Was JMW Turner's mother really mentally ill'? | Letter

"JMW Turner mother's died when she was 29, when he was busy preparing for and opening his first public exhibition, and her mental illness, referred to in your review of the BBC Two documentary Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks (19 November), should be described as purported. We only have the testimony provided by the actions of her husband and son, who sent her to a lunatic asylum designed for paupers, when they were in fact not poor"

"and could have accommodated her in a better environment with better care, and thereby lengthened her life. The lunatic asylum Bethlem was run by someone who had a close connection with Turner and mentored him as an artist, so it seems clear that the family used this connection to get rid of the mother, to get her away from them."

"As we do not have a clear and impartial doctor's diagnosis, we cannot take as read that the mother had a mental illness, rather than being perhaps difficult to get along with. I recommend that your writers read the article Dr Monro, Mr Turner, and His Mother, published by the online journal Hektoen International, before they continue to celebrate Turner's legacy with such unbridled devotion."

JMW Turner's mother died at age 29 while he prepared and opened his first public exhibition. Her supposed mental illness should be described as purported because the only evidence comes from the actions of her husband and son. They sent her to a pauper lunatic asylum despite the family's relative wealth and capacity to provide better care, which could have extended her life. The Bethlem asylum was run by a figure connected to Turner who mentored him, suggesting the family used that relationship to remove her. No clear, impartial medical diagnosis exists, so the mother's condition cannot be accepted as a confirmed mental illness.

Read at www.theguardian.com