One of the ways we hope to tell the story of our Orkney women doctors is through small exhibitions within Orkney and possibly beyond. Fiona suggested embroidering a quilt, as a ‘thinking piece’, to bring the names of all the women doctors together with a map to pinpoint where they worked across Orkney.
It will show links and similarities between them as well as
differences. It provides us, as a group, with a connection to them,
through the creation of the quilt, as we speak about their lives on the islands
while we plan and sew. Some of the women doctors were skilled sewers, most
would have had to make or mend their own clothes. We hope the quilt will
provide a tactile artefact that will raise questions and spark discussions
among those viewing.
Christine was fortunate to find our quilt at a local vintage sale. It was
originally from a box bed in the parish of Birsay, from around the 1930s. To
begin with Fiona embroidered an outline of the Orkney Mainland and surrounding
islands onto the back of the quilt. Each member of the group then selected an
island or group of islands in which they had a particular interest and chose a
12” square to represent the women from that area.
We had free rein to decorate our individual
squares as we wished, so different styles have emerged, but linked by colours
and themes. Each square will name the women related to a particular island,
when they practised there, and a photo, if one is available. It’s fascinating
to see some images of these women who have remained largely unknown in Orkney
for so many years.
The photo below is an example of the district
of Walls on the island of Hoy and the island of Flotta. The individual photos
really show the different characters of the women. One of the earliest women
doctors on Flotta was Dr Mary Baird Hannay. Her photo shows her attending a
Post Graduate Pathology Class in 1897 at the University of Glasgow, the first
woman to do so. Shortly afterwards she arrived on the island of Flotta.
Some women appear more than once across the quilt, as they practised on
different islands, or were a locum for a short time. Others were born in
Orkney, some staying to work here and others moving away.
The quilt will also show other spheres the
women were involved in, such as the Suffrage Movement, working at the Front in
WWI, working in Missionary hospitals in India, or where they graduated. For
example, Dr Beatrice Garvie worked in India for a time, highlighted by the use
and design of the fabric around her photo.
There will also be common themes that run through their lives. For example, transport – it was often easier (and necessary) to get about in small boats
rather than across land. For the early women doctors, clothing was not very
practical for getting in and out of boats. They would have had to tramp through
mud in long skirts, probably made of heavy fabric for warmth. It’s interesting
to consider how the lives of the early pioneering women were
different from their Victorian and Edwardian counterparts – and yet in so many
ways, similar.
When we first began the project, we were wondering how we would fill the
space on the quilt. That no longer seems to be a problem!
As well as the quilt we have other creative
ideas which we are working on and will share as we go along.
Blog post written by Sian Thomas
References:
Photo of Dr Beatrice Garvie and Mabel Hector in this blog
post are held in the Archive of the Orkney Library and
Archive, Kirkwall
Photo of Mary Baird Hannay by permission of University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections Sp Coll RB 5066
Several photos by permission of Lothian Health Service Archives
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