Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school in America although she was actually born in England. As a student midwife her clothes would reflect the dress of the period but, because they were for working in they would have been toned down a bit and not as elaborate as this would have been highly impractical.
The dress for the period would have been a long, plain dress in a dark colour such as black, brown, purple green or blue. It would have been classed as an everyday sort of dress and therefore would have been made from cotton calico instead of the more expensive silk or silk-wool blend. Her dress would have been very modest with everything being covered from the neck down to the ankles so the full length skirt would have swept along the floor. She would not have been allowed to have any hoops under her skirt as these would encumber her somewhat in her work and no bows, ribbons or other embellishments were allowed. The dress would undoubtedly have had long sleeves and it would have had a slightly rounded neckline but it would not have a collar. This was known as a jewel neckline.To accompany the dress Elizabeth would have worn a full length, plain white apron over her dress and a white cap on her head. The apron was to prevent her dress from becoming soiled and/or stained. In the 19th century they would not have had the luxury of disposable aprons or gloves and washing was a hard and laborious process with clothes having to be boiled, scrubbed and rinsed to get the properly clean.
The dress for the period would have been a long, plain dress in a dark colour such as black, brown, purple green or blue. It would have been classed as an everyday sort of dress and therefore would have been made from cotton calico instead of the more expensive silk or silk-wool blend. Her dress would have been very modest with everything being covered from the neck down to the ankles so the full length skirt would have swept along the floor. She would not have been allowed to have any hoops under her skirt as these would encumber her somewhat in her work and no bows, ribbons or other embellishments were allowed. The dress would undoubtedly have had long sleeves and it would have had a slightly rounded neckline but it would not have a collar. This was known as a jewel neckline.To accompany the dress Elizabeth would have worn a full length, plain white apron over her dress and a white cap on her head. The apron was to prevent her dress from becoming soiled and/or stained. In the 19th century they would not have had the luxury of disposable aprons or gloves and washing was a hard and laborious process with clothes having to be boiled, scrubbed and rinsed to get the properly clean.
