Portrait of Dr. Hugh Welch Diamond, 1869 (sepia photo)

Hugh Welch Diamond (1809 – 1886) was an early British psychiatrist and photographer; A doctor by profession, he opened a private practice in Soho, London, and then decided to specialise in psychiatry, being appointed to Brookwood Hospital, the second Surrey County Asylum. Fascinated by the possible use of photography in the treatment of mental disorders; some of his many calotypes depicting the expressions of people suffering from mental disorders are particularly moving. These were used not only for record purposes, but also, he claimed in the treatment of patients - although there was little evidence of success;