Statue of Florence Nightingale, Science Museum Group

What it is

This image is a photograph of a glazed ceramic figurine in the Staffordshire style, shown on a black background. The catalogue record calls it a statue, but the image itself shows a small ceramic figure. Nightingale wears a white veil, a green bodice, a pink shawl and a white patterned skirt, and leans on a pink pillar stacked with books. The base reads 'MISS NIGHTINGALE'. The photograph is credited to the Science Museum Group Studio, and the date of the figurine is not given in the facts.

Why it matters

Figures like this were made to present Nightingale to the public, often long after the events they show. The books on the pillar suggest her association with learning and nursing. Because the figurine is a later object, it tells us more about how people remembered her than about her own life. It is a useful example of how a historical figure can become a symbol in popular culture.

Look closer

• What objects and clothing does the figurine show, and what message might they send about Nightingale?
• Why would a maker choose the name 'MISS NIGHTINGALE' for the base instead of her full name?
• What does this figurine leave out of her real work, such as her wartime letters or her later training schools?