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Fashion Friday - Fashion and flirtation for nurses in the Wild West

A recent Fashion Friday post about dressing for winter as a nurse received some nice attention on Facebook, as well as a request to for us to highlight similar novels falling under Texan or Cowboy themes. We don’t always take requests, but the humorous nature of the covers on the books in our Nurse Romance Novel Collection inspired us to do just that. We had to expand our search to western and ranch themes more broadly to discover this selection, and we are glad we did because we love these dramatic covers! Of course, we recognize that the figures depicted here bear little resemblance to real-world nurses either today or in the past, and that these depictions diminish the critically important professional work that nurses conduct worldwide. That being said, they’re so unreal and outlandish, it seems worthwhile having a little fun with them, so let’s get right down to the fashion advice!

Fashion Advice for Ranch Nurses:

Your nursing cap is ESSENTIAL out on the ranch. Don’t worry about it getting dirty or dusty, just use more bleach. This accessory is vital in communicating your innocence and purity to any potential suitors, especially while stationed in a context like the wild, wild West.
Of course, there is no sense in donning your cap if you aren’t going to wear your dress white uniform as well. Short and long sleeves are both acceptable—use your discretion depending on the weather.
Rare exceptions to the white cap and uniform may be made for nurses, like Nora, who will be spending long days on horseback. In such a case, wear sensible riding clothes in a shade of “park ranger green.”
If you find yourself without your cap, as Nurse Loreen has, we recommend a pinafore layered on top of your uniform to reinforce your chasteness.

Lastly, a little bit of advice unrelated to fashion choices: Ladies, when a man is gazing at you from behind, it is best to demurely respond with a slight tilt of your head so that he may see the profile of your face, but do not offer a smile and keep your expression rather serious. If he is not smiling at you, DO NOT smile at him. If, however, a rugged cowboy-type is warmly smiling down at you, go ahead and encourage the man by flashing your pearly-whites and raising your eyebrows invitingly.

– Katie, Special Collections Graduate Intern

cincylibrary

From the Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Public Library of Cincinnati, for the Year Ending June 30, 1906.

“During the spring the pneumatic dust remover, upon which experiments had for some time been progressing, was perfected and put in operation. The apparatus consists of a battery of steam jet pumps in the basement; these exhaust the air from stand-pipes running up through the building. On the several floors connections can be made with rubber hose running to the book stands where the work is in progress.

The method of use is made clear in the figures, in one of which the books are shown on edge that the effect of the cleaner on their tops may be made evident. Ordinarily the backs of the books are cleaned as they stand on the shelves; then they are removed to the stand, when the tops and front edges are submitted to the process. A spring valve in the base of the stand prevents air from rushing into the hose except when opened by the foot of the operator. All the dust is removed by the strong suction and drawn through the discharge pipe into the sewer. With cloth and brush the dust is sent from one book to another, where it lodges until in course of time it is sent back again.

The thoroughness of the cleaning is such that nothing remains even on the roughest edges to soil the whitest fabric when rubbed across them. It is also found that the speed in cleaning is greater than by the cloth and brush method.“

#ArtsyFartsyFriday!

Henry George Yewell (1830-1923) was an Iowa City artist who is believed to have drawn some of the earliest sketches of Iowa City. His papers also feature various other locations abroad including Egypt and England. Here are several sketches depicting the landscapes, people, and camels that Yewell saw in Egypt, which together give us a glimpse into Egyptian life in the late 19th century.

The sketchbook, along with several others, was featured in Hannah Hacker’s spring exhibit, “Drawing from the Collections.”

-Micaela

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Fashion Friday - Fashion and flirtation for nurses in the Wild West

“The Three Keatons”

#ArtsyFartsyFriday!