Blake, Robert L., Papers, 1943-1988

Collection Number: MC.0048
Robert L. Blake Papers, 1943-1988

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Robert L. Blake Papers, Duke University Medical Center Archives.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Collections may contain Medical Center Administrative records. These include records of the officers of the University, as defined in the Bylaws, the deans of schools and colleges, and departments, institutes, and other offices as designated by the President. For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the director of the office of record and the Medical Center Archivist is required for use. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the Medical Center Archivist.

Collection may contain Records of the Board of Trustees of the Duke University Medical Center. These include minutes and supporting documentation of the Board, its Executive Committee, and standing and ad hoc committees, and reports, studies, and the like presented solely to the Board. Records which have been existence for at least fifty years are available for scholarly research with the permission of the Medical Center Archivist. Access to records which have been in existence for less than fifty years shall be granted only by special permission, in writing, of the Medical Center Board of Trustees.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings and Medical Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collectionsuch as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the Archives' Digital Repository.

• Civilian Public Service. Camp #61 (Durham, N.C.).
• Duke University. Medical Center. Division of Audiovisual Education.
• Duke University. Medical Center. Educational Media Services.
• Duke University. Medical Center.
• Duke University. School of Medicine.
• Medical Illustration
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Conscientious objectors -- United States

Robert L. Blake was raised in Pennsylvania and was known in his high school as the quasi-official class artist. One of his early jobs, during the 1930s, was as a fashion photographer in the clothing firm of Kraft and Phillips of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Blake photographed, but also began drawing more seriously while working near the firm's fashion artists.

In 1942, Blake arrived at Duke University as part of an alternative service program for conscientious objectors, Civilian Public Service Unit #61. At Duke University, Blake was one of many attendants in the hospital operating rooms. It was in the rooms that Blake noticed Elon Clark, then director of the Department of Medical Art and Illustration and coordinator of the Medical Art Facility. After three months in the operating room, Blake moved to Elon Clark's studio to continue drawing, this time paying more attention to anatomy than style.

Together with Elon Clark, Blake helped to create a laboratory for the pioneering work of making facial prostheses. The prostheses were used for accident victims, cancer patients, or people with congenital defects. Blake was interested in creating items that were not perfect, but which perfectly complemented the body of the person receiving the prostheses. Instead of a plastic model, Blake learned make a plaster case of a real nose on a real person to preserve the texture of the pores and natural appearance of the skin. In 1949, Blake became part of the Duke faculty, and finally Coordinator of Medical Art (around 1971) and Acting Director of Audiovisual Education, following Elon Clark's retirement.

In addition to creating simple teaching drawings and pigments for dying scars, Blake illustrated covers for University publications, created posters and signs for campus events, and lettered citations and certificates for various departments and schools. Blake was responsible for lettering the scrolls presented to the members of the Half-Century Club (Duke Alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago), a job that increased markedly each year. Bob Blake also prepared a Poison Control Center exhibit which was shown around the world during the 1960s. He used his three children as the models for pictures of children venturing into dangerous medicine cabinets or broom closets.

In his personal time, Blake continued to paint using watercolors. He showed his own paintings in various areas of the Medical Center, mostly scenes from rural and coastal North Carolina. His work was exhibited annually at the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill, N.C., for more than 20 years.

Blake retired in 1983 having illustrated approximately 500 scientific articles for medical journals, drawings for over 50 textbooks. In 1988, he stated that he continued to turn out about 75 watercolor paintings per year.

As of 2003, the Department of Medical Illustration is known as the Department of Medical Art, part of Educational Media Services, within the Duke University School of Medicine. Audiovisual Education, continued by Sam Agnello, also became part of Educational Media Services.

Robert Blake was married to Hildur Blake, a nurse at Duke University. Together they had three children.

Anatomical and Medical Illustrations, ca. 1956-1979; Building Illustrations, ca. 1948-1970; Designs and Lettering, ca. 1953-1960; Clippings and Commercially Published Works, 1959-1981; Photographs, ca. 1944-1966, n.d.; Oversized Anatomical and Medical Illustrations, ca. 1948-1976; Oversized Illustrations of People and Hospital Scenes, ca. 1950-1981; Other Oversized Illustrations and Comics; Oversized Illustrations of Buildings, ca. 1948-1952; Civilian Public Service Unit #61, Illustrations and Photographs, 1943-1944, 1988; Photographic Negatives of Photographs and Illustrations.

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