“Florence Nightingale” by Sir John Steell, St Thomas's Hospital

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Florence Nightingale

Sir John Steell

1862

Bronze

Florence Nightingale Museum, St Thomas' Hospital, London

Related material

Full length bronze (part of Crimean War memorial)

Florence Nightingale in hospital, advising

Nightingale at hospital as wounded soldiers arrive

Nightingale in old age surrounded by her nurses

Receiving the Wounded at Scutari

Florence Nightingale (biography)

Photograph and caption by Jacqueline Banerjee 2009.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly and educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]

Florence Nightingale "had a principled objection to having her likeness taken," annotating Ecclesiastes 12, viii ("Vanity of vanities") in her Bible with the words, "and the vanity of vanities — the idolatry of our fellow-mortals" (qtd. in Bostridge 266). However, she made one of her rare exceptions for Sir John Steell because his work was done at the request of the British Army and funded by ordinary servicemen. Her family considered the result to be "the best artistic likeness of her." It was viewed in Steell's studio by many grateful soldiers, as well as by the loved ones of those who did not return from the Crimea (Bostridge 266), and now stands for all to see near the ticket-desk of the museum devoted to her memory. The bust is shown off to advantage” by the red background.

Bibliography

Bostridge, Mark. Florence Nightingale: The Woman and Her Legend. London: Viking, 2008.

Last modified 28 January 2009