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The Andrew Kennedy Drawings, c. 1888

Andrew Kennedy (1825-1899) was a patient at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in the late nineteenth century. Thirty-four of his drawings are held within the papers of Dr Thomas Clouston, who was physician superintendent to this psychiatric hospital (LHSA Ref: GD16)

Andrew Kennedy Drawing_1, c. 1888, LHSA Ref: GD16 Detail of Andrew kennedy Drawing_2, c. 1888, LHSA Ref: GD16  

The drawings typically represent matrons or doctors at the hospital, but also include birds, fish and cows.  They were all drawn on small scraps of paper, often accompanied by writing and offer a rare insight into the patient-experience.  A selection of these drawings were loaned to an exhibition of British Outsider Art at the Halle Saint Pierre, Paris from March to September 2008.

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