Charles Altamont Doyle, the father of Arthur Conan Doyle, originally worked in an architectural post in Edinburgh until his heavy drinking rendered him unemployable. His family found a place for him in Blairerno House, a home for inebriates in the north of Scotland. However, he proved unmanageable and was committed to Montrose Asylum in 1885. He was judged by the admitting doctor to be ‘very confused & bewildered’. He was to remain confused and the case notes repeatedly comment on his short-term memory problems. It is likely that Doyle was suffering from Korsakoff's psychosis. Despite this, he continued to sketch and paint, demonstrating that creative work can co-exist with cognitive decline, at least for a time. This picture represents a fantastical portrayal of Montrose Asylum where ghostly horses and human figures float around its towers. Doyle's Montrose artwork is wide-ranging and, as well as depicting scenes from asylum life, he painted giant birds, fairies, unicorns and exuberant vegetation. Some of the work he completed while an asylum inmate has been reproduced in Baker, M. (1978) The Doyle Diary (Paddington Press), from which the above picture was taken. Another example will feature in the December issue of the Journal.
Untitled (1889) by Charles Altamont Doyle (1832–1893)
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