Gifts of portraits of two women pharmacists
The Society is to accept gifts of portraits of two women pharmacists from the early 20th century to add to its museum portrait collection.
The offers had to be considered at the December
Council meeting because
portraits fall outside the Council’s agreed acquisition policy
for the museum, which is restricted to proprietary medicines and material
relating to the Society itself.
A detail from the portrait of Vera Lord |
Nicola Gray, as chairman of the Science
Committee, which has responsibility for museum functions, said that the
offers were unconnected but had been
received at about the same time. Each portrait was offered by a great-niece
of its subject. The first portrait is of Elsie Seville Hooper, who registered
with the Society in 1902 and went on to be the first secretary of the
(National) Association of Women Pharmacists. The second is of Vera Lord,
who registered in 1915 and, although emigrating to Tasmania in the 1920s,
retained her membership until her death in the 1970s.
Dr Gray said that the offers were timely in the light of the fact that
the National Association of Women Pharmacists celebrates its centenary
in 2005. The NAWP is believed to be the oldest professional organisation
for women in existence. She added that the Society’s portrait collection
currently includes only one woman and that is Jean Irvine, who was the
first woman president of the Society (1947–48).
On the resource implications, Dr Gray said that one portrait would need
attention from a portrait conservator but the cost could be met from
the museum’s existing conservation budget.
Briony Hudson, keeper of the Society’s museum collections, said
that the museum hoped to put the portraits on display next year as part
of the celebration of the NAWP centenary. They would then at some point
have to go into storage.
Michael Schofield said that he did not like the thought of the portraits
in storage. He did not believe that no room in the building could benefit
from having them.
Douglas Simpson said that there were fewer walls in the building as it
moved to open plan offices. He would prefer the Society’s collections
to be on open display. He also thought that the acquisitions policy was
too restrictive and should be reviewed.
The President said that having portraits hung around the building allowed
the Society to explain its heritage. It was an important aspect of being
a professional body.
The Council agreed to accept the portraits and expressed its gratitude
to the donors.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal