Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- May H. Lesser papers
- Dates:
- bulk 1990s
- Creators:
- Lesser, May H., 1927-2001
- Abstract:
- This collection consists of May H. Lesser's unpublished manuscript, including illustrations, for The Art of Caring, her chronical of the experiences of new physicians at the LAC+USC Medical Center in the 1970s.
- Containers:
- Box: 1
Box: 2 - Extent:
- 0.875 Linear Feet 2 boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder no. or item name], May H. Lesser papers, Collection no. 5342, University Archives, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains the unpublished manuscript for The Art of Caring, May Lesser's illustrated chronicle of physicians and medical care at the LAC+USC Medical Center, along with photographs of her artwork, and a draft introduction by Roy Porter. Correspondence about the manuscript is also included.
- Biographical / historical:
-
May H. Lesser created a body of artwork chronicling the study and practice of medicine. The daughter, wife, and mother of physicians, she possessed a keen sense of the culture of medicine. Lesser graduated with a B.F.A. degree from H. Sophie Newcomb College at Tulane University with honors in drawing. She earned a Master of Arts degree in painting from the University of Alabama and did post-graduate work at Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, UCLA, San Fernando Valley State College, and the University of Southern California. In 1967, she contacted the chairman of the anatomy department at the UCLA School of Medicine and requested permission to attend the anatomy labs in order to learn human bone and muscle anatomy better. This experience led her to follow the Class of '71 through four years of medical school, chronicling their education through her art. Upon completing her four-year medical school experience, Ms. Lesser followed a number of these fledgling doctors through their internship and residency training at the LAC+USC Medical Center. She continued to document her impressions and experiences through her artwork and diaries. The resulting collection of images and stories was entitled The Art of Caring. Years later, Ms. Lesser continued her artistic interpretation of the medical environment by publishing An Artist in the University Medical Center, based on her experience as a resident artist at the Tulane University Medical Center.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Dr. Lesser to the Norris Medical Library, July 1999.
- Processing information:
-
This collection is unprocessed.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-28 16:32:42 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Advance notice required for access.
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder no. or item name], May H. Lesser papers, Collection no. 5342, University Archives, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
- Location of this collection:
-
Doheny Memorial Library, Room 209University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA 90089-0189, US
- Contact:
- (213) 740-2587