Angels of the Battlefields: Striking Portraits of Nurses From the Mid-19th Century

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These striking photos from The Library of Congress that capture the faces of mid-19th century women who marshaled resources, medical skill, and courage to offer help in wartime. Florence Nightingale is credited with being the founder of modern nursing for her role in caring for wounded and dying soldiers in the Crimean War, serving as a model for the many women who provided medical care during the American Civil War.

Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who served as an inspiration for American nurses in the Civil War, 1854

Florence Nightingale, circa 1856

Adeline Blanchard Tyler, Civil War nurse in Baltimore, Chester, Pennsylvania, and Annapolis, Maryland, circa 1861-65

Almira Fales, philanthropist and nurse during the Civil War, holding baskets of supplies, circa 1861-65

Civil War nurse partially identified as Miss Davis of South Street Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in traditional nurse’s uniform, circa 1861-65

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