Pioneer and Campaigner
The Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary
Display No. 2
Nurse Henrietta Walker was presented with this signed photograph of Florence Nightingale to celebrate one year since the introduction of trained nurses at the Liverpool Workhouse. Prior to this, no workhouses outside of London employed trained nurses. Workhouse nurses were usually illiterate female inmates, unable to read medicine bottles or instructions.
Together with William Rathbone, an English philanthropist, Nightingale sent 12 qualified nurses and 18 probationers from the Nightingale Training School for Nurses to the Liverpool Workhouse in 1865. This led to workhouse nursing reforms across the UK.
Gift given to Henrietta Walker. Florence Nightingale Museum Collection
Exhibits from ‘Pioneer and Campaigner’
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!