COLLECTION Identifier: PC-6

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Photographs by Subject

Scope and Content Note

The photographs in this collection cover a wide range of subjects from Infirmary buildings, to "candid" shots of patients. Major topics depicted are nursing, clinics, physicians, residents, employees, laboratories, patients and patients-children, buildings, and construction. Most of the photographs were taken to serve public relations needs, and a number appear in Infirmary annual reports, patient information brochures, and newspaper and magazine features on the Infirmary. The bulk of the collection dates to the 1950s and 1960s, however, there are a number of prints that date between 1899 and 1920. There is a fairly complete set of group photographs of Residents (often referred to as House Officers) for 1949-1999, as well as earlier groups, with gaps, from 1919-1937.

Dates

Creation: 1899-1999

Creator

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Organization)

Access

Collection is open for research. Contact the Abraham Pollen Archives for access.

Copyright

The copyright may be held by the Abraham Pollen Archives or the original author or their heirs or assigns. Requests for permission to publish from the collection must be submitted to the Library Director. Photocopies may be made at the discretion of Archives staff. Permission to make photocopies does not constitute permission to reproduce or publish materials outside the bounds of fair use guidelines.

Extent

4 boxes

Additional Description

Biographical/Historical Note

Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE) is a Harvard teaching hospital founded in 1824 as the Boston Eye Infirmary (BEI) by Drs. John Jeffries II and Edward Reynolds. The hospital has also been known as the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary (MCEEI) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI).

The primary teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School in ophthalmology and otolaryngology—head and neck surgery (OHNS), Massachusetts Eye and Ear trains more than 100 residents and fellows each year in its various sub-specialties, including cornea, neuro-ophthalmology, retina, eye pathology, pediatrics, glaucoma, ocular oncology, immunology, head and neck surgery, oncology, pediatric otolaryngology, facial plastics, otology and oto-neurology. Additional specialties and areas of research include audiology (diagnostics, hearing aids and cochlear implants), balance (vestibular), facial nerve, thyroid, voice and speech, and vision rehabilitation.

Arrangement

Alphabetical by subject

Provenance

The photographs in this collection comprise the contents of the "subject" vertical file of photographs once located in the archives office. About half of the collection was originally collected and catalogued by the Howe Library staff prior to 1985, and transferred to the Archives around that time. These photographs can be identified by NLM-type call numbers (WX.925.Boston.1954.1) marked on the verso of each. The remaining material, from various sources, was added to the collection after 1985, when the Archives was in operation.

Related Materials Note

See PC 7 for the vertical file collection of photographs of individuals associated with the Infirmary, and see PC 4 for the collection of oversize photographs.

Processing Notes

The collection was processed and finding aid created by Judy Weinland in May 1994. The finding aid was revised by Mara Gregory in September 2022. Additional collection was processed and finding aid was revised by Ammany Ty in November 2022.

Index

This index should be especially helpful in identifying individuals represented in the photographs. However, not all individuals have been identified, and those depicted in group shots are not indexed at this time. Large groups of individuals, including Residents, are not indexed.