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Postcard collection

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]Claire Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Floor 2U, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4217

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Series 1 was donated by William Helfand. It contains postcards arranged by location of publication. Most of them relate to World War I.

With two exceptions, the rest of the collection is of unknown provenance. Series 2 contains images of nurses from the early to mid 20th century, including two advertising postcards.

Series 3 is postcards that depict buildings: hospitals, nurses homes, and other physical locations.

Series 4 contains two sets of 6 postcards each, both titled "In Praise of Nurses."

Series 5 contains cartoon postcards. The first subseries consists of 3 WWII-era drawings of nurse-soldier romances. The next two subseries consist almost entirely of bawdy images, featuring nurses as the objects of sexual attention.

With the exception of Series 1, the majority of the postcards have no provenance. Most of them were likely also donated by William H. Helfand.

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Center staff, updated by Bethany Myers
Access Restrictions

This collection is unrestricted.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Center with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Collection Inventory

Physical Description

In 'Flowers' red card box

Imperial Princesses Making Bandages, Japan, 1905.
Box 1 Card 1
Heroes of Medicine: Karl Landsteiner, South Africa (Transkei), 1984.
Box 1 Card 2
Hopital Auxiliaire, Toulouse, France, circa 1915.
Box 1 Card 3
C'est pour la France-, France, 1914.
Box 1 Card 4
"Victorieux de ces sang,lants combats", France, circa 1915.
Box 1 Card 5
Red Cross nurse, France, circa 1915.
Box 1 Card 6
Le Dispensaire, Lausanne, Switzerland, circa 1930.
Box 1 Card 7
Aufsuchen Verwundeter, Germany?, circa 1910.
Box 1 Card 8
Grosser als der helfer..., Germany, circa 1920.
Box 1 Card 9
Electrotherapy Department, Canadian Hospital, 1919.
Box 1 Card 10
An Angel of Mercy, U.K., circa 1920.
Box 1 Card 11
Dispensary scene (inside), U.K., circa 1910.
Box 1 Card 12
Canada finds a little dog in Hun trenches, U.K., circa 1915.
Box 1 Card 13
Canada finds a little dog in Hun trenches, U.K., circa 1915.
Box 1 Card 13a
Interior of Ambulance Train Ward Car, U.K., circa 1905.
Box 1 Card 14
Red Cross nurse comforting soldier, U.K., circa 1915.
Box 1 Card 15
Sister Eva & blind Percy, U.K., 1906.
Box 1 Card 16
The Sign of Mercy, U.K., circa 1920.
Box 1 Card 17
Are we downhearted?, U.K., undated.
Box 1 Card 18
Cartoon, U.K., circa 1942.
Box 1 Card 19
There are always compensations, U.K., circa 1965.
Box 1 Card 20
There are always compensations, U.K., circa 1965.
Box 1 Card 20a
Les anges des derniers moments, U.K., undated.
Box 1 Card 21
Florence Nightingale pottery, U.K. [Not found labeled in box.], undated.
Box 1 Card 22
Cartoon, U.K.? [Not found in box], circa 1970.
Box 1 Card 23
The Last Message, U.K., undated.
Box 1 Card 24
Bertha Burgstresser's calling card, U.S., undated.
Box 1 Card 25
Sure, it's a Girl, U.S., circa 1910.
Box 1 Card 26
It's a Girl, U.S., 1907.
Box 1 Card 27
The Latest Thing, U.S., 1907.
Box 1 Card 28
It's a Girl, U.S., 1908.
Box 1 Card 29
Neurological Institute of New York, U.S., circa 1925.
Box 1 Card 30
Base Hospital, Camp Grant, IL, U.S., 1919.
Box 1 Card 31
Base Hospital, Camp Devens, MA, U.S., circa 1920.
Box 1 Card 32
Prayer card, U.S., circa 1918.
Box 1 Card 33
Cartoon, U.S., 1918.
Box 1 Card 34
Cartoon, U.S., 1939.
Box 1 Card 35
Ganado Mission Laboratory, AZ, U.S., circa 1945.
Box 1 Card 36
Elizabeth Kenny Foundation, U.S., circa 1950.
Box 1 Card 37
Foothealth begins in Childhood, U.S., circa 1950.
Box 1 Card 38
Cartoon, U.S., circa 1955.
Box 1 Card 39
Physical Therapy Gym, U.S., 1960.
Box 1 Card 40
Cartoon, U.S. [Not found in box], circa 1960.
Box 1 Card 41
Air-ambulance, U.S., circa 1960.
Box 1 Card 42
Unidentified portrait of nurse, probably U.S., circa 1910.
Box 1 Card 43
Portrait of two nurses (no identification), probably U.S., circa 1910.
Box 1 Card 44
Group portrait of nurses, probably U.S., circa 1919.
Box 1 Card 45
Unidentified portrait of red-cross nurse, probably British, circa 1918.
Box 1 Card 46
Unidentified portrait of nurse, probably British, 1940.
Box 1 Card 47
Fourth of July, 1918, celebration in Paris.
Box 1 Card 48
Group portrait, unidentified, probably British, circa 1905.
Box 1 Card 49
Group portrait, unidentified, probably U.S., circa 1900.
Box 1 Card 50

Nurses and Infants sculpture, British, 1924?.
Box 1 Card 51
Unidentified portrait of nurse with floral screen, undated.
Box 1 Card 52
Portrait of Red Cross nurse, "Patriotic", undated.
Box 1 Card 53
Graduation eve at nursing school, undated.
Box 1 Card 54
Maison de Sante (Chirurgie), Association des Diaconesses, undated.
Box 1 Card 55
The Nurse and Her Patient: Bitter and Sweet, undated.
Box 1 Card 56
The Nurse and Her Patient: Taking the Temperature, undated.
Box 1 Card 57
Bonnes Soeurs, France, 1904?.
Box 1 Card 58
Compact...spacious...conventient - the all-new Astral A-200 portable. U.S., circa 1960s.
Box 1 Card 59
Azbug's Autoclave Hospital Utensils, U.S., 1960s.
Box 1 Card 60
Kettering General Hospital CAT Scanner, U.K, circa 1970s.
Box 1 Card 61
PolioPlus Peruvian nurses, circa 1980s.
Box 1 Card 62
Glasgow Head Post Office First Aid Team in competition, U.K., circa 1970s.
Box 1 Card 63
Post Office members of St Andrew's Ambulance Corps., U.K., circa 1970s.
Box 1 Card 64
Fast Aid British Army recruitment poster, 1989.
Box 1 Card 65
Nursing at its most rewarding British Army recruitment poster, 1989.
Box 1 Card 66

City Hospital and Nurses Home, Kingston, New York, 1924.
Box 1 Card 67
Holy Cross Central School of Nursing, South Bend, Indiana, 1959.
Box 1 Card 68
Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, Denver, Colorada, 1950s.
Box 1 Card 69
The Union Memorial Hospital and Nurses Home, Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1940s.
Box 1 Card 70
Reading Hospital and Nurses Home, Reading, Pennsylvania, undated.
Box 1 Card 71
Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1922.
Box 1 Card 72
Mount Carmel School of Nursing, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1950s.
Box 1 Card 73
Edward Harvey Memorial, Nurses College, Allentown, Pennsylvania, undated.
Box 1 Card 74
Charles S. Wilson Memorial Hospital, Johnson City, New York, undated.
Box 1 Card 75
The Charity Hospital and Nurses Home, Savannah, Georgia, undated.
Box 1 Card 76
Nurses Home, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 1913?.
Box 1 Card 77
Nurses Home, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 1921.
Box 1 Card 78
Williamsport Hospital and Nurses Home, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 1908.
Box 1 Card 79
The Chautauqua School of Nursing, Jamestown, New York, undated.
Box 1 Card 80
Hospital and Nurses Home, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, undated.
Box 1 Card 81

In Praise of Nurses, 6 postcard set with red cross on cover.
Box 1 Card 82
In Praise of Nurses, 6 postcard set with Red Cross nurse portrait on cover.
Box 1 Card 83

The doctor says you're to avoid getting too excited., U.S., 1940s.
Box 1 Card 84
Personally, I think it would be much more appropriate U.S., 1940s.
Box 1 Card 85
I'm just a Casualty, Sir, U.S., 1943.
Box 1 Card 86
Can you spare a moment, nurse?, U.K., 1960s?.
Box 1 Card 87
Kanske en Fristad, Swedish, undated.
Box 1 Card 88
I told you not to give him any yogurt, U.S., undates.
Box 1 Card 89
My pulse isn't normal, my blood-pressure's high, U.S., 1940s?.
Box 1 Card 90
You're next, Mr. Jones!, U.S., undated.
Box 1 Card 91
Relax boys...just taking a short cut, U.S., undated.
Box 1 Card 92
Has massaging your thigh, undated.
Box 1 Card 93
How about getting into bed with me, undated.
Box 1 Card 94
All that fuss 'cos he's had his appendix out, undated.
Box 1 Card 95
When I asked you to give me a specimen, U.K., undated.
Box 1 Card 96
When I asked you to give me a specimen, undated.
Box 1 Card 96a
Blimey, nurse! I said prick his boil, U.K., undated.
Box 1 Card 97
Scope and Contents note

All Bamforth & Co. cards were published in the U.K. They are undated, but the majority are probably from the 1950s-1970s.

No. 109, "I think he's perking up a bit".
Box 1 Card 98
No. 114, "You want a what transplant".
Box 1 Card 99
No. 115, "Your pulse is a bit fast today".
Box 1 Card 100
No. 140, "You blundering young idiot".
Box 1 Card 101
No. 149, "Something's given him the will to live".
Box 1 Card 102
No. 198, "Ok, you've given the poor old devil".
Box 1 Card 103
No. 239, "That isn't what I meant when I said".
Box 1 Card 104
No. 265, "Nurse - I can feel two large bumps".
Box 1 Card 105
No. 350, "Can you give me a hand nurse".
Box 1 Card 106
No. 380, "Put your knees down".
Box 1 Card 107
No. 395, "How B - stupid can you get".
Box 1 Card 108
No. 481, "Is your wife's name Mary?".
Box 1 Card 109
No. 822, "Warn the nurses to watch out for my husband".
Box 1 Card 110
No. 966, "There goes old Tomkins".
Box 1 Card 111
No. 1103, "They call her Appendix".
Box 1 Card 112
No. 1347, "Blood tranfusions didn't seem to work".
Box 1 Card 113
No. 1407, "Is the patient making any progress".
Box 1 Card 114
No. 2030, "Excuse me miss, could you point me".
Box 1 Card 115
No. 2050, "Blimey nurse - I only came".
Box 1 Card 116
No. 2419, "Now that he's getting better nurse".
Box 1 Card 117

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