Unlike many patients of her time who might have found eventual release, Mary remained in the asylum for the rest of her life. She lived in the basement lunatic cells for 25 years until her death in 1815. Today, she is reportedly buried in an unmarked grave on the hospital grounds.
In 1790, Mary Girard was the wife of Stephen Girard, one of the wealthiest men in America. After Mary became pregnant—allegedly by another man—Stephen took immediate and drastic action. He used his immense influence and wealth to have her declared "legally insane" and committed to the Pennsylvania Hospital. The Insanity Of Mary Girard Pdf
Stephen Girard was one of the wealthiest men in American history. A French-born merchant, sea captain, and banker, he would later save the U.S. government from bankruptcy during the War of 1812 and found Girard College. He was a figure of immense power—and immense cruelty. Unlike many patients of her time who might
: The central conflict stems from Mary’s lack of agency in a society where a husband held total legal control over his wife's body and freedom. Seeking the Text In 1790, Mary Girard was the wife of
For , Mary Girard lived in darkness, isolation, and filth. She was fed scraps through a slot. Her only companion was the sound of the rats and the muffled footsteps of the servants below.
Spoiler alert: Mary dies. But Mitchell refuses a tragic defeat. In the final moments of the play, Mary hallucinates the walls of the attic dissolving into the ocean. She stages her own funeral. She becomes the captain of a ghost ship. The PDF ends with the stage direction: "She is free. She is finally, terribly free."
The Insanity of Mary Girard is a 1976 one-act play by Lanie Robertson, based on the true historical account of a Philadelphia woman committed to an asylum in 1790. Plot Summary