Enough is Enough! Health in Cartoons

18 Feb 2026, 17:30 - 19:00
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Join this talk on the history of nursing cartoons.
Discover what we can learn about healthcare, politics and history from the design and style of nursing cartoons. Historian Dr Sue Hawkins is researching the development of children's hospital nursing in the late 19th century. In her talk, she explores a collection of cartoons and verse by a young woman called Ada Bois who was a probationer at Great Ormond Street Hospital in the late 19th and early 20th century. The cartoons depict her life as a probationer, and provide a somewhat different insight (compared to the more common accounts which take the form of memoirs, diaries or letters) into the life of a trainee nurse in a large, busy hospital at this time. Other speakers tbc. This event is open to all and takes place in person only. For more cartoons, drop in to the Cartoon Museum for a daytime drawing workshop for all ages (£12 admission, free under-18s) beforehand! Image reproduced with kind permission of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Archive Service.
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RCN Library and Museum
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Page last updated - 22/09/2025