Florence Nightingale, 1891

after S.G. Payne & Son, bromide postcard print, 1891

Florence Nightingale after S.G. Payne & Son, 1891

Florence Nightingale contracted an illness in the Crimea, probably brucellosis, which left her bedridden for much of her life. Her seclusion only enhanced her legendary status. Here she is pictured aged seventy-one at Claydon House, Buckinghamshire, home of the politician Sir Harry Verney, widower of her sister, Parthenope, Lady Verney (1819-1890). She is shown engaged in the incessant letter-writing that occupied much of her career.

source: National Portrait Gallery

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