I chose this specific image from Mary Ellen Mark’s “Ward 81” to interpret because it was one of the few pictures from this collection in which some form of joy seems to be present. I think this photo is exceptionally meaningful because it sheds light on a positive moment within a mental institution where the occurrences are not primarily good. Ward 81 was the women’s security ward of the Oregon State Hospital, and the women on the ward were considered dangerous to themselves or to others. In this photo there are a man and a woman dancing to music, one can assume, and another man sitting down to the right of the others. This image called out to me because of the emotion the viewer can feel from looking at the two faces smiling and happy for a moment in time.
Citation: Mark, M. (1976). [Photograph]. Ward 81, Oregon State Hospital, Salem, Oregon.