Abandoned Asylums: An unrestricted journey into America's forgotten hospitals

The images captured by photographer Matt Van der Velde are powerful, haunting and emotive. A sad and tragic reality that these once glorious historical institutions now sit vacant and forgotten as their futures are uncertain and threatened with the wrecking ball.

Explore a private mental hospital that treated Marilyn Monroe and other celebrities seeking safe haven. Or look inside the seclusion cells at an asylum that once incarcerated the now-infamous Charles Manson. Or see the autopsy theatre at a Government Hospital for the Insane that was the scene for some of America's very first lobotomy procedures.

Now available in a book, published by Jonglez Publishing, it includes a forward by renowned expert Carla Yanni examining their evolution and subsequent fall from grace, and accompanying writings by Matt Van der Velde detailing their respective histories. Abandoned Asylums will shine some light on the glorious, and sometimes infamous institutions that have for so long been shrouded in darkness.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Matt Van der Velde