Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Collection
Category
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Classification
Nursing
Nursing Uniforms
Accession Number
995002012 a-b
Description
Navy wool nurse's cape (a) with attached red wool lining; "KGH" embroidered in yellow machine stitching to either side of mandarin-style collar; metal chain attached to back of collar for hanging; inside left facing is a coin pocket with machine-embroidered "J.H." underneath; separate two-button fa…
Navy wool nurse's cape (a) with attached red wool lining; "KGH" embroidered in yellow machine stitching to either side of mandarin-style collar; metal chain attached to back of collar for hanging; inside left facing is a coin pocket with machine-embroidered "J.H." underneath; separate two-button fabric tab closure (b); construction is one semicircular piece with a pair of shoulder darts for shaping.
Number Of Parts
2
Part Names
a - cape - Size: Length 93.0 cm x Width 121.0 cm x Depth 0.3 cm
b - fabric tab - Size:
Provenance
Marilyn Boston of Kingston General Hospital Nursing Alumni
Dates
1950
circa 1950
Date Remarks
Date handwritten on garment.
Material
fabric: navy; red; yellow
metal: dark grey
plastic: black
ink: black
Inscriptions
Machine-embroidered on both sides of collar: "KGH"; hand-embroidered inside collar: "JEAN HAWKINS"; handwritten on inside back panel: "1950"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010 Closet
Condition Remarks
#2: Small holes: one on inside left lining panel near coin pocket; one on bottom front right edge.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Book
Photo
Websites
Article
Reference Comments
Marilyn Boston; reference book compiled: "Information Re KGH Nursing Uniforms" to document the collection of uniforms; further references are noted within; numerous photos available at Queen's Archives, see Museum's Index.
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
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.