Reproduction of a 1935 Kingston General Hospital probationer nurse's uniform; the uniform consists of (a) a dress made of light blue and white vertically-striped cloth with five plastic snaps at the neck and a strip of white cloth with five snaps down from the neck to the lower back; the dress has …
Reproduction of a 1935 Kingston General Hospital probationer nurse's uniform; the uniform consists of (a) a dress made of light blue and white vertically-striped cloth with five plastic snaps at the neck and a strip of white cloth with five snaps down from the neck to the lower back; the dress has long sleeves and hangs to above-the-knee level; (b) apron of white cloth made to be worn around the waist over (a); the apron has a waistband and a skirt that hangs down below the knees; (c) collar made of white cloth formed into a circular shape with a neck hole in the centre; there are five snaps on the collar which allow it to be attached to the neck of (a); (d-e) identical cuffs made of rectangular cloth with a button at one end and a buttonhole at the other end; this allows the cuffs to be fastened into a circular shape around the wrist; the cuffs were made to go at the end of the sleeves of (a).
Number Of Parts
5
Part Names
a - dress - Size: Length 79.0 cm. x Width 52.0 cm.
b - apron (unfolded) - Size: Length 139.2 cm. x Width 67.3 cm.
c - collar - Size: Length 33.8 cm. x Width 23.7 cm.
d - cuff - Size: Length 22.6 cm. x Width 15.1 cm.
e - cuff - Size: Length 22.7 cm. x Width 15.2 cm.
Provenance
Uniform made by Margaret Emily Kirkpatrick, Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing graduate Class of 1935.
(d,e) To exhibit: "For Service to Humanity", Nursing Gallery: Showcase East, Museum of Health Care, 13 Nov. 2008.
Condition Remarks
The uniform is unworn and thus the cloth is in excellent condition; (a) the dress has four yellowish-brown stains made by an iron; (b) the apron has five yellowish-brown stains made by an iron; (c) there are six small yellowish-brown stains on the cloth, made by an iron
Copy Type
Replica
Reference Types
Person
Websites
Reference Comments
Information about the uniform provided by the maker and donor, Margaret Kirkpatrick
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
Reproduction of 1935 Kingston General Hospital Probationer Nurse's uniform, worn by probationary nurses for six months; the original uniform dress would have been made with cloth having a navy blue and white stripe
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.