Rockwood / Kingston Psychiatric Hospital / Providence Continuing Care Centre Collection
Category
Commemorative and Communication Artifacts
Nursing
Ceremonial
Classification
Commemorative
Nursing
Ceremonial
Accession Number
000003414 a-b
Description
Candleholder (a) made of porcelain in the shape of an oil lamp; the candleholder has a round hollowed base which goes up into an almond-shaped lamp with a handle at one end and a round hole in the tip made to hold a candle; the sides of the lamp have a slightly raised scroll design; a narrow white …
Candleholder (a) made of porcelain in the shape of an oil lamp; the candleholder has a round hollowed base which goes up into an almond-shaped lamp with a handle at one end and a round hole in the tip made to hold a candle; the sides of the lamp have a slightly raised scroll design; a narrow white wax candle (b) with a white cotton wick sits in the spout of the lamp
Number Of Parts
2
Part Names
a - lamp - Size: Length 12.0 cm x Depth 8.4 cm
b - candle - Size: Length 9.3 cm x Diam. 0.7 cm
Provenance
Used in capping ceremonies for graduates of the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital School of Nursing.
Dates
1920
1930
circa 1920-1930
Date Remarks
Date based on donor's remarks
Material
porcelain: off-white
wax: white
fabric: white
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-C5-3
Temporary Location
On exhibit “Custodial to Curative Care: Rockwood and the Evolution of Mental Health Treatment” at Museum of Health Care, 30 June 2023.
Condition Remarks
Porcelain is discoloured
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Article
Reference Comments
Pamela Peacock, "KGH: 175 years of caring - Capping Ceremony: A symbolic milestone," Friday, September 27, 2013. KHSC Connect. https://kingstonhsc.ca/khscconnect/news/kgh-175-years-caring-capping-ceremony-symbolic-milestone
Research Facts
A white porcelain candleholder with small wax candle was given to each nursing student at the "nurses lamp lighting ceremony", which was held at the completion of the six-month probationary period. The lamp design was modeled after lamps used by Florence Nightingale. Nursing School added their school name / logo on the lamp as a commemoration of the occasion. Each nursing school had a variant of the basic ceremony held at specified times in the training of a nurse.