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Nine watercolors of human anatomy depicting limbs afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis.
History and Biography
Edward Dowdall was born in 1856 in Ireland to Edward and Winifred Duggan Dowdall; the family immigrated to New York City when he was a child. Dowdall was educated at Cooper Union and the Art Students’ League of New York, followed by further study in Britain and France. He died in New York City on Nov. 22, 1932.
Sources: Biographical information found in Ancestry, accessed October 4, 2019
Organization
Nine watercolors of human anatomy depicting limbs afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis. One image is of a foot, six show hands, and two depict full figures, one of whom (folder 5) is identified as “Lydia Pinckham” – perhaps Lydia Pinkham (1819-1883), the inventor of the popular “woman’s tonic.” None of the other images are notated.
One of the watercolors (folder 5) has a full signature and the date 1877; the rest are signed “ED ‘77” or “EdD ’77.” The images are 19” x 12 ¼” (49 cm. x 32 cm.) and are mounted on boards measuring 22 ¼” x 16” (57 cm. x 42 cm.). The collection did not come with any information on why these were created or for whom.
Subject Headings and Related Records
Administrative Information
Archives & Special Collections has no information on the provenance of these illustrations. They were discovered in a box which also contained late 19th century microphotographs but there appears to be no connection between the two collections.