Victoria Hospital Nurse's Cape
Datec. 1929
Dimensionslength 81.3 cm
Credit LineGift of Major-General J.W.B. Barr, Ottawa, Ontario, 1994.
Object number1994.046.001
Label TextNursing uniforms have gone through many changes over the last two centuries. Caps, aprons, and capes were staples of a female nurse's uniform and became identifying features for nurses working outside hospital settings, such as soldier's camps or field infirmaries. Cloaks and capes like this one from Victoria Hospital distinguished the nurses from the doctors and provided a practical barrier against cold weather. Capes would typically have a form of branding on them, this one has the initials "VH" on the clasps, representing the hospital the nurse worked for. In addition, some capes would have different coloured linings to indicate levels of experience. In Canada, uniform regulations for nurses became less strict in the 1960s and 1970s and uniforms were phased out.
NameCape, Nurse's
c. 1950s
1840s - 1880s