Joel Ito collection

This collection consists largely of medical illustrations by Joel Ito. Any drawings, transparencies, or photocopies of drawings are considered to be by Joel Ito unless otherwise noted. This collection also includes photographs and drawings that are by other artists or that are unattributed. Many illustrations were created upon request from faculty at OHSU for use as figures in journal articles or other publications. Much of the artwork features human anatomy and uses paint, pen and ink, charcoal, and pencil. Many pieces are diagrams with transparent overlays containing descriptions of the subject matter.

This collection is organized into 5 main series: I. Man, II. Clinical Atlas of Glaucoma, III. Unidentified projects, IV. Other works, and V. Works by other artists or unattributed.

The first series, Man, includes roughly 120 illustrations and photographs intended for the 1969 book Man by Richard J. Harrison and William Montagna. The images include illustrations, diagrams, and charts showing different biological parts and systems of the human body, sometimes comparing them to primates and other animals. The series has been organized by the figure numbers found on the physical artwork which do not necessarily correspond to how the images ultimately appeared in either edition of the book. Not all images in the book are present in the series. There are also many items in this series that did not appear in the book as well as items marked “For Position Only.” The photographs of primates are attributed to Stuart Shininger in the book’s preface. Other photographs in this series are attributed to D. J. Chivers and some are not attributed at all. Photographs include nude images of humans, some of which are restricted due to their nature. This series contains photographs depicting people of several different ethnicities, however the photographs that were selected to be published in Man do not reflect the same diversity.

The second series, Clinical Atlas of Glaucoma, holds approximately 25 items, most of which were used in a book of the same name by Dr. E. Michael Van Buskirk published in 1986. The black and white illustrations in this series are printed on transparencies for publishing purposes. There are often multiple images per transparency sheet to demonstrate the procedural steps for different surgical therapy techniques to treat glaucoma.

The third series, “Unidentified projects,” is made up of over 200 items that appear to be from 3 distinct projects likely intended for publication, but that do not correspond to any books or papers that have been located at the time of processing. Artwork is organized by the numbers found on each piece. There are color illustrations, some with informational overlays, and there are photocopies, many with editing notes. The photocopies are dated 1993 or 1994, but all other pieces are undated.

The fourth series, “Other works,” includes 26 illustrations that are either individual works created for unknown purposes or works that were used as figures in one of the following publications: The Functional Anatomy of the Lower Limb of the Howler Monkey by Theodore I. Grand, Medical Histology: A Text Atlas with Introductory Pathology by Robert L. Bacon and Nelson R. Niles, or Atlas of Normal Human Skin by William Montagna, Albert M. Kligman, and Kay S. Carlisle. Some of the items have a name on the back that is thought to be the person who requested the illustration. Works in this collection are either by Joel Ito or are unattributed but likely by Ito. The works in this series are either undated or fall between 1963 and 1992.

The fifth series, “Works by other artists or unattributed,” consists of over 20 works by other artists or that are unattributed. Within this series are images found in the following publications: The Functional Anatomy of the Ankle and Foot of the Slow Loris by Theodore I. Grand, The Functional Anatomy of the Lower Limb of the Howler Monkey also by Grand, The Structure and Function of Skin by William Montagna and Paul F. Parakkal, and Cysts of Tenon's Capsule Following Filtration Surgery by E. Michael Van Buskirk. Many of the works in this series are undated, but the rest are from around 1962 to 1981.