Psychiatry, Religion, and Insanity in the Trial of Charles Guiteau

Title: Psychiatry, Religion, and Insanity in the Trial of Charles Guiteau
Subject: Trial of Charles Julius Guiteau
Description: This collection contains images relating to Charles Julius Guiteau, assassin of American President James Garfield. Images include portrait photos, illustrations, trial notes, and personal correspondence.
Source: Psychiatry, Religion, and Insanity in the Trial of Charles Guiteau exhibit
Contributor: Nick Brenner
Rights: Oskar Diethelm Library
Format: .jpg
Language: English
Type: photographs, illustrations, notes, and correspondence

Collection Items

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Roscoe Conkling

Photograph of Senator Roscoe Conkling, leader of the Stalwart faction of Republicans in the 1880 election. Enemy of Garfield and Blane. 1876 after 1868 negative.
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James A. Garfield

Photograph of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States. 1881.
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James G. Blaine

Photograph of Senator James G. Blaine, close friend and associate of President Garfield and Republican candidate for President in 1884. 1870-1880.
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John K. Porter

Portrait of John K. Porter, prosecuting attorney in the trial of Charles Julius Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield. 1878.
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John P. Gray

Engraved print of John P. Gray from The National Library of Medicine's online collections. 1880.
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James G. Kiernan

Photograph of James G. Kiernan from New York University: Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics, with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni. 1903.
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Edward C. Spitzka

Photograph of Edward C. Spitzka, from Moses King's Notable New Yorkers of 1896-1899: A Companion Volume to King's Handbook of New York City. 1899.
Item Document eugenics insanity defense

They Might Have Gone Free with Modern Procedure

1924 illustration by Albert Reid depicting the spirits of presidential assassins John Wilkes Booth and Charles Julius Guiteau. The tagline "they might have gone free with modern procedure" is a reference to the then-popular practice of determining mental illness via family history, informed by eugenic conceptions of heredity and degeneration. According to this logic, these two assassins would not have been executed in "modern times" because psychiatrists would have identified them as "insane" and therefore incapable of understanding the nature of their actions, becoming institutionalized in asylums instead of executed by the state.
Item Document insanity defense

Legislation and Lunacy

"Legislation and Lunacy: We shut the sane man and let-the happy crank wander at large."

Illustration from Puck magazine discussing the contemporary non-specialist perpsective on the implications of the insanity defense - letting criminals get off lightly with an asylum sentance while also allowing the mentally ill to cause trouble in society.
Item Still Image insanity defense

Approaching the End

Illustration from the Judge magazine depicting the trial of Charles Julius Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield. The illustration shows how testimony from psychiatrists (the "expert testimony" label on the branding iron) pronounce Guiteau sane and culpable for the murder of Garfield, opening up the path to execution. The illustration erases the dissenting testimony of psychiatrists for the defense, including W.W. Godding, Edward Spitzka, and James Kiernan, who were convinced that Guiteau was not sane.
Item Document

"Guiteau"

Poem about Charles Julius Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield. The poem was written by Rev. James Ballard of Red Oak, IA, and sent to John K. Porter, prosecuting attorney in the trial of Guiteau.
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Guiteau Trade Card

Small illustration of Charles Julius Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield. He is depicted as a jester trampling on a document entitled "law & order", and brandishing a paper reading "An office or your life - Guiteau" in one hand and a revolver with the phrase "Bull dog" inscribed on it in the other.
Item Document insanity defense

Note fragment on insanity, possibly John K. Porter

Note fragment on insanity, possibly written by John K. Porter during the trial of Charles Julius Guiteau. Follows the M'Naghten Rule for determining insanity, whereby the accused needs to have been unable to tell the difference between right and wrong when committing a criminal act in order to be deemed insane under the law.
Item Document

Fragment of W. W. Godding's Letter Submitted to President Arthur

Fragment of W. W. Godding's Letter Submitted to President Arthur on June 22, 1882. This letter asked President Arthur to establish a Commission of Lunacy to determine Charles Julius Guiteau's insanity. The President rejected Godding's plea and Guiteau was executed 8 days later.
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Garfield's Memorial Service Announcement

Announcement of the memorial service for President James A. Garfield on February 27, 1882.
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Charles Guiteau

Front-facing portrait of Charles Julius Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield.
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Charles Julius Guiteau

Portrait of Charles Julius Guiteau, taken by C. M. Bell while Guiteau was in jail on February 6, 1882.
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Guiteau, Charles J.

Portrait of Charles Julius Guiteau, taken by C. M. Bell while Guiteau was in jail on July 4, 1881, just after the assassination of Garfield.

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