Nightingale’s Song: Nurses and Nursing in the Ars Medica Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

84 Pages·2000·6.6 MB·English

by  Helfand, William H

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2014
https://archive.org/details/nightingalessongOOhelf
the
NIGHTINGALE'S
SONG
NURSES AND NURSING
IN THE ARS MEDICA COLLECTION
ofthe
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
William H. Helfand
PHILADELPHIAMUSEUMOFART
PublishedontheoccasionofanexhibitionatthePhiladelphiaMuseumofArt,
August26-October29,2000
Thispublicationwasmadepossibleby
BayadaNurses
inassociationwiththeCenterfortheStudyoftheHistoryofNursing,Universityof
PennsylvaniaSchoolofNursing.
Cover:Detailofapostcard(no.70).TheWilliamH.HelfandCollection.1999-18-53
ProducedbytheDepartmentofPublishing
PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt
BenjaminfranklinParkwayat26thStreet
P.O.Box7646
Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19101-7646
EditedbyMorgenCheshire
DesignedbyTsangSeymourDesign,Inc.,NewYork
PrincipalphotographybyLynnRosenthal,additionalphotographybyJoan
Broderick,AndrewHarkins,andGraydonWood
SeparationsbyMercantile/ImagePress,Inc.
ProductionmanagedbyRichBonk
PrintedandboundbyMercantile/ImagePress,Inc.
Copyright©2000bythePhiladelphiaMuseumofArt
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechani-
cal,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutpriorpermission,inwriting,of
thePhiladelphiaMuseumofArt.
LibraryofCongressCataloguing-in-PublicationData
Helfand,WilliamH.
Thenightingale'ssong:nursesandnursingintheArsMedicaCollectionof
thePhiladelphiaMuseumofArt/WilliamH.Helfand.
p.cm.
PublishedontheoccasionofanexhibitionheldatthePhiladelphiaMuseum
ofArt,Aug.25-Oct.29,2000.
Includesindex.
ISBNO-87633-I4I-X
1.Nursinginart-Exhibitions.2.Nursesinart-Exhibitions.3.Art-
Pennsylvania-Philadelphia-Exhibitions.4.ArsMedicaCollection(Philadelphia
Pa.(-Exhibitions.5.PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt-Exhibitions.I.Philadelphia
MuseumArt.II.Title.
N8233.N87H452000
704.9'496l073'o74748n-dc21 00-057454
isbn0-87633-141-x
PrintedandboundintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
CONTENTS
Foreword
4
The Nightingale's Song
by william h. helfand
5
Catalogue
Advertising
8
TheMidwife
15
AtSurgeon'sSide
22
HospitalsandClinics
29
AttendingthePatient
35
AtWork
46
AttendingtheMilitary
53
Politics
70
Index
80
4
FOREWORD
EstablishedbyagrantfromSmithKlineBeechamtotheDepartmentofPrints,
Drawings,andPhotographsin 1949,theArsMedicaCollectionofthePhiladelphia
MuseumofArthasbeencarefullynurturedbyasuccessionofdonorsandcurators
formorethanfiftyyears,sothatitsholdingsnownumbermorethanthreethou-
sandworks.Suchsubjectsasbirthanddeath,infancyandoldage,sicknessand
healthhavealwaysprovokedasprofoundaresponsefromtheartistorpoetasfrom
thedoctororscientist.Generationsofartists,bothfamousandunknown,havebeen
irresistiblydrawntotheseuniversalthemes,producinganunendingstreamofworks
ofartonpaper.TheArsMedicaCollection,theonlyoneofitskindinamajorart
museum,inturnaffordsthepossibilityofanunendingstreamofprovocativeand
illuminatingprojects.
Thisisthethirdcataloguepublishedinrecentyearstoaccompanyanexhibition
drawnentirelyfromtheMuseumsArsMedicaCollectionthatisdedicatedtoaspe-
cifictopic.In 1995Pills,Potions,andPurgestreatedthesubjectofpharmacy,fol-
lowedin 1999byCrowningAchievements,ondentistry.TheNightingale'sSong,
whosetitleistakenfromthecoverofanineteenth-centurysongsheetinthepresent
exhibition(no.47),addressesthefascinatinghistoryofnursesandnursingovera
periodofmorethanfivehundredyears.Theorganizationofallthreeexhibitions
andthewritingoftheircatalogueshasbeenundertakenbyWilliamH.Helfand,an
authorityonartandmedicine,whoseowncollectionsreflectadeepunderstanding
ofthesubject.Onceagainwecanbegratefulnotonlyforthewitandinsightthat
Mr.Helfandbringstobearontheindividualprints,drawings,andphotographs
selectedfortheexhibition,butalsoforhisunstintinggenerosityinpartingwithso
manymarvelousworksfromhisowncollectioninordertoenrichtheMuseum's
holdingsforthepermanentbenefitofitspublic.
Anned'Harnoncourt
TheGeorgeD.WidenerDirector
5
the
NIGHTINGALE'S
SONG
Whiletheemergenceofnursingasaprofessiondidnotreallyoccuruntilthelate
nineteenthcentury,thecareofchildrenandthesick,injured,andwoundedis
instinctiveanddatesfromearlyhistory.Evidenceofnursingproceduressuchas
theuseofbandagesandbleedingcanbetracedtobothprimitivesocietiesand
earlycivilizations.Biblicalwritingsdiscusstheimportanceofhygieneand
sanitationandHippocratesinhiswritingsgivespracticaladviceoncaringforthe
sick.WiththeadventofChristianity,nursingactivitiesinhospitals,generallyallied
withplacesofworship,begantogrowinimportanceintheWest;bythefourth
centuryconvertsincludedwealthyRomanwomenwhosehomesbecamecentersfor
administeringhealthcare.Butsuchwomenandsuchsettingswereexceptional,for
thenursewasgenerallyanuntrainedslave,adomesticservant,orawomanoflow
socialstanding.In 1634SaintVincentdePaulfoundedtheFillesdeCharite(Sisters
ofCharity)toprovidetrainingforhomevisits,hospitalexperience,andcareofthe
sick.Itwasnotuntil 1846,however,thatahospitalandschool,aninstitutefor
Protestantdeaconesses,wasestablishedinKaiserswerth,Germany,andprovidedfor-
maltrainingfornurses.Mid-nineteenth-centuryreformsreshapedthedutiesofthe
nurseintoaprofessionwithdemandingstandards.Suchreformswerealongtimein
coming,andwerelargelyprovokedbytheabsenceofpropernursingcareduring
war,whenbattlefieldconditionsleadtoexcessivelossoflife.In 1860,ayoung
—
EnglishgraduateoftheinstituteinKaiserswerth,FlorenceNightingale whohad
alsospenttimewiththeSistersofCharityinAlexandria,Egypt,andwhowassentto
—
theCrimeatocreateanursingserviceforBritishsoldiers foundedthefirstschool
designedwiththeprimaryobjectivetotrainnurses,amilestoneformodern
nursing.Sheheldthepositionthatnursingservicesshouldbeprofessionally
administered,aprinciplethatwasinstrumentalinbringingaboutneededchange.
Imagesofnursingareamajorcomponentofthelargeandgrowingholdingsof
prints,drawings,andphotographsintheArsMedicaCollectionatthePhiladelphia
MuseumofArt.Whenseenasagroup,theymarkthedevelopmentoftheprofes-
sion,revealingearlierpracticesofchildbirth,hospitalcare,andsurgicalprocedures.
Inearlyprints,midwivesdeliverbabiesincrowdedquarters,thesickaresponged
withvinegarandspices,woundsarebandagedonbattlefieldsbywomeninhoop-
skirts,andstudentsinstreetclothesobserveasurgicaloperation.Onlyinlater
imagesdofemalenurseswearstarcheduniforms,whicheventodayarenolonger
wornforthemostpart.Itisalsolaterthatmalenursesbegintoappearinimages
withgreaterfrequencyasinMatthewBrady'sphotographofWaltWhitman(no.62),
whoservedasavolunteernurseinWashington,D.C.duringtheCivilWar.
Notsurprisingly,imagesofnursingcarearemoreprevalentduringwartimewhen
thereisagreaterneedfornursingservices.DuringWorldWarIpostcardsbearing
imagesofnursesweremailedtofamiliesandfriendsbackhome,wherenurseson
posterscalledforvolunteersandreinforcedtheneedforemergencymedicalsup-
plies.Andnineteenth-centurysongsheets,manywithimagesofidealizednurseson
theircovers,commemoratedbattlefieldevents,forexample,"TheNightingale's
Song"(no.47),whichcelebratesFlorenceNightingale'sexploitsduringtheCrimean
War.ThelistofsuchsubjectsexpandedgreatlyduringthetwoWorldWars.Inother
—
wartimeimages,depictionsoftheexecutionofnurseEdithCavell anEnglish
nurseandheadofthenursingstaffattheBerkendaelMedicalInstituteduringWorld
—
WarIwhohelpedAlliedprisonerscrosstheDutchfrontier makescathingpolitical
statementsinaseriesofpostcards(no.84)andinaprintbyGeorgeBellows(no.85).
Theimagesinthiscollectionalsoreflectpublicattitudestowardtheprofession.
Duringwarespecially,nurseswereoftenportrayedasheroicorangelicfigures.
Cavellisportrayedasarobedmartyr,andMadonna-likenurseswereusedon
posterstoadvertisemedicalproductsandcallforcontributionstothewareffort.
Thesong"WearersoftheLittleGreyCloak"(no.48)praisesthenurseswhoserved
intheBoerWarfortheir"loveandcare,"anditscoverpresentsthemasbraveand
attentive.Butevenoutofthecontextofwar,nursesweredepictedaspioneersand
defenders:photographsbyW.EugeneSmithfromasuitepublishedinLifemagazine
laudtheeffortsandthethirty-yearcareerofMaudeCallen,aSouthCarolina
7
midwife(nos. 12and 13).InaposterurgingItalianstomakedonations,aRedCross
nursecourageouslyslaystuberculosis,depictedasaglobe-encirclingdragon(no.8).
Whereasmorerecentimagesdepictthenurseasbrave,heroic,andcompassion-
ate,depictionsofnurseswerenotalwayssofavorable.Priortoprofessionalization
nurseswerenotalwaysheldinhighesteem,andtheirimagesconsequentlyreflect
thisrelativelypoorperception.Nursesappearslovenly,oftenseemingtocarevery
littleforthepatientintheircharge.CharlesDickens'sSaireyGamp,anuneducated
andfrequentlyinebriatedcharacterfrom TheLifeandAdventuresofMartin
Chnzzlewit(1844)istheliterarycomplementofthenursepokedfunofinFee,Fa,
Fumand TheNurse(no.39).Whiletherehavebeenseveralfactorsresponsiblefor
thechangeinpublicattitudestowardnursesandinnurses'ownattitudestoward
theirprofession,thedevelopmentofformalandtechnology-basedtrainingpro-
gramshasperhapshadthemostpositiveinfluenceontheimageoftheprofession.
Todaynursesareuniversityeducatedandhavehadhospitalexperiencebefore
embarkingontheircareers.Theimageofthemodernnurse,reflectedinmore
recentworks,retainsthereputationofcaregiver,coupledwiththeimageof
dedicatedprofessional.
Theprints,drawings,andphotographsinthisexhibitionhavebeenchosenfrom
amuchlargergroupofworkstocelebratetheactivitiesoftheCenterfortheStudy
oftheHistoryofNursingattheUniversityofPennsylvania.Togethertheygive
abundantvisualevidenceofthecare,nurture,andsupportnurseshavealwaysgiven
tosociety,andhonortheircontinuingcommitmenttothebettermentofall.
WilliamH.Helfand
ADVERTISING
8
I
HowtoFeedChildren, 1896
JosephJ.Gould,Jr.(American,active
Philadelphia,c. 1880-c. 1935)
Colorlithograph;image153/sx10"
(39.1 x25.4cm)
PrintedbyJ.B.LippincottCo.,Philadelphia
Giftofananonymousdonor.1974-219-124
ThefirsteditionofLouiseE.Hogan'sbookHow
toFeedChildren:AManualforMothers,Nurses,
andPhysiciansappearedin 1896;itproved
immenselypopular,reachingitstenth,butnot
final,editionin 1923.Itschaptersdiscussedlax-
ativefoods,summerdiets,brothsandsoups,fat
infood,travelingoutfitsandrelatedthemes.
Lippincottadvertisedthefirstprintingwiththis
redandwhiteposter.
2
Galakton,c. 1900
EdwardPenfield(American,1866-1925)
Colorlithograph;image17x11 }A"(43.2x29.8cm)
PurchasedwiththeSmithKlineBeckman(nowSmithKlineBeecham)FundfortheArsMedica
Collection. 1971-6-1
Penfield'suseofflatareasinthisadvertisingposterowesagreatdealtothelookofJapanesewoodblock
prints,whichbecamepopularintheWestatthecloseofthenineteenthcentury.Thepackageand
labeledbottleofGalaktonareshownthreedimensionally,toemphasizetheirimportance.Galakton,
similartotoday'sEnsure,wasoneofagroupofproducts,includingMellin'sFoodandNestlesFood,
intendedforconvalescents,infants,andolderpeople.