The Vintage Photograph Project

Abstract

Background: Placing artwork in hospitals and creating art have been shown to help children cope with the stress of hospitalization. The Vintage Photograph Project combined passive and active arts engagement for an intervention that explored hospitalized children’s interest in and responses to restored vintage photographs. Methods: This descriptive study included a convenience sample of 20 hospitalized children, ages 5–18 in the United States. Drawing accompanied a one-time interview. Results: The photographs were of interest to all participants. Subject matter and feelings drove the child’s choice of favorite photograph. Responses to the photographs were incorporated within five themes: (1) exploring the unfamiliar, (2) seeking the familiar, (3) seeing something cute, (4) finding something funny and (5) liking what they saw. The act of drawing promoted conversation and social interaction; generated humor and stories of family, friends and pets; and resulted in artwork for an interesting hospital art exhibition. Conclusions: Findings suggest that restored vintage photographs are a subject of interest to hospitalized children and are worthy of consideration for comparison studies to determine their potential as positive distractors for hospitalized children. Study methods that incorporated vintage photographs provided an enjoyable and therapeutic intervention for children and their families.

Keywords:

• Visual arts
• children's hospitalization
• children's drawings
• photographs
• curiosity