Herman Detering History of Photography and Psychiatry collection

Newly processed! The Herman Detering History of Photography and Psychiatry collection has been processed and a finding aid is available at https://archives.library.tmc.edu/ms-203.

Herman Eberhard Detering, III, was the longtime owner of the Detering Book Gallery, a rare book store in the Houston area. His grandfather H.E. Detering, Sr., founded The Detering General Store, which was followed by The Detering Company Building Materials (check out the Detering Family and Business Papers as well as the Detering Company Records at the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections).

The collection at the McGovern Historical Center reflects the interest Herman E. Detering, III, had in the relationship between photography and psychiatry in the 19th century. A significant portion of the collection consists of prints Detering created in preparation for the exhibit “Photography and Psychiatry in the 19th Century,” which was on display in the Texas Medical Center as part of Houston FotoFest ’88.

In addition to the prints he created, Detering’s collection includes original materials such as 19th century carte de visites and a collection of glass plate negatives from the 1920s. There are also publications, postcards, and other items related to hospitals, asylums, and other organizations. In addition, Detering contributed a couple of the MHC’s most notable reading room objects: a magic lantern and a camera with stand (probably late 19th century).

As if that weren’t enough, Detering also donated the related book collection—now the Herman Detering Book Collection on Psychiatry and Photography to the McGovern Historical Center.