Navy wool cape with attached red wool lining; "T.E.G.H." machine embroidered on separate wool patches and hand sewn to collar, in gold stitching to either side of mandarin-style collar; with one side "T. E." and the other "G. H."; metal chain attached to back of collar for hanging; two removable bu…
Navy wool cape with attached red wool lining; "T.E.G.H." machine embroidered on separate wool patches and hand sewn to collar, in gold stitching to either side of mandarin-style collar; with one side "T. E." and the other "G. H."; metal chain attached to back of collar for hanging; two removable button tab closures with two 2.2 cm navy plastic buttons; inner protective facing on upper opening; two hook and eyes at neck with black leather tab protector; internal coin pocket on left facing; two piece construction with a pair of shoulder darts for shaping; measurement from center back to hem 98.4 cm; hem width is 2.19 m.
Number Of Parts
3
Part Names
a – cape– Size: Length 98.4 cm x Width 1.09 m x Depth 1.2 cm
b – tab – Size: Length 13.2 cm x Width 5.0 cm x Depth 0.3 cm
c – tab – Size: Length 13.2 cm x Width 5.0cm x Depth 0.3 cm
On the collar "T. E. // G. H."; "MISS JILL // ROGERS" written in blue ink on attached label at back neck; "CORBETT-COWLEY // LIMITED // TORONTO AND MONTREAL" is woven into attached fabric label inside left facing
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007 Closet D
Condition Remarks
Like new
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Document
Websites
Article
Reference Comments
Donor information
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
Mallory Warner, “Where is the missing piece of lining in this U.S. Navy nurse's cape?,” April 5, 2017. National Museum of American History, https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/us-navy-nurses-cape
Research Facts
Jill Rogers is a graduate of the Toronto East General and Orthopaedic Hospital School of Nursing, Class of 1957.
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.
Nurses’ capes were an important part of the nurse’s uniform, and became a symbol of nursing and care in their own right outside of the rest of the uniform. The Red Cross, like Kingston General Hospital, lined the inside of their nurses’ capes with red, and the symbol of the red lined cape was used in recruiting posters for nurses during World War I, making the nurse look heroic. Nurses serving with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War also wore woollen cloaks, predecessors of the nursing cape. For many women, the cape was part of their identity as nurses.