Commitment and Guardianship of Lydia B. Angier, 1896–1907

Lydia B. Angier was declared insane and committed against her will to Rochester State Hospital in 1896. For the next three years, she wrote letters arguing for her release and restoration to her old life in St. Paul, where she had run a newspaper stand. Her letters provide a window into life inside hospitals for the insane at the turn of the twentieth century, where many people faced poor living conditions and abuse.

Newspaper coverage of Lydia B. Angier’s 1896 commitment hearing

Newspaper coverage of Lydia B. Angier’s 1896 commitment hearing

Newspaper coverage of Lydia B. Angier’s 1896 commitment hearing: “Will Be Cared For,” St. Paul Globe, November 14, 1896, page 8, col. 4.

Lydia B. Angier

Lydia B. Angier

Lydia B. Angier, ca. 1899. Photograph from box 113.H.I.4F-1 of the Fergus Falls State Hospital casebooks, 1890–1904, State Archives Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul. Volume 12 (file nos. 2335–2633, October 1898–April 1899) contains case records regarding patients and their care, their care at prior institutions, and demographic and medical details, in addition to photographs of patients.

Welsch v. Likins

Welsch v. Likins (1974) was a landmark legal case for disability rights in Minnesota. It dealt with three issues fundamental to the disability community. First, it addressed the right to treatment under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Second, the case confronted the provision of care in the least restrictive of environments, including home and community-based services (HCBS). Third, it questioned whether institutional environments violate the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

Newsletter page with photograph of the Welsch family

Newsletter page with photograph of the Welsch family

The front page of a newsletter (published by the non-profit organization Rise) from November 2002 featuring a story about Welsch v. Likins and a photograph of the Welsch family. Pictured are Richard Welsch, Eleanor Welsch, and their children (left to right) Mary, Ed, and Patty.

Inmate wearing a restricting shirt

An inmate of Cambridge State Hospital wearing a restricting shirt (a variation of a straitjacket), 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Patients in a day room

Patients in a day room

Patients in a day room at Cambridge State Hospital’s Boswell Hall, 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Crib enclosure at Boswell Hall

Crib enclosure at Boswell Hall

A crib enclosure for an inmate at Cambridge State Hospital’s Boswell Hall, 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Day room at Boswell Hall

Day room at Boswell Hall

The empty day room at Cambridge State Hospital’s Boswell Hall, 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Building at Cambridge State Hospital

Building at Cambridge State Hospital

The back of a building at Cambridge State Hospital, 1970s. From a collection of photographs used as evidence in Welsch v. Likins, 1973.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Health and Medicine