Builders and doctors in Brasilia: Brasilia, the most modern capital city in the world has 65,000 inhabitants in 1959. Today, its population totals 250,000. In three years, this figure will increase to 500,000. Since the first foundations were laid, builders and doctors have worked closely together, first to see to it that the 60,000 workers who took part in building the new city stayed in good health; then to prevent the town from being invaded by diseases of the bush and forest. Immigrants' health are checked systematically on the roads in order to discover possible sources of dangerous disease.

Skip to main content
Builders and doctors in Brasilia: Brasilia, the most modern capital city in the world has 65,000 inhabitants in 1959. Today, its population totals 250,000. In three years, this figure will increase to 500,000. Since the first foundations were laid, builders and doctors have worked closely together, first to see to it that the 60,000 workers who took part in building the new city stayed in good health; then to prevent the town from being invaded by diseases of the bush and forest. Immigrants' health are checked systematically on the roads in order to discover possible sources of dangerous disease.
Builders and doctors in Brasilia: Brasilia, the most modern capital city in the world has 65,000 inhabitants in 1959. Today, its population totals 250,000. In three years, this figure will increase to 500,000. Since the first foundations were laid, builders and doctors have worked closely together, first to see to it that the 60,000 workers who took part in building the new city stayed in good health; then to prevent the town from being invaded by diseases of the bush and forest. Immigrants' health are checked systematically on the roads in order to discover possible sources of dangerous disease.
Artist/Maker (French-Hungarian, 1906 – 2003)
Datec. 1960
MediumVintage gelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/8 × 10 in. (20.6 × 25.4 cm) Image: 8 1/8 × 10 in. (20.6 × 25.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Thomas J. Wilson and Jill M. Garling, P2016
Object number2022.15.172
Not on view
Collections

Additional Details

Provenance 2022: Hamilton College (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art)
From the collection of Charles-Henri Favrod, the founding director of the Musée de l'Elysée de la Photographie in Lausanne, Switzerland
Markings Verso, right (stamped): "[GENERAL SERIES/ TRAINING/Training of health personnel is a primary task. WHO helps build up of national/ and regional teaching and training institutions./ Doctors ar school in Latin America. More doctors are urgently needed in/ developing countries, calling for more professors, lecturers and other teaching/ staff./ FORMATION DU PERSONNEL/ La formation du personnel sanitaire est un tache primordiale./ L'OMS encourage/ les institutions nationales et regionales d'enseignment et de formation./ Medicins a l'ecole en Amerique latine./ Les pays en voie de development/ reclament davantage de medecins. Leur formation exige de plus en plus de professeurs, de conferenciers et de personnel enseignant./ WHO/12470/ by Paul Almasy."

Verso, left (stamped): "[Mil: Edna 39/ EDITIONS RENCONTRE/ Presse et Information/ Iconographie/ Ch. d'Entre-bois 33/ 1018 LAUSANNE Suisse/ Titre Argentine/ Origine AR/ A restituer apres usage,/ sauf accord particulier./ Droits Reserves.]"
Inscribed Verso, upper center: "FCC F F17"
Verso, left corner: "Argentine"
Verso, lower left: "EDNA 39"
Verso, lower left corner: "PAL-F-12" and "3000"
Verso, lower center: "1914"
Portrait of Swiss doctor Paul Niehans, who developed cellular therapy, resting head on hand
Gertrude Fehr
Date: 1967
Medium: Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print
Object number: 2022.15.214
Doctor listening to child's heartbeat, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Marc Riboud
Date: 1960
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Object number: 2021.12.248
Man in tub, Talaya Health Resort, Kalyma, Chukotka
Dmitri Baltermants
Date: 1960s, printed 2003
Medium: Gelatin silver Estate print
Object number: 2023.12.140