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National Library of Medicine

Finding Aid to the Michael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection, 1893-2002

History of Medicine Division
Processed by Prints and Photographs Division
Processing Completed 2010
Encoded by Sarah Eilers


Summary Information
Zwerdling collection postcard sampleTitle: Michael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection
Creator: Zwerdling, Michael
Dates: 1893-2002
Extent: 8.4 linear feet (2,474 items in 11 binders)
Abstract:
2,474 color and black and white postcards of varying sizes, published in the United States and internationally, depicting the nursing profession, the social history of nursing, the perception of nursing in various cultures, the role of military nurses, and other related themes.

Call number: PP2004-22
Language: Collection materials primarily in English.

Access Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Copyright:

NLM does not possess copyright to the collection. Contact the Reference Staff for details regarding rights.

Preferred Citation:

Zwerdling, Michael. Michael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection. 1893-2002. Located in: Prints and Photographs Collection, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD; PP2004-22.

Provenance:

Purchase from Michael Zwerdling, 2004.


PP2004-22Finding Aid to the Michael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection, 1893-2002History of Medicine Division. Prints and Photographs Program1.0History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine.
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland, 20894
USA
Phone: (301) 402-8878 (Reference Desk)
Fax:(301) 402-0872
Email:hmdref@nlm.nih.gov
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Sarah EilersFinding aid is written in English.

National Library of Medicine

Finding Aid to the Michael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection, 1893-2002

History of Medicine Division
Processed by Prints and Photographs Division
Processing Completed 2010
Encoded by Sarah Eilers

Descriptive Summary

Zwerdling, MichaelMichael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection Dates: 1893-20028.4 linear feet (2,474 items in 11 binders)PP2004-22History of Medicine Division. National Library of MedicineCollection materials primarily in English.Abstract:2,474 color and black and white postcards of varying sizes, published in the United States and internationally, depicting the nursing profession, the social history of nursing, the perception of nursing in various cultures, the role of military nurses, and other related themes.

Provenance:

Purchase from Michael Zwerdling, 2004.

Access Restrictions:

No restrictions on access.

Copyright:

NLM does not possess copyright to the collection. Contact the Reference Staff for details regarding rights.

Preferred Citation:

Zwerdling, Michael. Michael Zwerdling Nursing Postcard Collection. 1893-2002. Located in: Prints and Photographs Collection, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD; PP2004-22.

Biographical/Historical Note

Michael Zwerdling, a hospice nurse and expert in historical graphics, assembled this collection over many years. In 2004, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins published Zwerdling's book, Postcards of Nursing: A Worldwide Tribute, which presented nearly 600 of the collected postcards and included historical notes documenting nursing's relationship to societal and cultural forces and events that shaped the 20th century.


The 2,474 postcards in the Zwerdling Collection date from 1893 to 2002. As Michael Zwerdling notes in the introduction to his 2004 book, Postcards of Nursing: A Worldwide Tribute, which presents nearly 600 cards from the collection, many were published between 1907 and World War I, a period known as the Golden Age of postcards. During these years, the world war, urbanization, and industrialization contributed to the increasing incidence of disease and injury, and a corresponding need for improved health care and additional nursing staff, as well as sanitation standards and labor laws. The role of nurses in caring for soldiers is a frequent theme in the collection, but so, too, is nurses protecting and taking care of children. The collection includes postcards published in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Oceania. There are many portraits. Topical themes include historical figures such as Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell; postcards with a humorous bent; those depicting hospitals, ambulances, therapies, and remedies; and modern postcards dealing with AIDS and controlled substances.

Index Terms

These terms are indexed in the National Library of Medicine's online catalog LocatorPlus. Researchers wishing to find related materials should search the catalog using these terms.

    MESH Subjects

    • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
    • Community Health Nursing
    • Controlled Substances
    • History of Nursing
    • Hospitals
    • Maternal-Child Nursing
    • Public Health Nursing
    • Public health nursing
    Genre Terms

    • Postcards

    Series Descriptions

    binder 1 Italy, France, England (215 items), 1899-1944binder 1a Czechoslovakia, USSR, Japan, Others (137 items), 1897-1943binder 1b Germany, Third Reich, Austria-Hungary (111 items), 1899-1952binder 2 Child Illustration, Nurses and Children, Children as Nurses, Noted Persons, Other, Romance, Humor, Miscellaneous, Remedies and Tonics (449 items), 1899-1993binder 3 England (181 items), 1901-1985binder 3a All others (various countries) (246 items), 1904-1985binder 4 United States: Real Photos, Advertisements, Community Nursing (264 items), 1893-1971binder 5 Modern: AIDS (330 items), 1987-1999binder 6 Modern: Controlled Substances (206 items), 1973-2002binder 7 Modern: Health Care, Post-1950 (273 items), 1939-2002binder 8 Modern: Non-Postcards (62 items), 1918-1993

    Collection Scope and Content Note

    The 2,474 postcards in the Zwerdling Collection date from 1893 to 2002. As Michael Zwerdling notes in the introduction to his 2004 book, Postcards of Nursing: A Worldwide Tribute, which presents nearly 600 cards from the collection, many were published between 1907 and World War I, a period known as the Golden Age of postcards. During these years, the world war, urbanization, and industrialization contributed to the increasing incidence of disease and injury, and a corresponding need for improved health care and additional nursing staff, as well as sanitation standards and labor laws. The role of nurses in caring for soldiers is a frequent theme in the collection, but so, too, is nurses protecting and taking care of children. The collection includes postcards published in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Oceania. There are many portraits. Topical themes include historical figures such as Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell; postcards with a humorous bent; those depicting hospitals, ambulances, therapies, and remedies; and modern postcards dealing with AIDS and controlled substances.

    Contents List
    Box | Folder Title
    binder 1
    Italy, France, England (215 items), 1899-1944
    binder 1a
    Czechoslovakia, USSR, Japan, Others (137 items), 1897-1943
    binder 1b
    Germany, Third Reich, Austria-Hungary (111 items), 1899-1952
    binder 2
    Child Illustration, Nurses and Children, Children as Nurses, Noted Persons, Other, Romance, Humor, Miscellaneous, Remedies and Tonics (449 items), 1899-1993
    binder 3
    England (181 items), 1901-1985
    binder 3a
    All others (various countries) (246 items), 1904-1985
    binder 4
    United States: Real Photos, Advertisements, Community Nursing (264 items), 1893-1971
    binder 5
    Modern: AIDS (330 items), 1987-1999
    binder 6
    Modern: Controlled Substances (206 items), 1973-2002
    binder 7
    Modern: Health Care, Post-1950 (273 items), 1939-2002
    binder 8
    Modern: Non-Postcards (62 items), 1918-1993