Florence Nightingale as seen in her portraits : with a sketch of her life, and an account of her relation to the origin of the Red Cross Society.
- Maude Abbott
- Date:
- [1916]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Florence Nightingale as seen in her portraits : with a sketch of her life, and an account of her relation to the origin of the Red Cross Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material is part of the Elmer Belt Florence Nightingale collection. The original may be consulted at University of California Libraries.
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![The Period Immediately Following the Crimean War The dissimilarity between the early and the late portraits of Miss Nightingale has often been remarked. This is not entirely due to the fact that the earlier ones are mostly light crayon drawings, the later, photographs taken by commandment of the Queen on her return from the East; nor is it to be explained by the natural changes occurring in the transition from young maidenhood to early middle age. There is in the best of these later portraits to be clearly traced the birth of a great experi- ence. She has seen and partaken of the travail of the world's tragedy, and it has left its in- delible mark upon her face. The qualities, too, that she has gained in the great conflict are visible. This is especially true of the charming little head shown in Plate Vlll. p]nduranee, unflinching decision, tempered with the kindly tolerance born of a great sympathy, even a humorous appreciation of the frailties of of- ficialdom, are all expressed in the fine curves of the mouth, while in the eyes is the deep con- tentment of one who has seen the Vision, and knows of the foundations of her faith. During the five years following the Crimean War, and especially during the immediately succeeding time, Florence Nightingale needed every spark of spiritual force which had come to her from the fires through which she had passed. She and her friend Sydney Herbert, with other loyal coadjutors, were together to shoulder a burden of reform, under which im- mediate action was so imperative, that only by unrelaxing effort could results be achieved. The](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20452202_0051.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
