EARLY NURSES - FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE & ANNIE ANDREWS 1857 Engravings (original)

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *NINETEENTH CENTURY ENGRAVINGS OF NURSES(original)* * * * *FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE* * * * ANNIE M. ANDREWS* * * *- Made in 1857 -This is a pair of engravings of the English nurse Florence Nightingale and the American nurse Annie Andrews, images made over a century and a half ago, four years before the American Civil War began. These two historic engravings, reflecting the start of professional nursing as we know it today, were accompanied by a narrative describing the early accomplishments of these two women, which were quite recent when these were published, as well an engraving of a medal which had been awarded to Miss Andrews. FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE :M odern nursing is said to owe its start to Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), an English social reformer who came to prominence during her service as a nurse during the Crimean War, when she cared for wounded soldiers. During that conflict she became known as "The Lady with the Lamp" because of her habit of making rounds at night. The foundation of modern professional nursing was laid in 1860 when Nightingale established a nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London, the first secular nursing school in the world. Her many social reforms included improving health care for all levels of British society and in India, working to abolish the overly harsh legal penalties for prostitution then in effect, and expanding opportunities for women in the work force.ANNIE M. ANDREWS :Annie Andrews (1835-) was born in New York City. During the 1855 yellow fever outbreak in Norfolk, Virginia, she became widely recognized for her devoted work with the victims of the epidemic. Later she was awarded a gold medal for these services by Howard Association of Norfolk, who wrote in their 1857 report on the epidemic: "To her own immortal honor, (as well as for the honor of her sex, be it said,) that the first volunteer who offered to come to our aid as nurse, was Miss Annie M. Andrews, of Louisiana. She was at that time on a visit to her relations in Syracuse, New York; and contrary to their admonitions, and advice, left the comforts and enjoyments of their society, to take up her abode amongst the sick and dying in an hospital, and to breathe the pestilential air of an infected city. She shrank from no danger, she performed with cheerfulness and alacrity every duty assigned her; and few, very few, even amongst the sterner sex, can be found, who have undergone such fearful risks, and faced such imminent dangers. She has won for herself a name and a fame, that will be immortal. To her, in a peculiar manner, do we owe a debt of gratitude. It was no doubt her example, that induced many others to come. Her name will be handed down to posterity, side by side with that of Florence Nightingale, as examples of heroism, rarely equaled, never surpassed."The Three engravings, accompanied by a fairly lengthy narrative, fill an entire Harper's Weekly front page, published during the very first year of that publication's existence. Interestingly enough, most of the narrative is devoted strictly to Annie Andrews. This is explained by the editorial view expressed in that narrative, which was that while Florence Nightingale had received a great deal of attention for her work, Annie Andrews received only a fraction of that. The feeling expressed here, similar to that of the Howard Association, was that Annie Andrews deserved at least as much recognition as was received by Florence Nightingale.This is a very interesting piece to read, and along with the very early engravings of the two women, it makes a great historical relic of the start of professional nursing in two countries.These images are referred to as "wood engravings" because the plates they were printed from were made from engraved blocks of wood - as opposed to, for example, "steel engravings" ... read more

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