An unconscious naked man lying on a table being attacked by little demons armed with surgical instruments; representing the effects of chloroform on the human body. Watercolour by R. Cooper.

[approximately 1912]

1 painting : watercolour, with gouache, bodycolour and pencil ; sheet 42.8 x 57 cm

Cooper.

Copyright was assigned by the artist to the Wellcome organization

Wellcome Collection 24004i

Pijn, la douleur, pain: Museum Dr Guislain, Gent 2005, p. 34 (reproduced)

One of several paintings commissioned by Henry S. Wellcome around 1912 from Richard Cooper, who was then working in Paris. Cooper was educated at Tonbridge and then trained as an artist in Paris before the First World War. In 1914 he joined the British Army and in 1916 was transferred to the Royal Engineers. His obituary in The times says that he worked on camouflage with Solomon J. Solomon RA as well as acting as official war artist for The graphic. After the war he enjoyed a flourishing career as a graphic artist designing posters: he is particularly well known for his advertisements for the London Underground

Exhibited in ‘Cerebro(s)/Brain(s)’ at CCCB, Barcelona, 27th July – 11th December 2022

Exhibited in "Pain: passion, compassion, sensibility" at The Science Museum, London, 12 February-20 June 2004

Exhibited in "Pijn" (Pain) at Museum Dr Guislain, Ghent, 8 Oct. 2005-30 April 2006.

Exhibited in "Schlaf und Traum" at Dresden Deutsches Hygiene Museum, 31 March-3 October 2007

Exhibited in "Sleeping and dreaming" at Wellcome Collection, London, 29 November 2007--9 March 2008