Révélations: Iconographie de la Salpêtrière, Paris 1875–1918

Révélations presents one of the earliest and most significant photographic archives in the history of clinical psychiatry.

Compiled and edited by contemporary photographer and designer Javier Viver, this publication draws from over 4,000 photographs and thirty-two volumes that were systematically produced between 1875 and 1918 at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. Under the direction of Jean-Martin Charcot—founder of modern neurology—and financed by the French government, the hospital's archive represented an unprecedented effort to document and categorize patients through innovative photographic-documentary techniques.

The archive reveals the complex intersection of medical science and public spectacle. Tuesday sessions at the Salpêtrière became celebrated events for Paris's cultural elite, where Charcot conducted demonstrations involving hypnosis-induced displays of patients. The photographic record reveals how emerging medical understanding became entangled with theatrical presentation.