A stiffly-starched, wide, white cotton belt with one buttonhole at each end; one end is squared, the other is V-shaped; single-stitched along all edges; two-ply material
A stiffly-starched, wide, white cotton belt with one buttonhole at each end; one end is squared, the other is V-shaped; single-stitched along all edges; two-ply material
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Owned and used by Nora Valleau, Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing graduate Class of 1928.
Dates
1925
1928
circa 1925-1928
Date Remarks
Worn with Kingston General Hospital nursing uniforms; Valleau attended Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing 1925-1928.
Material
fabric: white
Inscriptions
The letter "N" appears on inside end in black ink
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
BOX 15
Temporary Location
To exhibit: "For Service to Humanity", Nursing Gallery: restored Room 1016, Museum of Health Care, 13 Nov. 2008.
Length
79.5 cm
Width
6.7 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 79.5 cm. x Width 6.7 cm.
Condition Remarks
Fabric is in excellent condition with the exception of yellowish speckled stain along bottom outside edge 22.7 cm from the squared end of the belt
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Document
Websites
Reference Comments
"Information Re KGH Nursing Uniforms" by Marilyn Boston
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
The first Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing belts were red; belts changed to white in 1900; separate belt eliminated in 1967; width of belt varies only slightly in all that time -- usually around three inches (7.5 cm); 1938 graduation uniform had a two inch belt (5 cm).
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.