Untitled
(1990)
from the I am the rehearsal master series (1990)
Medium
gelatin silver photograph
Measurements
90.8 × 105.0 cm (image)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1991
© Anne Ferran
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
In the series I am the rehearsal master, Anne Ferran re-creates the photographic catalogue produced by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, who performed extensive research into hysteria – a term no longer used by medical professionals. Charcot used hypnosis to treat patients in Paris’s Pitié-Salpétriére hospital and produced photographs of women writhing, in the throes of hysteria. Ferran suggests in the title of this series that, rather than an accurate portrayal, the actions of the women in Charcot’s photographs were rehearsed and directed by him to prove his theories which perpetrated stereotypes about women having less psychological resilience than men.
Artwork Details
Accession Number
PH82-1991
Department
Australian Photography
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest