Mollie Lentaigne was a medical artist who worked at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead during the Second World War alongside Archibald McIndoe.
From 1940 to 1945, Lentaigne drew hundreds of medical illustrations capturing the ground-breaking procedures being performed at the hospital, particularly for RAF servicemen who suffered severe burns during the Battle of Britain and the war in Europe.
Lentaigne first met McIndoe at a garden party in 1940, aged 20. Having grown bored at this formal event, a friend challenged her to sketch a man who had caught her attention. This turned out to be McIndoe himself. Impressed with her talent, McIndoe offered her a position as a medical artist, which she accepted and commenced soon after.
In addition to working as a medical illustrator part-time, Lentaigne also fulfilled the responsibilities of a Red Cross nurse on the ward. However, she always needed to be prepared to attend theatre at a moment's notice, necessitating her keeping a bag packed with art equipment constantly by her side.
Lentaigne also assisted with the creation of artificial eyes. She painted copies of the patient’s intact iris, in an image much larger in scale than the original. This was then used in the production of a prosthesis.
In the latter years of the war, Lentaigne struggled with her vision, possibly as a result of war-related food rationing. She was also over-worked. This resulted in her being given time away from her illustrative duties, but it directly led to her stopping her work with McIndoe. She later assumed a position with the Red Cross in India for the remaining duration of the conflict. Following the war, she studied textile design at the Oxford School of Art, after which she relocated to South Africa to be with her parents, and married to become “Mollie Lock”. While her passion for art remained, she never resumed the role of medical illustrator. She passed away in 2024, just a week short of her 104thBirthday.
Contributor: Alex Baldwin