Kennedy's Anatomy Lesson

The graphic arts collection holds a large group of early twentieth-century gelatin silver prints by the American photographer Thomas William Kennedy (1837-1923), about whom little has been recorded. Scenes include landmarks in New York City, Washington D.C., Baltimore, New Orleans, and various European cities. Many are occupational studies, such as these two views of an autopsy or anatomy lesson, labeled only Baltimore Hospital.

The three young men pose casually around their work. Two are smoking and one even puts his foot up on the table next to the cadaver. We presume this is a classroom, given the charts on the wall and the age of the doctors. Thank goodness for modern medicine.

Thomas William Kennedy (1837-1923), Baltimore Hospital, [1910s]. Gelatin silver prints. Graphic Arts GA 2010. in process.