Willard Suitcase #10
This is another of Eleanor G.’s cases.
The way in which the museum wraped these suitcases really resonates with me on this one, and you will see just why as you scroll down to the last picture.
I like the style of this one; nothing special but extremely functional.
The remnants of the tags are always interesting to me.
Eleanor made some of her own clothes, as you might have inferred from the contents of the previous post.
The clothing in this case really got to me.
The fabric had a feel to it that was so much of another time.
And the embroidery work on the collar of this sun dress was so delicate.
I couldn’t figure out why she or someone else wrote her initials on this dress, especially in such a prominent place.
Here is more of her embroidery work.
I love the color of the hat, and would guess that she added the adornment to it herself.
It might be a bit difficult to make out, but the bow on this dress so resembles the way the string is tied on the outside of the wrapped cases that I immediately made a connection between the two.
Willard Suitcase #9
I had my most productive day ever this past Thursday. This case belonged to Eleanor G. I was expecting a regular suitcase from the way it was wrapped, but it was something altogether different.
The museum has a total of five cases from Eleanor, and I photographed all of them but the large steamer trunk. I’ll get to that on my next visit.
This is a very interesting cardboard storage container, and you can see above how I found it as I opened the drawers.
Eleanor must have sewn a lot. One of her other cases held two beautiful light cotton dresses that were clearly made by hand.
This drawer holds just a small selection of her sewing kit, and a couple of garters for her stockings.
Here is her little needle case.
The handles of these curling irons are the most beautiful shade of green.
For me, the most beautiful and evocative item was this perfume bottle. I googled Isabey and this is what I found. The link is a little funky, but at the top is a picture of the reissued bottle and case.
This could not have been an inexpensive bottle of perfume at the time she got it. Hand blown glass, and a beautiful velvet lined case.
Peggy helped out big time on Thursday. Both with rewrapping and seeing things that I might have missed. It made the day doubly productive.
Willard Suitcase #8
I was able to photograph two cases at the museum on Wednesday. It was a good day to go over, as I was able to see Karen Miller who was there looking at some of the materials.
Charles’ case was mostly empty, but was in quite good condition. It appears that his time at Willard began in the 1930s.
In addition to the case was an archival box with his name that had some heft to it.
Inside was this instrument, which I believe is called a zither. (Any help in identifying it is welcome.)
I love the decal with the notes. Really beautiful.
I don’t believe this paddle has anything to do with the instrument. It is clearly hand carved and though I can’t read the writing on the left side, one phrase on the right is pretty clear.
Inside the box were also two sheets of paper used to keep score for “Rumie pinochle”.
There was also a publication called “Glidden Brighter Home Magazine”.
Willard Suitcase #7
Not all of the suitcases have much in them. Craig suggested that I make selections from the master list, but somehow I like the surprise of not knowing what they contain. I did make some suggestions this time, but was still surprised by what I found.
I am still drawn to the archival paper and string that is used to preserve the cases. There is something so beautiful about how the bows are tied.
This case belonged to Raymond H. You can see the bird droppings from when it was stored in the attic before they were saved by the museum.
I don’t always find items that tell much of a story, but something about this one caught my fancy.
It took me a few minutes to figure out what these papers were.
Rolling papers! I hadn’t noticed the orange wrapper when I took them out of the envelope.
May 4, 1923, such a long time ago. / Many thanks to Peggy Ross who helped me rewrap the cases and pointed out a few things that I had missed. And as usual to Craig for all his help.
Willard Suitcase #6
This suitcase belonged to Maude K. There seems to be some question as to her surname; on some of the tags it is spelled differently.
Three of her cases are in the collection and I shot all three but for brevity I am only posting this one.
I am starting to edit a bit more tightly for these posts since some of the cases contain a considerable amount of interesting objects.
Maude was clearly involved in crafts of some sort.
Her tools and materials are beautiful. I would love to know if there is any record of what she produced with them. And the question again arises as to whether or not she was able to access her case during her time at Willard.
There is definitely more information about her available through the archives, and once I have finished photographing the cases I’ll make every effort to find out more about her.
This score pad indicates that at one time she probably played bridge. The design of these objects knocks me out.
There was still glycerine in this bottle.
The inks were mostly dried out as the corks in the tops had deteriorated almost completely.
I would be glad to know if anyone recognizes what these items could have been used for.
I liked these tweezers, and believe that the white bit at the top is ivory.
I think this glass paper-weight came from the “World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893” in Chicago. / Maude’s cases were really interesting. I hope to be back in Albany sometime this week to do some more work. For those of you seeing this for the first time, here is a link to my Kickstarter project. Thanks, Jon
Willard Suitcase #5
This suitcase belonged to Mary W.
Hers was the second wicker case I photographed last Thursday.
As I have mentioned before, I haven’t any idea what I will find when I unwrap the cases. This one felt a bit heavier than others and when I opened it, it was mostly filled with fabric and lace that I am assuming Mary had made.
There was a lovely feel about the material as I unwrapped each piece.
A mark similar to the one above was on several of the towels. At first I thought it was a date, but I am not so sure.
I believe these tags are from Willard and not the museum. It looks like her case was entered into the system in the 1960s.
The detail on the lace pieces is beautiful.
Lots of interesting shapes and sizes.
Thursday was very productive. Mary had only the one case with the lace and towels, but I also shot 3 cases that belonged to another person. I’ll edit those photos and get them up soon. Many thanks to Peggy Ross who helped me rewrap the cases, and as usual to Craig Williams for all his support. If you are seeing these for the first time, please check out my project on Kickstarter.
Willard Suitcase #4
Here is another case from the Monday shoot. This one belonged to Clarissa B.
The leather straps were in pretty rough shape.
The address label is quite faded, but it is clear that she was in another hospital before Willard. I googled Rockland Hospital and it is in Orangeburg, NY. The label underneath is obscured, but Worthington Place in New York City is pretty clear.
I like the details of this case; the metal bits are a bit rusty, but the some of the leather has a nice patina.
The museum has done such an amazing job stabilizing these objects. After sitting unprotected in storage for so many years, it is incredible that they are as intact as they are.
Above is the opposite side of this suitcase with more labels.
It is clear that this case has traveled around quite a bit. Even the Railway Express labels have such a pleasing design. I really wish the Date line had been filled in.
I was pretty sure there wasn’t much inside when I lifted it up.
Just a few items, and nothing particularly personal.
This little metal plate was inside one of the smaller cases. Etched into it is her name and “Bldg 18” and what looks like the date “5/2 36”.
I hope to get back to Albany next week to do some more work. Thanks for looking. You can see more about the project here.
Willard Suitcase #3
I was in Albany last Monday to shoot some more of the Willard suitcases. It was the day Peter Carroll was filming me for the Kickstarter video, so it was a bit different of an experience. I was comfortable when Peter was shooting me work, but as soon as he started interviewing me, I lost the plot. Sometimes it is hard to put into words what I am feeling about this project. The photos seem to speak for themselves and I have always expressed myself best through pictures and not words. Anyway, if you have seen the video here, you will understand what an amazing editor he is. He took my jumbled thoughts and made sense of them. Kickstarter emphasizes how important a short video is to getting funded, and I think it has really made a difference.
So here is Fred Butters’ case. It is a beautiful design, and I especially love how the leather helps to define it. The handle is also in really nice shape.
There wasn’t a lot in it when it was opened, but what was there was really interesting.
It is so touching to see what he brought with him to Willard.
I especially like the metal container of talc and the design of the Polident can.
The blank postcards say alot too. One element of this project I need to have answered is whether or not the owners had access to the suitcases while they were at Willard. If they didn’t, what would explain the envelope with the stamp on it that wasn’t ever mailed? I’ll ask Craig; he will know.
The toothbrush container is glass.
Here is the talc container, and below a letter. I really need to find out if he brought it with him or received it while living at Willard.
So, the project is now posted at Kickstarter. I am really hoping I reach my goal so I can continue to do this work. If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward it along. Thanks to everyone who has already donated, and to all who have looked at the photos.
Willard Asylum Suitcase #2
I was back in Rotterdam last week to photograph more suitcases from Willard Asylum. Check this out for the background of the project.
I am slowly beginning to formulate a plan for how to proceed.
Even though an inventory of each case has been prepared by the museum, I prefer not to know the contents before I begin taking pictures.
There is something about being surprised by what’s inside that helps me connect with the person.
And I want the connection because I am trying to say something about the lives they lived before arriving at the asylum.
Anna’s first case contained mostly clothes.
I believe the inventory was done just as she arrived at Willard.
The museum is very careful about caring for each individual item.
Anna had some really beautiful clothes.
Just about all of her clothes had nametags, which I have to assume were sewn in before her time at Willard.
Below is the second of her cases.
This one had fewer clothes and more personal items.
For some reason, I really like the paper that the museum uses to protect the cases and their contents.
I especially like the design of this one.
When I photographed the abandoned buildings on the earlier project, I tried never to move items that I came across. This is so different for me as I need to lay the items out in order to photograph, but I don’t want to make the arrangements look too studied. I actually work very fast when I am shooting.
This case contained several hats, and an incredible pair of shoes.
There were also some indications of her life before Willard.
The hair pin packaging is beautiful.
I am not sure if the residents of Willard had access to their possessions during the time they were living there, but somehow I think not. So this letter would probably have been received before she arrived.
And since it was not addressed to Anna, I wonder about its importance to her.
Thanks so much to Craig Williams at the New York State Museum for allowing me access. As I mentioned in the earlier post, I would really appreciate any feedback. I still don’t have an outlet for this work, and no funds to jump into it in any concerted manner, but I hope to keep chipping away. There is alot of information about the people attached to these suitcases and should I go much further with the project, I would like to be able to include some biographical background to accompany the photos.
Willard Asylum Suitcase
I’m not sure yet where I am going with this project, but I wanted to post some shots for feedback. / In 1995, the New York State Museum staff were moving items out of The Willard Psychiatric Center. It was being closed by the State Office of Mental Health, and would eventually become a state run drug rehabilitation center. Craig Williams was made aware of an attic full of suitcases in the pathology lab building. The cases were put into storage when their owners were admitted to Willard, and since the facility was set up to help people with chronic mental illness, these folks never left.
The Museum made arrangements to have the suitcases moved to the Rotterdam storage facility, where staff have catalogued each one, and have carefully wrapped and preserved their contents.
An exhibit of a selection of the cases was produced by the Museum and was on display in Albany in 2003 or 2004. It has also traveled around New York State. It was very moving to read the stories of these people, and to see artifacts from their lives before they became residents of the Asylum.
This particular case belonged to Freda B…..(I would really like to use her whole name here, but there is a massive debate going on as to whether people who have been at Willard and other psyc centers need to be protected by privacy laws. I come down strongly on the side that it is dehumanizing and stigmatizing to pretend that she doesn’t have a surname.)
I am so interested in these cases. I like the idea of documenting the care and energy that the Museum has put into them. And I am totally wigged out by being able to photograph a representation of the lives of people who struggled so much to make it in a very stressful and confusing world.
It is still early days, and I am struggling a bit as to how I should approach this. The cases have been photographed before, but in a totally different manner. The first hurdle seems to be cleared; I have access. The next is time, which I think I can manage. The big one is funding, which is something on which I need to work. And finally, what could come out of the project. An exhibit would be nice, or maybe a book.
I have been working on some ideas with Dr Karen Miller, a writer and psychiatrist. She has also been spending time with the cases, and doing research on the lives of people who were at Willard. We’ll see what happens.
In the meantime, feel free to send this link around to anyone who might be interested. And any feedback would be appreciated.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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