Portrait of UMSOM Founder John Davidge Discovered in Defunct Fells Point Eatery
The oldest known portrait of Dr. John Beale Davidge — founder and first dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine – was found in a storage closet at the former Bertha’s Mussels restaurant in Fells Point. The iconic painting, dating from 1844, will be displayed in Davidge Hall upon completion of renovations in late 2026.
Photo: Meg Fielding, director of the history of Maryland medicine at MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, holds an 1844 portrait of Dr. John Davidge, founder and first dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. (Photo courtesy of Meg Fielding)