A blue cambray short-sleeved, mid-calf length fitted nurse's probie uniform; with button holes for adding collar; with five white plastic buttons; large pocket on fitted skirt; without manufacturers label; another students name crossed out, possibly "Helen ..." beside the legible marking of "May Ja…
A blue cambray short-sleeved, mid-calf length fitted nurse's probie uniform; with button holes for adding collar; with five white plastic buttons; large pocket on fitted skirt; without manufacturers label; another students name crossed out, possibly "Helen ..." beside the legible marking of "May Janack".
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Belonged to Mary Janack McKnight.
Dates
1940
1942
circa 1940-1942
Date Remarks
Donor's remarks.
Material
fabric: blue, white
plastic: white
Inscriptions
Hand written on fabric label: "MAY JANACK."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007 Closet A
Length
120.0 cm
Width
86.0 cm
Depth
0.05 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 120.0 cm x Width 86.0 cm x Depth 0.05 cm
Condition Remarks
#1: Like new
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Websites
Reference Comments
"Kingston Psychiatric Hospital," Asylum Projects, accessed August 4, 2020. http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Kingston_Psychiatric_Hospital
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
Research Facts
Mary Janack McKnight attended the Ontario Hospital School of Nursing from 1940 - 1944. 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.
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.