Frederick Gutekunst operated a successful photography studio in Philadelphia. The prolific photographer was well known for his portraits of Civil War generals and business and political leaders, and for his panoramic landscape views. His work also appeared in the publication, The Mind Unveiled; or, A Brief History of Twenty-Two Imbecile Children. Written by Isaac Newton Kerlin, the publication, which includes two tipped-in photographs, examined the subject of intellectual disabilities in children and adults and served as an appeal for funding. The images by Gutekunst represent an early use of photographic illustration for an American psychiatric publication.