Skip to Main Content

Pictures of Nursing: The Zwerdling Postcard Collection

Nurses and nursing have been the frequent subjects of postcards. These postcard images are informed by cultural values; ideas about women, men, and work; and by attitudes toward class, race, and national differences. Pictures of Nursing: The Zwerdling Pos

Zwerdling Postcard Collection

What is the Zwerdling Postcard Collection?

Michael Zwerdling, RN, an ER and hospice nurse and expert in historical graphics, Postcards of Nursing contains over 600 full-color images, selected from the most extensive and significant collection of nursing-related postcards ever assembled.  The National Library of Medicine acquired an archive of 2,588 postcards from American nurse and collector Michael Zwerdling, RN.

Exhibit Introduction

The Zwerdling Collection

The History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine acquired an archive of 2,588 postcards from American nurse and collector Michael Zwerdling, RN.

This unique archive consists of postcards with images of nurses and the nursing profession from around the world, produced between 1893 and 2011 with many examples coming from the ‘Golden Age’ of postcards—roughly 1907 to 1920. Pictures of Nursing provides a way to understand the types of images that are represented in the collection.

Digital Gallery of Nursing Postcards

Examine this rich collection of postcards depicting nurses and nursing around the world drawn from the collections of the National Library of Medicine.

Two Digital Postcard Collections to Review:

  • Browse the selection of postcards from the Zwerdling Postcard Collection. Over 500 images
  • Explore different topics to discover how images of nurses and nursing are informed by cultural values.

 

Online Activity

How do these postcards celebrate the nursing profession?

Examine these eight postcards that feature images of American nurses from the 20th century. Consider the challenges that influenced how nurses were able to serve. Celebrate the many nurses who have served with pride, contributed to the well-being of communities and country, and advanced the prestige of the nursing profession.