Like all garments that had to
be frequently bleached clean, nurses' caps were invariably
white. Most caps were cut from a flat pattern, so they could
be unfolded for cleaning, pressing and starching (compare flat
cap 1999.267.22 with
folded version 1999.267.21
from the Royal Victoria Hospital School of Nursing). Very early
caps were sometimes made of linen gauze
(1999.267.32), but
most were made of cotton, starched to a high sheen and
cardboard rigidity.
Chinese
laundries often specialized in this starching technique.
As hospitals expanded in the early-twentieth century, many
had to find shortcuts in the maintenance of nurses' uniforms.
Cap design was simplified. At the Peterborough Civic Hospital
School of Nursing, for example, elaborate gathering of the back
of the caps (1999.267.70)
was often abandoned for simple folding
(1999.267.57). New
man-made fabrics were incorporated into caps, along with
textured paper and vinyl, which could be thrown out and
replaced when worn or soiled
(1999.267.52).
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