Rockwood / Kingston Psychiatric Hospital / Providence Continuing Care Centre Collection
Category
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Classification
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Accession Number
004014018
Description
One-piece long pale blue cotton nurse’s long sleeve uniform with white standard collar and tapered fitted sleeve with elbow darts; plackets on sleeve with metal snap closure; cotton lined bodice; waist and shoulder darts on bodice front and back; gathered skirt style; length of dress from center ba…
One-piece long pale blue cotton nurse’s long sleeve uniform with white standard collar and tapered fitted sleeve with elbow darts; plackets on sleeve with metal snap closure; cotton lined bodice; waist and shoulder darts on bodice front and back; gathered skirt style; length of dress from center back to hem 1.12 m; circumference of gathered skirt 2.08 m.; dressmaker construction rather than mass manufacturer.
Number Of Parts
1
Dates
1930
1950
circa 1930-1950
Date Remarks
Donor information
Material
fabric: blue, white
metal: silver
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007 Closet A
Length
112.0 cm
Width
105.0 cm
Depth
0.5 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 112.0 cm x Width 105.0 cm x Depth 0.5 cm
Condition Remarks
Shows wear and slight fading of fabric
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Document
Websites
Reference Comments
Donor's remarks
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
Kingston Psychiatric Hospital originally founded as Rockwood Asylum in 1857; became Ontario Hospital - Kingston in 1920; became Kingston Psychiatric Hospital in 1965; as part of the reform of mental health care in Ontario, facility was renamed the Providence Continuing Care Centre in March 2001.
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.