Mary Ellen Mark

This black and white photograph by Mary Ellen Mark portrays a woman looking at herself in the mirror. Mark took this series of photos in the Oregon State Hospital, most likely in the psychiatric ward. The patients are mentally ill and are unable to live without extreme help from others. All the photos in the series were powerful, but I specifically chose this one because of how it embodies the experience of being in a psych ward. The woman in this photograph looks distressed like she does not recognize herself. She seems upset and frustrated. She is grasping at her face with a tissue in her hand crying. This highlights what sick people truly feel. It is embarrassing to not be like everyone else. It is hard to recover from an illness that has embedded itself into your conscious. Mark was able to capture the ups and downs of the psychiatric ward, along with the isolation and resentment the patients have.

Mark, Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen Mark – Ward 81 – 300B-044-012, 1976, www.maryellenmark.com/books/titles/ward_81/300B-044-012_ward81_520.html.