Meaning of initials K.P. on collar of vintage nurses cape

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I've bought a vintage nurses cape, which seller says is 1940s-1950s.

It has initials S.N. on left collar (Student Nurse)

I'm trying to find what the initials K.P. on the right collar mean (I think they indicate the hospital)... can anyone help?

Also, it has a label inside that appears to read "C Gorden". It could be the owner's name, but might be a manufacturer... any ideas?

Thanks for your help!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Do you have any clue as to what area of the country it came from? That might help identify the hospital or school.

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It's an ebay purchase - the seller just lists their location as United States (I'm UK based) - I'll see if I can find any more info.

It's an anniversary present for my girlfriend (she's been wanting one for an age), so I'd love to get the provenance right.

Her mother's a nurse (but let her cape go), and her father is a chief of coronary medicine.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Where is Dogoodthengo? She is our resident allnurses vintage expert. You could shoot her a message if no one can answer this for you.

DoGoodThenGo - allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses

I'm guessing K.P. is the school, but which?

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Must be slipping to let a item like that get by! Great catch!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-40s-50s-Nurses-Navy-Blue-Wool-Uniform-Cape-/150451233687?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Vintage_Women_s_Clothing&hash=item230797a397

The name tag sewn inside is the former owner's name. The initials on on side of the collar "K.P." are for the school of nursing, and obviously the "S.N." means student nurse.

Without at least a state or local area it is going to be very difficult to find the name of the program. There were at one time thousands of nursing programs in the United States and Canada, especially when almost every hospital had a diploma school, and anyone could have issued that cape. The garment itself is a "standard" design one has seen before. IIRC, it also came in a shorter length, sort of like the short capes St. Vincent's School of Nursing grads here in the NYC area used to wear.

You are a very special lad to get your GF that cape as a gift, am sure it will be well received. Just don't let this one go! If you and your young lady do settle down one day and start a family, who knows..... it could be come a family heirloom!

As for the maker of the cape, will try and see if I can come up with anyone. So many manufacturers of student and RN uniforms have long since bit the dust though.

DGTH

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Looks like it's in really good condition, too. I really have to stay away from ebay myself. I feel the fever creeping up on me, and my wallet won't be thrilled by it, I can tell you.:)

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Only nursing school and hospital that comes to mind at the moment with the initials "K.P." would be Kaiser Permanente out in California.

KP's diploma nursing program started around the 1940's, but IIRC has gone the way of so many others, that is to say closed.

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Looks like it's in really good condition, too. I really have to stay away from ebay myself. I feel the fever creeping up on me, and my wallet won't be thrilled by it, I can tell you.:)

I don't know what is going on with eBay lately, but vintage nursing stuff is getting pricey with lots of bidding activity. For some reason caps, not the generic stuff, but the old school real McCoy versions are *hot*. Since Halloween is months away, and nurse's week/day is over cannot think what the hub-bub is all about. Unless lots of new nurses want them to wear for graduation, but that doesn't make sense, I mean each GN doing her own thing cap wise.

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Thanks for all the feedback... it's much appreciated.

The vendor tells me she picked up the cape in the Chicago area: so, quite a journey if it's from Kaiser Permanente... although, it's had half a century to get there, so could have taken the scenic route :)

I'm not sure about being "a very special lad", but Rebecca is definitely a very special young lady.

Yes, I think I might have snapped up a really good cape... I'd bid for one previously on ebay, and lost out as the price skyrocketed in the last couple of minutes. This one though appears to be in much better condition, and was half the price! I picked it up as a "buy it now" almost as soon as it was listed.

As for the current interest in vintage nursing capes and caps - Becca comes from a medical family, and is off to study medicine as a postgrad in September - but, I think it's more about 'fashion'. In our case, she thinks the vintage capes are adorable, and wants it as something to wear, rather than exhibit - the movie Atonement has quite a bit to answer for!

Thanks again, Roger

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

You might want to post on the Illinois and Indiana forums to see if anyone can identify former nursing programs with the initials of KP.

At one time there were literally dozens, if not hundreds of them in the area. Most have closed.

The only possibility I can think of off the top of my head is Prentice, which is a women's hospital within the Northwestern system. It was probably once a separate facility, and may have had its own nursing education program.

I bet some retired nurses could help out with this.

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Well regardless of where the thing came from, you've got yourself a really nice vintage nurse's cape, and should give years more great service.

As to finding the name of the program, remember then as today nurses tended to move about allot. Being mainly a female profession, nurses often relocated due to marriage, personal or family reasons. Graduates from highly esteemed nursing programs such as Kaiser, Bellevue, Columbia, Saint Vincent's and many others were highly sought after, and indeed could write their own ticket in terms of employment anywhere across the country.

Then there is of course the standard "problems" with finding original owners of anything vintage, in that it may have been brought to say Chicago from some place else as part of an estate, gift, or any of the countless reasons things move about.

Am surprised there isn't a tag from the maker somewhere on the cape. If you can find out who made the thing, perhaps calling them up (if they are still in business), and maybe someone remembers who "KP" is, I mean an account from a nursing school would have meant a score or more capes at least once a year. That translates into a pretty large account even by yesterday's standards.

Best of luck,

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