AILEEN’S UNIFORM ATLAS
The Pulse is pleased to present Aileen’s Uniform Atlas, a recurring feature written by Aileen Out.
Out is the owner of Prettybusiness, a news blog in the Netherlands that focuses exclusively on work clothing.
For the history of uniforms, you are often dependent on photos and drawings from the past. But that’s not the case when it comes to the nurses’ uniforms from Nebraska. Around 100 years ago, a former military nurse decided to have students replicate nurses’ uniforms on dolls. Today, there are 58 dolls that give us an intriguing look at how these uniforms have evolved over the past century.
History Represented Through Dolls
It was Clara Siemsen (1911–2000), who came up with the idea during her career as a U.S. Navy nurse and a nurse at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha.
During that time, she started the project using Vogue dolls, which were very popular at the time. She asked nursing students in Omaha to dress these dolls according to the uniforms worn during their studies or earlier periods. For example, one of the students decided to recreate the uniform of Florence Nightingale (1890-1910), the founder of modern nursing. Gradually, students from other parts of Nebraska also began participating in the project.
White Aprons and Cuff Etiquette
What’s striking is that the uniforms, although different, share many similarities. From about 1860, when nursing as a profession emerged, all nurses wore aprons. This was common at the time, whether you worked in the home, garden, or as a nurse—anyone who risked getting dirty wore an apron. Underneath, women wore a dress or skirt paired with a blouse, usually blue in color.
On the miniature uniforms, even the cuffs are clearly visible. These were an important part of the uniform. Nurses rolled up their cuffs while working but were required to lower them when speaking with a sister of higher rank. Since the cuffs were separate pieces, this required extra effort, but it was done out of respect for authority.
Although the uniforms looked similar for a long time, that began to change around 1950. Skirts became shorter and less wide, and other colors were introduced. Dark blue and gray started to appear as alternatives to the white fabric that had characterized nurses’ uniforms for nearly a century.
The Rise of Trousers
All the dolls in the collection feature nurses’ uniforms in the form of skirts or dresses—something rarely seen today. This is because most of the dolls were created before World War II. It was during the war that this started to change. Many nurses traveled to other cities or countries to care for soldiers.
During this work, they often walked through wards where soldiers lay on mats, making it easy to see under their skirts. As women became more autonomous while traveling independently, they began opting for trousers instead of skirts.
Today, nurses have largely abandoned the once-famous skirt uniform—and rightly so. As beautiful as it may look, it was never practical as workwear.
Photos source: Nursing Doll Collection, Special Collections and Archives, McGoogan Health Sciences Library, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
Photo left: Florence Nightingale – 1820-1910, Technical advice and cap material from Matron of Florence Nightingale School at St. Thomas Hospital, London, England. Dressed by Clara Siemsen.
Photo middle: Omaha General, 14th and Capitol, 1905-1915. Lord Lister, 1915-1921. Finger Hospital, 1921-1923, 26th and Dewey, Lord Lister, 1923-1936. Model dressed by Emma Siemsen Zike, Class of 1929.
Photo right: Vocational School of Practical Nursing, Alliance, Nebraska. Established 1958.
Model dressed by Sr. Dorothy Jean, Class of 1962.
