Dr. Dippy's Sanitarium (1906)

[dr.giraud]

I received the following inquiry from a friend. Anyone seen this Biograph short:

"A neighbor of mine is teaching a course in the history of Psychology. He's looking for a copy of an old, old silent short:

"Dr. Dippy's Sanitarium"
1906
American Mutoscope & Biograph

It's the first known depiction of Psychiatry in cinema. I was hoping to find it on some sort of DVD compilation of silent shorts, but my search came up snake-eyes. I was hoping you might be a part of some secret, sophisticated cabal of old movie devotees and that you might have access points to Dr. Dippy unavailable to me."

[Frederica]

I received the following inquiry from a friend. Anyone seen this Biograph short:

"A neighbor of mine is teaching a course in the history of Psychology. He's looking for a copy of an old, old silent short:

"Dr. Dippy's Sanitarium"
1906
American Mutoscope & Biograph

It's the first known depiction of Psychiatry in cinema. I was hoping to find it on some sort of DVD compilation of silent shorts, but my search came up snake-eyes. I was hoping you might be a part of some secret, sophisticated cabal of old movie devotees and that you might have access points to Dr. Dippy unavailable to me."

Oooh, a cabal. I've always wanted to be part of a cabal.

Fred

[Claus H.]

I always wanted to be a caballero...

Sorry, but I can't help with the film, but I hope someone here might be able to.

Claus.

[silentfilm]

It doesn't survive in the Library of Congress Paper Print collection.

[Dana]

Bruce, are you referring to the full paper prints alone or also the fragments? I'm not sure that the paper fragment option goes back as early as 1906 but I've had good luck with researching hundreds of films from the teens for which no actual print survives. Admittedly they don't move but the good ones show all camera set ups/angles so you can get a good idea of directors' intent.

[silentfilm]

I'm referring to Early Motion Pictures: The Paper Print Collectionin the Library of Congress by Kemp Niver and Bebe Bergstrom, the 1985 revised book. It has a few fragments, but it is a list of mostly the complete films.

[dr.giraud]

Thanks Bruce.

[Nerves]

I believe this is held in the LOC Paper Print Collection. See p. 79 of the 1985 edition, bottom of the 2nd column.