Malignant abdominal tumour in a 65-year old woman with dyspepsia and haematemesis: sections of (a) spleen, opened to show large egg-shaped sarcoma and (b) diaphragm detail showing pendulous tumour attachments, the primary site of cancer. Watercolour by Barbara E. Nicholson, 1958.

Ashford, Middlesex, 1958.

1 painting : watercolour, with gouache ; sheet 30.6 x 28.5 cm

Barbara Evelyn Nicholson (1906 – 1978) trained at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1923. She began her artistic career as a medical illustrator and was a founder member of the Medical Artists Association, where she is recorded as serving on an exhibition committee in October 1949. By 1951, she had illustrated G.F. Gibberd, A short textbook of midwifery (2nd ed., London: J. & A. Churchill, 1941) and Philip Wiles, Essentials of orthopaedics (London: J. & A. Churchill, 1949). The Medical Artists Association records last list her, in 1951. In the 1950s her focus moved to botanical subjects and from the late 1950s – 1970s she was a prolific botanical illustrator.

Tumours attachment to diaphragm, spleen, tumour opened and viewed from the right Lettering inscribed in pencil, typed accompanying note with patient history states operation performed was left abdomino-thoracic incision Bears number: 522/1958

The watercolours and pen and ink drawings held by Wellcome Collection were painted by Barbara Nicholson at Ashford Hospital, Ashford, Middlesex, between 1946 and 1951, at the request of the surgeon Norman Matheson.

Wellcome Collection 36027i

Presented to the Wellcome Institute Library in 1987 by Ashford Postgraduate Medical Centre, as part of a collection of medical illustrations by Barbara E. Nicholson.