One-piece knee-length machine-sewn nurse's uniform dress in a shirtwaist style with a one-piece high-stand notched collar and long sleeves with buttoned roll-up cuffs; one patch pocket at left breast and one at right hip; inset fabric belt tapers to a point at overlap at centre waist, at the point …
One-piece knee-length machine-sewn nurse's uniform dress in a shirtwaist style with a one-piece high-stand notched collar and long sleeves with buttoned roll-up cuffs; one patch pocket at left breast and one at right hip; inset fabric belt tapers to a point at overlap at centre waist, at the point there is a buttonhole for a sew-through button; five eyelets for removable buttons down the front of the dress, three above the belt and two below; false button placket continues to hem; two eyelets for removable buttons at each cuff; no buttons present; open hem length 169.0 cm; skirt from waist seam to hem measures 63.7 cm; centre back of neck to hem measures 105.0 cm; chest circumference 90.8 cm and waist circumference 68.4 cm; garment has been altered at the waist and is currently the approximate equivalent of a US catalogue size 6-8.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Owned by Maude M. Prong; donated to museum by daughter-in-law Jill Curzon.
Navy thread on manufacturer's tag at collar: "Bob Evans // THE ARISTOCRAT OF // UNIFORMS"; stamped at bottom of manufacturer's tag at collar: "1457-14"; stamped on tag at waist: "24263"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007 Closet A
Length
109.6 cm
Width
84.5 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 109.6 cm x Width 84.5 cm
Condition Remarks
Missing button at waist; March 2014: uniform was washed and ironed without starch in preparation for a loan
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Websites
Reference Comments
Jill Curzon
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
Maude Prong worked at Guelph Hospital between 1927 and 1929.
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.
Exhibit History
On exhibit "Francophone Experience in WW I War Hospital, 1914-1918," at the Museoparc Vanier Museopark, 9 June 2014.