Renal cancer in an 80-year old man with anaemia and fatal hypostatic bronchopneumonia: section of kidney and pelvis showing yellowish carcinoma and purple metastases, filling a cystic cavity, with blood clots. Watercolour by Barbara E. Nicholson, 1951.

Ashford, Middlesex, 1951.

1 painting : watercolour, with gouache ; sheet 24.2 x 16 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.

Upper pole, remians of pelvis, renal artery, renal vein filled with growth, cystic cavity filled with blood clot and necrotic growth Lettering inscribed in black ink as key, typed accompanying note with patient history states that it was only at autopsy that this large cystic renal carcinoma was found, with widespread metastases in regional lymph nodes, left supraclavicular lymph node and lungs Bears number: 256/1951

Wellcome Collection 34317i

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.

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.