corpses

Sydney’s asylums are haunting monuments to a shameful chapter in our criminal and medical history. Shut away from a public that was fearful of the “wild-eyed lunatic”, the city’s poorly-funded asylums became a dragnet that would catch the forgot, the poor, the criminal and, of course, the mentally ill. There were plenty of success stories,…

Ex-convict Michael Gannon was a carpenter, and given how profitable death was in The Rocks in those days, he focused especially on coffins. This led to him beginning work as an undertaker (a natural career progression, of course) in the rear of the property. Today the building houses the Gannon House Gallery, which showcases incredible…