop and walk forward about 50 yards to the library. If coming by subway, take the F train from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island. Then the red bus to the first stop and walk 50 yards to the library. If you follow the project online or have been in touch directly, please come up and introduce yourself. I will be in the building by 5.00, I hope, and will have time to chat once everything is set up. Hope to see you there.
I noticed today that the willardsuitcases.com site is acting up a bit. All of the information below the photograph on the splash page seems to have disappeared. Fortunately everything else seems to be working, including access to the cases page. I have a call in to Steve Fox who did a beautiful job designing the site, and I hope we can get it cleared up soon.
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D. / Tour
Yesterday Peg noticed some of Margaret D’s handiwork with a needle. And here is one of those needles, still in place where she last used it. I have no idea what this process is called, but it looks quite intricate.
The annual public tour of Willard is on for Saturday the 16th of May. It is a fundraiser for the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Children’s Center. Here is a link to their Facebook page. I would advise getting there very early, as this is a wildly popular event. Tours are run at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm. And if you have never experienced a central New York State chicken bbq, I would advise you to get some tickets for it. Also that day, a memorial service will be held at the cemetery across the street honoring Lawrence Mocha, who as a patient dug many of the graves. That event takes place at 11.00 am and should be interesting.
I will be there for much of the day, and would be most happy if those of you who follow this project would come up and say hello. If former Willard employee Peggy Ellsworth is in charge at the morgue again this year, I will probably hang out with her much of the time.
Willard Suitcases / Knots
I am often asked if I have a favorite suitcase or photo from the project. I don’t, really. But one recurring theme is the idea of knots. It started initially with the string that the museum used to secure the archival paper that helps to preserve each case. But soon I started to see them in the possessions of the patients, especially the clothing. Peg and I worked on more of Margaret D’s things yesterday, and this shot of a beautiful camisole shows a lovely little knot tied near one of the straps.
Here is an example from the outside of Eleanor G’s case.
I have been uploading more case to the willardsuitcases.com site. Check it out if you haven’t been there lately.
Willard Suitcases / Margaret D / Post #3
We have been learning quite a bit about Margaret’s life before she came to Willard. She worked at Herman M. Biggs Memorial Hospital in Ithaca as a nurse, and at some point had some sort of surgery. There were a large number of get well cards in the boxes we worked on yesterday, many of which had lovely personal notes on the inside. It was clear that she was very well liked by her friends and co-workers.
As I have mentioned before, Margaret came to Willard with almost everything she had accumulated up to that point in her life. Yesterday we came across her 1939 and 1940 1040A forms and quite a few photographs. Inside of a photo envelope labeled “Easter Greetings” was a picture of the car that I mentioned in this post.
In the same envelope was a photograph of the hospital in Ithaca where she once worked. / Peggy Ross was especially helpful yesterday, and I wanted to thank her again for all her hard work on the project. Her organizational skills are only outweighed by her cheerful spirit, which when shooting in a darkish and chilly storage facility is very much welcomed.
There has been quite a bit of attention to the project lately and with many new folks coming to this site, I wanted to remind everyone that I am continually uploading earlier shoots to the willardsuitcases.com site. Check it out if you haven’t been there lately, and thanks for following.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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