Tulalip Indian School Washington Student Nurses 1910 Real Photo Postcard

The early 20th century marked a period of increasing professionalization for nursing, with standardized training and uniforms becoming common. This image depicts a group of women, likely Indigenous, in typical nurse or healthcare aide uniforms, including white aprons and caps. Such vocational training was often provided at boarding schools or specific institutions, offering pathways for education and employment to Native American women during an era when access to professional fields was limited.

These women represent a significant, yet often overlooked, part of medical history, as they contributed to healthcare, often serving their own communities or remote areas. Their presence in nursing programs also reflects broader societal efforts, both benevolent and assimilationist, to integrate Indigenous populations into the dominant culture through vocational skills, demonstrating the complex historical landscape of education and opportunity for Native Americans during this period.