Florence Nightingale Bicentenial talk with Katharine McMahon celebrating the 200th anniversary of her birth.

Image from Local Studies archive of Florence Nightingale working in Crimean ward .All Rights Reserved

Visit the Local Studies Florence Nightingale scrapbook in the archive for more

Mon 11 May 2020

Derby's Local Studies Library has been celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the pioneer of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, by exhibiting a historic scrapbook.

The Derbyshire-born nurse's work during the Crimean War revolutionised hospital sanitisation, and she led the way in collecting and displaying data to show the impact of care. Her influence can still be felt today, especially as the world tackles Covid-19.

It is complemented by a specially-recorded online talk by Sunday Times bestselling author Katharine McMahon, who has a lifelong interest in Florence Nightingale.

Author Katharine McMahon’s talk will be available to view here from 12 May. 

A special new edition of her novel The Rose of Sebastopol, a fictional account of a nurse serving in the Crimea alongside Florence Nightingale, has been published by W&N in time for the bicentenary.

Katharine McMahon said: “This scrapbook is a gem and brings Nightingale, and the extraordinary publicity that followed her expedition to the Crimea, vividly to life. The cuttings and pictures show how she became a cult - in songs, plays and newspapers - but also the tragedy of disease and suffering that the real Florence tackled with unbounded energy and determination.”