White cotton nurse's cap attached with a 0.5cm black velvet band; band placed 1.2 cm from outside edge (from topmost part of brim); brim is folded 6.4 cm from top with a further 5.2 cm forming part of the crown; brim is all flat to the head with no “wings” and no pleats in the crown; front gatherin…
White cotton nurse's cap attached with a 0.5cm black velvet band; band placed 1.2 cm from outside edge (from topmost part of brim); brim is folded 6.4 cm from top with a further 5.2 cm forming part of the crown; brim is all flat to the head with no “wings” and no pleats in the crown; front gathering of the crown forms a broad fan above the brim about 2.7 cm to 4 cm high because brim folds down side of the head; two folds develop to make crown look squarish.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Belonged to Phyllis C. (Steward) Leard, graduated Saskatoon City Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1942.
Canadian Museum of Civilization exhibit “Symbol of a Profession: One Hundred Years of Nurses’ Caps”, 2001, https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/infirm/inint01e.html
Donor information
Research Facts
The Saskatoon City Hospital (Saskatchewan) was in founded in 1905 and the first school of nursing class graduated in 1909. The last graduating class was in 1969. Phyllis C. (Steward) Leard is a graduate of the Saskatoon City Hospital School of Nursing, Class of 1942. The evolution in the design of nurses’ caps reflects the history of nursing in Canada. Each model has characteristics that distinguish it from the others and provides information – sometimes contradictory – on the image that each institution wanted to impart: submission and authority, domestic and professional service. Until the 1970s, trained nurses were instantly recognized by their caps. Each nursing school and hospital had its own cap design and means of indicating the level of training. There is no standard model for nurses’ caps. Even caps that may appear similar have subtle differences. Today this symbol of knowledge and caring has all but disappeared. Gloria (Barwell) Kay (1923-2007), a retired nurse, believed that the caps should be preserved, and in 1974 began a collection of caps, which nurses all across Canada sent to her. Gloria’s cap collection covered the years 1895-1983 and represents every province in Canada. In 2001 she donated 167 caps to the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canada. Fourteen caps were donated to the Museum of Health Care in 2011 from her estate. Original inventory number: 112-B