Florence the Woman

The Deaconess Institute, Kaiserwerth, Germany

Display No. 44

Nightingale’s first experience of ward work occurred during her three-month stay in Kaiserwerth with the Protestant Deaconesses who managed a school, orphanage and hospital.

Whilst Nightingale’s training in nursing here was limited and in unhygienic conditions, she learned discipline and order and widened her experience working with nurses and patients from much less privileged backgrounds to her own.

Kaiserwerth

F. Nightingale; Kaiserwerth Deaconess Institution, 1929. Credit: Wellcome Collection. CC BY 4.0

Florence Nightingale Museum Collection 

Florence Nightingale Museum Collection 

Exhibits from ‘Florence the Woman’

Discover the 200 Exhibits

Nightingale is respected worldwide for her pioneering role in developing the nursing profession, her statistical work, and her evidence-based approach to healthcare. In honour of her bicentenary the World Health Organisation have named 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

In our special exhibition, you will find out about objects, people and places which tell interesting stories about Florence’s life and legacy. You’ll discover artefacts from her life, people she both inspired and challenged, and places she helped to shape. There’s many more insights too!

Please click on the different sections of her famous coxcomb diagram to explore various aspects of her life and legacy. We hope you enjoy exploring!