Abstract:
Plastic surgery in twentieth-century Britain was deeply intertwined with art
and artists, shaping the field’s emerging reputation and archives. This talk,
based on Slobogin’s
forthcoming book, examines works by Diana “Dickie” Orpen and Percy Hennell,
whose drawings and photographs helped plastic surgeons craft narratives around
their practice. These visual materials not only documented surgical procedures
but also played a role in constructing the identity of the discipline. Beyond
tracing an art history
of plastic surgery, this research delves into the emotional dimensions of these
archival objects and the experience of working within potentially traumatic
spaces. It explores what it meant to create art in surgical environments and
what it means to engage with these affecting paper objects in the archive
today.