Cream silk lady's full-length foundation slip with princess seaming; cut on the bias; thin adjustable straps and narrow, plain lace at neckline.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Owned by Gladys (Millar) Rockel; donated to the museum by her son Stephen Rockel.
Dates
1935
1945
circa 1935-1945
Date Remarks
Donor's remarks
Material
fabric: cream
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007-V2 Box 1
Temporary Location
On Display: “For Service to Humanity”, Nursing Gallery: Restored Room 1016, Museum of Health Care, 13 Nov 2008.
Length
106.0 cm
Width
63.1 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 106.0 cm x Width 63.1 cm
Condition Remarks
Severe fold creases; marks from long-term storage.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Websites
Article
Reference Comments
Steve Rockel
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
Andrea Melvin, “Badges of Honour or Devices of Control?: Nursing Uniforms at Kingston General Hospital Training School for Nurses,” Dr. Margaret Angus Research Fellowship, 2008. Museum of Health Care at Kingston.
Research Facts
Gladys (Millar) Rockel graduated from Kitchener Waterloo Nursing College, Class of 1939; nursing positions in Pontiac, Michigan (1940), Grand Rapids, Michigan (1941), and Toronto, Ont. (1942); worked in private practice with her husband, Dr. Rockel.
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 until 1945. 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. Nurse’s uniforms had many elements, and some had detachable collars, bibs, and cuffs.