Location: St Johns, Newfoundland
Year: 1950s
Material: Cotton
Maker: Bruck’s
Accreditation: The Rooms, Newfoundland
This uniform is a part of a donation from the family of Elise C. Ellis, a nurse from Newfoundland who worked in St.Johns during the 1940s and 1950s. Her nursing uniforms are heavily saturated with obvious wear, containing many faded stains from fluids of an unknown origin. It is unconfirmed that this specific apron would have been worn with this grey dress, yet similarly styled aprons were worn by nurses during the 1950s. After World War II, there was a growing demand for hospitals back in Canada. Despite the need for more nurses, local recruitment was not always easily available. Many nurses came from abroad to pursue the nursing profession, specifically from the Caribbean and the Philippines.
Physical Description:This grey nurse’s dress is made of a cotton fabric and has white cotton details at the cuffs and collar. It includes two 27.5-inch long belts made of the same grey fabric. There is a square neckline formed by the primary grey fabric and a false collar is attached underneath that features a stylized white blouse and a shawl collar at the neck. In terms of length, the hem of the dress lands below the knee. On the left side of the skirt is a large patch pocket, useful for the nurse to carry personal items. There are button holes going down the centre front yet the buttons are missing. A similar style nurse’s uniform covered in the blog The Vintage Traveller here indicates that stud like buttons would have been removable for an easier washing experience. This dress was donated with a white apron which has a low square neckline, a waistband, and a gathered skirt. It is unknown whether the dress and apron were worn together by the original owner References
Nurse Uniform. The Rooms. St.Johns, NL.
Bates, Christina. A cultural history of the nurse's uniform. Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2012: