Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow
Four artworks about inspiring women in medicine, 2021
Project Summary:
Artwork Design
Exhibition Design
Project management
Fabrication
Installation
"Admitting Women" is a temporary art installation by Bespoke Atelier within the College Hall of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. Gender inequality is a common theme of the heritage of many medical institutions and the College is no different. Although having been established since 1599, the first female Fellow of the College was not accepted until 1912. Admitting Women addresses the stories of gender inequality from the College's past, focusing on the lives and careers of four women who fought for equality.
College Hall’s four new artworks are inspired by the stories of four remarkable women. Elizabeth Adelaide Baker, Dr Jessie MacLaren MacGregor, and Dr Anne Louise Mcllroy tried and failed to become Fellows of the College between 1896 and 1910. This paved the way for Jamini Sen to be admitted, becoming the first female Fellow in 1912. All four women played important roles in the battle against gender inequality in the medical profession.
The exclusion of women from College fellowship was centred around the Victorian ideal of modest womanhood, with concerns over women’s admission hindering the prestige and image of the medical profession. Although willing to provide licenses to women since the 1880s, the College was reluctant to proactively support women’s careers in medicine and their pursuit of more senior roles.
The decision to admit women as Fellows did not represent an acceptance of female health professionals into the College community. Women continued to suffer marginalisation and discrimination, with numerous barriers in their efforts to progress into leadership roles well into the 20th century. The College elected its first female president, Professor Jackie Taylor, in 2018.
The new artworks are celebratory of the lives and achievements of these four incredible doctors. They are also a provocation of the traditions of the College and its Hall. College Hall was built in 1892, and the decisions to exclude, and finally to admit women, were taken in this room. Instead of retrospectively creating portraits of the women to add to the College Hall display, the designs aim to celebrate the women in their totality, challenging expectations of the room and its audience. The artworks act not as figurative resemblance but as an embodiment of the women’s life, work, power, strength and resilience.
Elizabeth Adelaide Baker
The first application by a woman to become a Fellow of the College came in 1897 from Elizabeth Adelaide Baker, who was already a licentiate of the College via the Triple Qualification. The College sought legal advice and refused to admit Baker, based on a minor technicality within medical legislation. The College concluded that women were “not eligible among the brethren” of Fellows. While refused, Baker’s attempt at obtaining fellowship represented a bold push for gender equality in medicine. The College Hall windows represent her connection here, as an outsider looking in, while the outline of instruments reference Baker’s adaptability as a practitioner. She was the first woman to ride a bicycle on a saddle in Oxford, and the wheels hint at this part of her story. Florals including gladiolus, magnolia and jasmine speak of her strength, perseverance and healing nature.
Jessie McLaren MacGregor
Dr Jessie MacLaren MacGregor wrote to the College in 1905 asking: ‘First on what grounds women were held to be ineligible for the Fellowship, and, secondly, if their hindrance might possibly be reviewed.’ Her request was refused. She also practiced at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, with the design incorporating a flowing striped pattern referencing The Meadows site and childlike, unrealistic scale combinations. Her remarkable personality, intellectual and artistic gifts are represented by the floral imagery of the iris and dianthus.
Anne Louise McIlory
Dr Anne Louise Mcllroy applied to become a Fellow of the College in 1910. In her application for fellowship, she stated that it was “necessary for the holding of teaching posts.” Her application although refused led to the motion being passed in 1911 allowing women to be accepted as Fellows. The design features triangular shapes and exotic palms representing Mcllroy’s work as a surgeon with the Scottish Women’s Hospital during the First World War. Three vertical interpretations of the female form in the upper part of the design represent her interest in pre-eclampsia and pain relief during childbirth. Her work in the Marie Curie Hospital alongside references to fertility, femininity, kindness, and her desire for freedom are symbolised by daffodils, lotus, dahlias and lilies.
Jamini Sen
Jamini Sen was admitted as the first female Fellow of the College in 1912, passing the fellowship examination as a surgeon. She was unable to hold office in the College, meaning that her privileges as a female Fellow were restricted compared to those of her male counterparts. It would be 11 years before another woman was admitted as a Fellow (Margaret Hogg Grant in 1923). The design features stacked triangular forms and staggered linear patterns, inspired by Nepal architecture and details from the Narayanhiti Palace where Sen worked as court surgeon to the Nepal Royal Household. Flowing lines of the College Hall fireplace, doors and windows connect Sen to the room. Her specialisation in women’s and children’s health is depicted by medical instruments and urine testing bottles.