Historical information

Robert Lawson Tait (1845-1899) was a Scottish doctor and surgeon instrumental in the development of gynaecology as a field during the 19th century.

Tait has been credited "with introducing a number of gynecologic surgeries, or surgeries related to women’s reproductive health. Those included procedures for treating abscesses, removing ovaries, and fallopian tubes, and treatment of the gallbladder." He also "argued for strict cleanliness during surgery as well as a more specific focus on performing surgeries to treat diseases of the female reproductive system. Tait’s surgical techniques and advocacy not only aided in the development of hygiene in surgery, increasing patient survival, but also helped develop the field of gynecology, which contributed to a centralized focus on the health of the female reproductive system." (Arizona State University, Embryo Project Encyclopedia)

Physical description

Black and white reproduction of a portrait photograph. Photograph is of a man in a dark coloured three-piece suit, with a white shirt and striped tie. The man has mutton chop sideburns and long, dark hair, which is parted about his right eye. The man is looking to camera right. The image is in an oval cutout on a white background. Handwritten reproduction of signature beneath the photograph reads 'Lawson Tait/1891'. The photograph is mounted in white card and housed in a black wooden frame. There is an old object label attached to the back of the object. A sticker noting the framer of the image (Jarman the Picture Framer) is attached to the back of the work at upper centre. A wire and two hooks have been attached to the back of the frame for hanging.