Historical information

Nightingale Cape, commenced using 1860s, Ballarat Base Hospital

Significance

These grey flannel capes - a kind of flannel scarf with sleeves, worn by patients when sitting up in bed. The design was from the Crimean War Hospital. Commencing in the 1860s the Ladies Aid Society Ballarat, a group of ladies who spent a lot of time sewing & mending at the hospital made these capes. The capes were part of bed linen list. These capes were frequently used in the Queen Victoria Block of the Ballarat Base Hospital as this was a cold area of the hospital.

Physical description

Grey flannel cape