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Primary sourceArtifact1890

Recording of the voice of Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale · 1890

A rare 1890 wax-cylinder recording of Florence Nightingale's own voice, made to raise money for veterans of the Charge of the Light Brigade.

This is her own recorded voice, a rare primary source directly from the figure herself.

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Wax cylinder recording of Florence Nightingale's voice, 1890.

About this source

What it is

A short audio recording of Florence Nightingale's voice, made on a wax cylinder in 1890 for a charity fund supporting veterans of the Charge of the Light Brigade. It is one of very few recordings of her voice to survive.

Why it matters

By 1890 Nightingale was elderly and largely out of public life, but her connection to the soldiers of the Crimean War, including the Light Brigade, remained strong. This recording lets listeners hear her speaking directly about 'my old comrades', a rare personal link to a woman usually known only through writing and images.

Look closer

  • How does hearing her voice change your impression of her compared to reading her writing?
  • Why might this recording have been made for a charity cause rather than simply for history?
  • What limitations does an old wax-cylinder recording have compared to modern audio?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Florence Nightingale on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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