Dissecting aortic aneurysm in a 46-year old man with dyspnoea and congestive heart failure. Watercolour by Barbara E. Nicholson, 1952.

Ashford, Middlesex, 1952.

1 drawing : black ink, with watercolour wash ; sheet 21.9 x 27.9 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.

Blood in media, anterior, posterior, blood in media ends here, blood in media ends here Lettering inscribed in black ink as key, typed accompanying note with patient history explains how the aneurysm affected the blood flow, since dissection had occurred on the anterior aspect of the aorta only ascending to the end of the descending arch Bears number: 277/1952

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 34437i

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.