Rockwood / Kingston Psychiatric Hospital / Providence Continuing Care Centre Collection
Category
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Classification
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Accession Number
004014006 a-r
Description
A nurse's blue one-piece princess-style uniform (a) with short sleeves; eight round white plastic shank-style buttons (b-i); affixed by cotter pins (k-r) down the front; one shank screw has detached (j); the neckband has three buttonholes for attaching a collar; each sleeve has a buttonhole for att…
A nurse's blue one-piece princess-style uniform (a) with short sleeves; eight round white plastic shank-style buttons (b-i); affixed by cotter pins (k-r) down the front; one shank screw has detached (j); the neckband has three buttonholes for attaching a collar; each sleeve has a buttonhole for attaching a cuff; there are three patch pockets: one breast pocket and two hip pockets.
Number Of Parts
18
Part Names
a - dress - Size: Length 107.0 cm x Width 82.0 cm
b-i - buttons - Size: Depth 0.7 cm x Diam 1.5 cm
j - shank screw - Size: Depth 0.8 cm x Diam 0.5 cm
Based on the era when one-piece uniforms were in style.
Material
fabric: blue; red
plastic: white
metal: grey
Inscriptions
"Patricia Langsford" woven on a name tape sewn on the inside of the neckband; "CORBETT-COWLEY // LIMITED // TORONTO & MONTREAL // PRE-SHRUNK" printed on a white tag sewn on the inside at the waist.
Permanent Location
(a) - Storage Room 0007
0007 Closet A
(b-r) - Storage Room 0010
0010-C5-4
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
#1: The hemline has been altered and the lowest button removed; #2: dress (a) was washed and a new storage mount created.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Websites
Reference Comments
Canadian Museum of History, "Symbol of a Profession: One Hundred Years of Nurses' Caps," https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/infirm/inint01e.html
"For Service to Humanity: Nursing Education at Kingston General Hospital," Museum of Health Care. https://www.museumofhealthcare.ca/explore/exhibitions/forservicetohumanity.html
"Kingston Psychiatric Hospital," Asylum Projects, accessed August 4, 2020. http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Kingston_Psychiatric_Hospital
Research Facts
Throughout the twentieth century, nurses' uniforms changed, in particular with the rising of hemlines. The nurse's uniform was generally white, and Kingston General Hospital uniforms were once known for "turkey red" hemlines. Different levels of nursing education had different uniforms, in particular different caps, as graduate nurses had black bands on their caps to indicate their level of education.
In 1859, the Rockwood Asylum opened in Kingston (Portsmouth). The name was later changed to Rockwood Hospital, and then in 1920 to Ontario Hospital - Kingston. Over the course of its earlier years, a gymnasium was added, then libraries, etc. in order to better serve the patients. During and after the Second World War, the hospital was understaffed due to the war, but by 1959, new buildings were added and the original asylum became known as the Penrose building, which housed people with disabilities. In the 1960s, a music department was added, as well as a unit for children and adolescents. In 1965, the name changed again to the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital. In March 2001, the hospital was placed under the authority of the Providence Continuing Care Centre's Governing Board. Its name was changed a final time to Mental Health Services, and the original asylum building, which had been closed since 1997, remains empty as of 2020.