Both strong females, they were role models for women everywhere. My mother and her sister both graduated from this nursing school having lived through The Great Depression. It has come full cycle and is of such good quality material and construction that it can be safely worn and stored for another 82+ years. Our daughter, now an RN, visited recently for my husband’s birthday and inherited this heirloom in pristine condition. The cape’s journey continued to WA state where it remained safely ensconced it its man-made cocoon until it make the journey East in a UPS box and arrived in mint condition. What a journey this cape has had! Manufactured in NY, purchased in MA and worn for work in the Boston area, the cape moved to CO where we lived and was kept lovingly protected even though our mother did not work outside the home when she married. There was even the dry cleaner’s number inside affixed with a safety pin. Amazingly, it remained hanging as our mother had left it. I received the cape from one of my sisters living in WA state. Our mother’s maiden name was Mary Mooney and also a double M.Īfter she died in April of 1994, I recall seeing my mother’s wool cape hanging in my Pueblo, Colorado closet enclosed in plastic, fastened with a wooden clothespin at the top and a loose knot at the bottom of the plastic bag to protect from moths.
Also below the label is a second one with a double M and probably the hospital logo at the time. The manufacturer provided nurses’ uniforms and military uniforms during the early 20th century and WWII time frame. Black and white photos can be found via an online search. The cape is impeccably tailored.Īs I researched this vintage treasure, I noted the label had the New York Manufacturer’s name as Altro Work Shops whose NY address was 1021 Jennings Street. Embroidered on both sides of the cape are the initials MMH representing the hospital affiliation. To be protected from the elements, she wore a navy blue wool cape with double tabs, a mandarin collar and a lining of red wool. Standing in the second row on the right side, my mother graduated as a Registered Nurse and commenced her work in Boston as a private care nurse and Public Health Nurse. The photo holds many memories for our family.
The Massachusetts Memorial Hospital Nursing Class of 1937 picture shows the newly graduated nurses standing in front of the Nurses’ Residence Building.
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