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Primary sourceSculpture

Wax Relief Portrait of Florence Nightingale

A small oval wax relief portrait showing a profile likeness of Florence Nightingale as a young woman.

A wax relief likeness of Nightingale as a young woman, one of several contemporary portraits of her.

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Oval wax relief portrait in profile of a young woman facing right, with hair pulled back into a braided knot, a lace-trimmed collar, and draped garment, set on a brown oval background within an orange velvet frame.
Florence Nightingale, wax relief portrait. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is an oval wax relief portrait, held by the Wellcome Collection, showing a profile likeness of a young woman identified as Florence Nightingale. She is shown facing right with her hair in a braided knot and wearing a lace-trimmed collar, set within an orange velvet frame.

Why it matters

Wax reliefs were a traditional way of making portable, lasting portraits before photography became common. This object shows how Nightingale was commemorated in different artistic forms, not only in paintings and prints, reflecting her fame as a social reformer and founder of modern nursing.

Look closer

  • Why might someone choose wax instead of paint or photography for a portrait?
  • What does the careful detail in her hair and collar suggest about the sitter's status?
  • What might this small, formal object not tell us about her actual work and personality?

This sculpture 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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1854

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Secondary source

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