Rockwood / Kingston Psychiatric Hospital / Providence Continuing Care Centre Collection
Category
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Classification
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Accession Number
004014011
Description
A heavily starched apron, consisting of a waistband with two buttonholes and corresponding eyelets for attaching removable buttons, and a skirt; the back left and right panels of the skirt each have three flat pleats at the waistband.
A heavily starched apron, consisting of a waistband with two buttonholes and corresponding eyelets for attaching removable buttons, and a skirt; the back left and right panels of the skirt each have three flat pleats at the waistband.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Worn by Eunice Oldenburg.
Material
fabric: white
ink: black
Inscriptions
"EUNICE OLDENBURG" has been printed by hand in black ink on the inside of the front of the waistband.
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007 Closet I
Length
88.3 cm
Width
159.5 cm
Depth
0.1 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 88.3 cm x Width 159.5 cm x Depth 0.1 cm
Condition Remarks
#1: There is a brown stain and the fabric is worn near the eyelets of the waistband; the hem has been pieced; the pleats on the right back panel are uneven at the hem.
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.