Pink and White Cotton Coverlet
Date1921
Dimensions173 x 140 cm
Credit LineGift of Judith and Wilson Rodger, 2014
Object number2014.001.034
Label TextA close look at the pink fabric in this pinwheel quilt reveals a repeat of the letters “MGH.” They stand for “Montreal General Hospital.” The fabric is from Helen Ruth Elliot’s Montreal General Hospital School of Nursing uniform. Following her 1921 graduation, Elliott worked at the hospital and, as befitted a graduate, she wore a white uniform. She chose to transform the uniform from her student years into a memento of that important period in her life.
Here, Helen Elliott (left) is wearing her pink Montreal General Hospital School of Nursing student uniform. When she first entered the school as a probationer in 1918, Elliott received a plain blue uniform. Only after having proven herself able to succeed in the program did she progress to the pink uniform.
NameCoverlet
JOHN CAMPBELL
