The Casey House Archives: A Private Archival Collection From Canada's First Hospital for People Living With HIV

This thesis investigates the visual history of the early years of the HIV epidemic in Toronto, using photographs and related materials from The Casey House Archives‚ a private archival collection from Canada's first hospice for people living with HIV. Currently, the visual history of HIV is dominated by public visual representations that were often stereotypical and sensationalized, and lacked contributions from other perspectives. I argue that the Casey House Archives shows a different perspective of the HIV epidemic - one that reflects what it was like for those most affected by HIV at the time, as the archive was built directly by activists, caregivers, family, friends, and people living with HIV. With this paper, I answer the following question: What perspective does the Casey House Archives contribute to the visual history of Toronto's HIV epidemic, and what meaning can we make of it?