Annette Smith Burgess (1899 – August 1, 1962) was an American
medical illustrator and instructor at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Early life
Annette Smith was born in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, in 1899 to Richard Henry Smith and his wife.
She attended public schools in Baltimore.
She graduated from the
Maryland Institute College of Art where she studied under
Max Brödel
Max Brödel (June 8, 1870 – October 26, 1941) was a medical illustrator. Born in Leipzig, Germany, he began his artistic career after graduating from the Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts, working for Dr. Carl Ludwig. Under Ludwig's instruction, Brö ...
.
She attended
Johns Hopkins University from 1923 to 1926.
Career
In 1926, Burgess was hired by William Holland Wilmer to become the first
ophthalmic illustrator and the first
medical illustrator at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
In 1948, she became an instructor of
medical illustration at Johns Hopkins in its "Art as Applied to Medicine" program until she retired on July 1, 1961.
Over her 35 year career, Burgess painted and drew practically all of the illustrations that appeared in medical publications of the work and research done at the Wilmer Eye Institute.
She made her illustrations using
acetate sheets with an
ophthalmoscope and
slit lamp. She drew illustrations of eyes, particularly the
fundus
''Fundus'' (Latin for "bottom") is an anatomical term referring to that part of a concavity in any organ, which is at the far end from its opening. It may refer to: Anatomy
* Fundus (brain), the deepest part of any sulcus of the cerebral cortex
* ...
, including eyes infected with different diseases.
These illustrations became internationally recognized because Burgess's illustrations were able to illuminate structures of the eye that photography could not; making it easier to educate and communicate research on diseases of the eye.
She was a charter member of the
Association of Medical Illustrators.
She was listed in the
Who's Who of Women in America.
Selected works
She was the illustrator of the following publications:
* ''Wilmer Atlas of Fundi Occuli'' (1934), William Holland Wilmer
* ''Endogenous Uyeitis'' (1956), Alan C. Woods
* '' Endogenous Inflammations of the Uveal Tract'' (1961), Alan C. Woods
Death
After moving to
Jackson, Mississippi, in 1961, she died on August 1, 1962, at the
University of Mississippi Hospital in Jackson.
She was buried at
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Baltimore.
Legacy
The Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins established the Annette Burgess Award. The award has been presented since 1967.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Annette Smith
1899 births
1962 deaths
People from Baltimore
Medical illustrators
American women illustrators
Maryland Institute College of Art alumni
Johns Hopkins University faculty