Ward 81- Mary Ellen Mark

This photograph was taken in 1976 by Mary Ellen Mark at a State Hospital in Salem, Oregon. The title of this image is “Ward 81.” This photograph is depicting a woman sitting in a bathtub with water reaching up to her lower torso. We can see her back hunched over as her head leans on her right knee. The background depicts a tile floor with rusty pipes, curtains and bottles on a table. The whole atmosphere feels cold and lonely. The black and white adds more emotion and despair to the photograph. We can visibly see wrinkles on the woman’s neck and cheeks. Her hair is cut short and appears to be brown. She seems to be Middle Aged or older and very frail and skinny. She is represented in a very vulnerable state. I believe, her eyes are the most powerful part of the photo. We can mostly just see one eye as it stares intensely at the side of the bath. She seems pretty zoned out and out of it. The way in which her body is curled up in almost a ball means that she is in pain and is hurting in this moment. It could mean that she was cold at this moment or fearful of something. In my eyes, it depicts a woman that is struggling mentally taking a bath. This bath seems to be doing nothing positive for her. She seems to be in a very dark place due to her body language and the intensity of her eye stare. As this was taken in a mental hospital, we can only assume that this woman was going through a lot mentally. Her face tells a very sad and painful story by the way in which she looks exhausted and defeated. I think Mary Ellen Mark wanted to depict and reveal the true pain these patients were feeling while in this hospital. She wanted to give them a voice or a chance to show that the conditions at these places were not great. I think this image along with the rest of the images taken at this State Hospital are commenting on mental health and how it used to be looked at. People who struggled back then with mental issues were forced into mental hospitals where they were treated horribly and looked at as crazy. I think this photograph tells an unbelievable story about a woman in pain who needs help. I found this image very disturbing, yet powerful in its message.

http://www.maryellenmark.com/books/titles/ward_81/300B-041-034_ward81_520.html