Group portrait of Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke with family members and young friend, on the steps of the Medical Superintendent's house, London Asylum, London, Ontario

Description

Media Type

Image

Item Type

Photographs

Description

A group portrait of Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke, his wife, some of their grown children and a young friend sitting on the steps of a brick house. This copy of an original has been attached to blue card. Only Dr. Bucke has been identified in the London Room Photograph index.

Notes

In this group portrait we see Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke, Superintendent of the London Insane Asylum and author of the book: "Cosmic Consciousness" and some of his family along with the young daughter of a family friend seated on the steps of the Medical Superintendent's house. Dr. Bucke, with the mustache and full white beard is wearing a light coloured suit and is seated beside his daughter Clare, seen to the left. To the right is his daughter Ina, who is holding young Romaine Elliott on her lap. Romaine was the daughter of Nathan Elliott, a writer and photographer from Ohio who one speculates, may have taken this photograph. On the far left, with hat in hand is Pardee beside his mother Jessie, who is seated on the upper step and brother Harold, who is seated below. The identification of the family members, the young family friend and the dating of this photograph were aided by Peter Rechnitzer's book: "R.M. Bucke: Journey to Cosmic Consciousness." The book: "Victorian Lunacy: Richard M. Bucke and the Practice of Late Nineteenth-Century Psychiatry," by S.E.D. Shortt helped identify the Medical Superintendent's house as the location of this photograph.
The map shows the approximate location of the long since demolished house on the grounds of what was later known as the London Psychiatric Hospital and now known as Regional Mental Health Care London. At the time of this photograph the main entrance to the hospital was from Dundas Street.

Date of Original

1899

Dimensions