Deaf and dumb girls, 1865. These girls are from the Brighton Deaf and Dumb Institution, England. During Victorian times, those who were deaf were often also considered dumb, as they never learnt to speak. The deaf were often placed in institutions to be cared for, and it was in such institutions that deaf culture and the use of sign language spread. This photograph has been taken by a pistolgraph (pistol-shaped camera) designed by the British inventor Thomas Skaife (1806-1876). The ornamental border is that produced by Skaife's photographic studio (Skaife's Pistolgraph Depot), based near Regent's Park in London, England.