Author Description

The photographs of Georges Raviart (1875-1956), the psychiatrist and director of the mental hospital at Armentieres near Lille, belong to the collection of Gerard Levy. Raviart photographed the inhabitants of the mental asylum between 1901 and 1911, when he was employed as one of the doctors there. However, he did not resort to the "style" current in medical circles at the time. Contrary to current opinion, Georges Raviart regarded their weaknesses as illness, because he was of the opinion that "the most dangerous patients are those who are running around in freedom".