Mary Seacole: The Most Famous Black Woman of the Victorian Era

One half of the odd couple of Crimean nursing – the jolly black businesswoman who swore by folk remedies, in stark contrast to Florence Nightingale’s by-the-book Victorian approach to medicine.

Cut Content: Sympathy for the Angel

This entry was originally supposed to be only about Mary Seacole, but it was impossible to tell her story without including Florence Nightingale, who’s a far better-known figure. As such, it mostly focused on Nightingale as she related to Seacole, which did not show her best side – and so it’s not as well-rounded an entry when it comes to Florence Nightingale as it could, or perhaps should, be. Nightingale and Seacole were complicated woman with a complicated relationship, and it would be a mistake to present either as purely good or bad. I may do a fuller entry on Florence at some point down the road, to balance things out.

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Art Notes

Seacole is seen here in the foreground, administering to a wounded soldier in bed — but secretly slipping him a flask of whiskey. Florence, in classic Odd Couple style, is flustered.

The background is based on historical depictions of Seacole’s establishment:

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