The image that I chose from Wellcome Images is called “A Chinese lady (Lo Wanshun) from Canton (Guangzhou) sitting on a couch with a tumor on her left cheek.” This portrait was painted by Lam Qua in 1836.

This image captured my attention because the size of the tumor on the woman’s left cheek stood out to me. The tumor is situated beneath her left ear and it extends forward to her cheeks and nose and goes down to her neck. The woman is sitting gracefully on the wooden bench with both hands on her lap and her legs crossed. She is wearing a blue robe with black collars and a purple skirt. Her foot seems to be bound based on the shape and the type of shoe she was wearing. Her hair is put up into a simple hairdo with two hair ornaments sticking out from the back. She is wearing a jade bangle on both her wrists and a dangle earring on her right ear. Based on her appearance, it seems like she is in her late 30s to early 40s and she should be married and has children.

To me, the striking part of this image is the woman’s expression. Although the left side of her face is disfigured, she doesn’t seem all that sad. Her eyes show tiredness but she has a slight smile for the portrait. Perhaps she has hope that she will receive the right treatment for her tumor at Canton Hospital. This image is very similar to the image we saw in class where two sisters has a deformity in their left eye. Both images depict a physical deformity as a result of some disease or medical condition.

L0037319 Credit: Wellcome Library, London
A Chinese lady (Lo Wanshun) from Canton (Guangzhou) sitting on a couch with a tumour on her left cheek.