Stiff paper cardboard with decorative design incised around oval sepia toned photograph of a woman in a nursing uniform that includes long slim dark undersleeves, short puffy top white fabric sleeve with a dark fabric cross sewn on and bib style long apron, high starched collar and puffed small nur…
Stiff paper cardboard with decorative design incised around oval sepia toned photograph of a woman in a nursing uniform that includes long slim dark undersleeves, short puffy top white fabric sleeve with a dark fabric cross sewn on and bib style long apron, high starched collar and puffed small nurses cap; standing upright in photo.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Belonged to donor's paternal aunt, Evelyn Patterson, Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1903.
On front: "C. H. Boyes // KINGSTON // CANADA"; on back: "Evelyn Patterson '03 // To Grace // From Auntie "Pat: Leggett"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-G KGH School of Nursing Graduation Binder
Length
18.0 cm
Width
9.5 cm
Depth
0.01 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 18.0 cm X Width 9.5 cm X Depth 0.01 cm
Condition Remarks
paper faded; minor foxing on fornt; minor stains from fingerprints
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Document
Website
Book
Reference Comments
Kingston Health Sciences Centre website, "KGH School of Nursing," (https://kingstonhsc.ca/kgh-school-nursing)
Andrea Melvin, “Badges of Honour or Devices of Control?: Nursing Uniforms at Kingston General Hospital Training School for Nurses,” Dr. Margaret Angus Research Fellowship, 2008. Museum of Health Care at Kingston.
Research Facts
Other family members in the nursing profession also graduating from the Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing: maternal aunts Emma McLean,, Class of 1921, and Gertrude McLean, Class of 1927, Grace Patterson Ledgerwood, Class of 1956. Her nephew was Dr. Stuart Patterson.
The first official graduating class of the Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing was in 1888; the school was created in order to educate nurses as the demand for them increased, as well as providing a labour force to the hospital. When the first nurses graduated, they were given a certificate of completion, twenty five dollars, and a nursing medal. Over the years, nurses were sometimes given pins and/or rings or other memorabilia to commemorate their graduation from the school.
Kingston General Hospital had the symbol of the red cross displayed on the sleeves of nursing uniforms, seen as the “international symbol of mercy,” which later became the symbol of the International Red Cross Association. As such, the hospital began embroidering its initials “KGH” onto the cross to distinguish themselves from the Red Cross.