Sitting Parlor in the Female Department

Sitting Parlor in the Female Department, Michigan Asylum for the Insane, circa 1880.

This enclosed case features a large photograph background of the sitting parlor in the female department building.  Shown in the photograph are several nurses and patients.  In the case is a rocking chair from the hospital, table and shelving unit with a plant and framed photo of nurses on a porch swing.

When the Michigan Asylum for the Insane first opened, it was elegantly decorated with paintings, décor, furniture, flooring and wallcoverings. This was an attempt to make patients feel as if they were convalescing at their own homes, and it was thought that it would expedite the healing process. In an 1855 report to the board of directors on the construction of the Female Department building, it was noted that $22,000 had already been expended for furnishings. The report further states, “The building is thoroughly well constructed and the rooms are large, airy and cheerful. It is the intent to make the furnishings varied and attractive and to have all the material surroundings such as may aid in diverting the morbid mind into more natural channels.”