Lam Qua and Peter Parker: Portraiture of Head and Neck Surgery in 19th-Century China

Abstract

In 1835, Peter Parker, an American surgeon and Presbyterian minister, established a hospital in Guangzhou and became the first Western head and neck surgeon in China. While Parker documented his most interesting cases in his journals, he also commissioned oil paintings of these patients from Lam Qua (), a prominent Chinese artist trained in British academic painting. Lam Qua produced 86 portraits of Dr Parker’s patients, providing insight into not only the treatment of head and neck tumors but also the introduction of Western artistic techniques to 19th-century China. Parker’s pioneering surgical accomplishments and Lam Qua’s portraits document the role of art and medicine in America’s cultural influence in Asia.