The Universals are in the Cards: How postcards of private, religious, and fraternal societies’ homes for orphans and the elderly demonstrate Wolfensberger’s universals

Dr. Wolfensberger collected postcards as artifacts depicting various types of institutions, human services and the imaging of societally esteemed people. They inform the viewer of trends in service provision, and societal perceptions of people in need of assistance. The postcards also reveal certain aspects within the broader society, and specifically within human services, that prevail across time and space, what Dr. Wolfensberger called universals.
This presentation focuses on the development of orphanages, and homes for the aged as they replaced the almhouse for housing children and the elderly. Focusing on North America, we examine postcards of private secular homes, homes founded by religious organizations, and those created by fraternal organizations. The postcards illustrate the development of several types of architectural approaches to housing: the multiple cottage scheme, mixed designs, and the independent village model.
Across these examples we will uncover the presence of several universals identified by Dr. Wolfensberger. As a result we will find faint reminders of the almhouse continuing within the replacement institutions.