The women in this photograph are unidentified. Fortunately, the mount is stamped Clifton & Co., Bombay, indicating that the photo was taken at the studio founded in that city (Mumbai) by Harry Clifton Soundy (1863-1922).
At first I assumed the woman sitting at left was wearing a County or Branch badge of the British Red Cross. However, the shape of her badge is different, and I haven’t been able to identify it. My guess for a date of the photo would be 1900-1910. At least four prints were probably made–one for each sitter–so I hoped there might be a chance of finding another copy online, but I haven’t found one. This print came to me in 2019 from Philadelphia.
~~~
A note about the previous post: I’d like to thank Beverly Hallam and Valmay Young of FIBIS (Families in British India Society) for sharing a link to my post Who are these men? on the Society’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Since they did so on August 1, the blog post has been viewed more than 140 times by visitors from at least a dozen countries. So far, no one has identified any additional men in the photo, but I’m optimistic it’s just a matter of time!
Tokens of Companionship 
These ladies are so smart in their working uniforms.
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They look very professional, don’t they? I wish we knew where they worked in Bombay.
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Look at those little, tiny waists! I hope the women didn’t have to wear corsets while on the job.
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Youth! I don’t think they had to wear corsets on the job, but I don’t know for sure.
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You’re probably right, Brad–youth!
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They look so calm and serene which would definitely help their patients feel better.
Keep us posted if you receive any clues for the previous post!
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Two men were identified in the previous post within a few days, but none since then. Thanks, Morgaine!
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So different from the uniform I had when a nurse. Thankfully! A lovely photo ToC!
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Thank you, CJ!
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Yikes. Those tiny waists. Great image, though.
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Nice to hear from you, Carol!
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This is a lovely photograph! These four ladies look calm and ready to take care of anyone in the midst of a health crisis. I imagine the book on the table to be a medical volume. I find it interesting that their uniforms are the same except each has a unique belt and manner of buckling. I like the way the second young woman has a very detailed and ornate buckle with keys and a small pair of scissors tucked in at her side. And I love her watch! I wonder who made it. You don’t often see something like that. Wonderful photo, Brad. Thank you so much! ☺️
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Thank you, Suzanne! I’m glad you commented on the keys, scissors, belt buckles and watch. These professional women would have relied on such tools in their work. The buckles were certainly fashionable as well as useful. Another commenter after you (Michael) said that women adopted wristwatches before men, which I didn’t know. The evolution of medical care is a fascinating subject!
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Surely there must be some Florence Nightingale or Mother Teresa fans out there who can sleuth out some more information about this charming photo. Stewart
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I do hope so. Thank you, Stewart!
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Can you imagine doing the tough job of nursing while wearing those tight-waisted dresses! I hope you get IDs on these ladies!
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I suppose a trim waist might be practical when doing physically demanding work (think of sportswear today). Ironically, the rest of the uniform looks comfortable, but so loose as to be almost impractical. I’d be thrilled to identify these ladies. Thanks, Shayne!
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A fine image. I also have a photo of an Edwardian lady with a similar style of fob watch on a wrist strap. I stll hear people claiming that wristwatches were invented for male aviators or officers in the trenches 1914-18, but this is not true. Women were the early adopters, as their small fob watches (normally worn on a neck chain) were easily adapted for this purpose.
The elaborate silver buckles are commonly found at British antiques fairs, and some people collect them exclusively. Elegant, but also practical – silver is antibacterial !
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That’s very interesting about wristwatches, Michael! I’ve noticed a few like this one on women before, but not on men, as far as I can remember. I never put two and two together to deduce that women adopted them first. Now I’ll certainly be on the lookout for them in photos. Have you ever seen such an early watch in person, such as in a shop or at a museum? I never have, but I haven’t looked for one.
Large silver buckles are quite striking in portraits. Would you say they were in vogue for about a decade, roughly corresponding to the Edwardian era?
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Now you mention it, no, I have never seen this kind of strap on sale or display !
The larger buckles seem to flourish along with the Art Nouveau designs that mark out the best of them. After WWI, those Jazz crazy youngsters prefer the loose waisted ‘flapper’ dresses, so there is a decline in buckle wearing. Not sure about inter-war medical uniforms though, but perhaps someone will tell us.
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It looks like they have their corsets on, or maybe just the belts are really tight. I do love the hair too.
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Yes, their hairstyles are really nice, and all quite different.
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Those tiny waists look almost unnatural. I suppose that having close-fitting uniforms made sense, but still: being able to breathe and bend while caring for patients had to be a little constrained. It’s interesting how closely their uniforms resemble those of nursing sisters. Given the fancy buckles, watch, and other details they probably aren’t in a religious order, but it’s still an interesting similarity.
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I also wondered if they might be nuns, but didn’t look into that possibility. I assume they were affiliated with a hospital in Bombay. They may have gone there to train local nurses. There was an epidemic of bubonic plague in Bombay that began in 1896 and lasted several years.
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A friend who knows about such things said they might have been part of a diaconate: teachers, nurses, and such who were affiliated with various orders, but who didn’t take vows and weren’t so constricted in things like apparel.
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Oh, that’s really interesting!
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This is a beautiful photograph, the nurses look so sereen and calm. I like their uniforms, and the details of them. Great find! Hopefully more persons will be identified in the previous picture!
Linda
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Thank you, Linda! I always hope the people in the photos I post will be identified, and every now and then it happens.
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Though the pictures are very old but the ladies are looking very smart and modern. Well shared thanks 👍
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Thank you, Priti! India has a marvelous photographic heritage, dating back to the early days of photography.
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Yes absolutely 😊
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Very interesting photo – and reading the comments was very enlightening. I never thought about the history of wristwatches and belt buckles, but this makes me want to know more!
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Ah yes, obscure information on obscure topics. You’ve come to the right place! 😉
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Very professional and elegant ladies! Love the belts too…and tiny waists.
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Thank you, Jo Nell! I somehow missed your comment earlier. Hope your summer is going well!
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I’m another one who was surprised at the tiny waists on these women, especially the two who are standing. However, they also look competent and trustworthy, and I wouldn’t worry about placing a loved one (or myself) in their care.
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That’s a very nice comment, Ruth. I completely agree.
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Everything about them looks perfect, but you notice how all of their eyes are tired? I suppose the demands of nursing has not changed!
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I wonder how much the nursing profession has changed in 100+ years. Some aspects probably haven’t changed much at all!
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One cool thing I learned about nursing yesterday is that Florence Nightingale may have been bipolar.
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Interesting, I never heard that, but I only know the basics of her life story.
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Cette photo est magnifique …une chose ou plutôt un détail a retenu mon attention : la ceinture de la personne à droite . Voilà environ 50 ans , j’ai travaillé avec une sage-femme anglaise qui portait son uniforme ainsi qu’une ceinture de couleur rouge , celle-ci ressemblait à celle de votre photo … sauf la couleur of course !
En faisant une recherche sur Google , je peux voir des anciens uniformes où les infirmières ont une ceinture de différentes couleurs et agrémentées de boucles différentes . Peut-être des signes d’appartenance à différentes spécialités médicales .
Bon dimanche à vous
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Bonjour Pierrette! Your comment about the belts is very interesting. I wish we could see the color of the uniform that these ladies are wearing. I assume they’re all wearing the same color. The lady seated at left is the oldest member of the group, and the only one wearing a medal, which may reflect her experience or seniority.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, and have a wonderful week!
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I think these are probably military nurses. And maybe the one with a medal or whatever it is, is the Matron or Sister (in other words a different nursing rank from the others). I don’t know about the early days, but in my lifetime – certainly in the 1950s onward – in Britain, what rank of nurse (sister, staff nurse, etc) was often shown by the type of belt or buckle, or also (and sadly we can’t see it here) what shade of uniform. The darker colour uniforms usually denoted a more senior nurse.
Here’s a site that might give some more clues: https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/community/1866
Also, I have a photo of a group of young Italian women and one of them has the same type of watch. The card has writing on the back and the date 1917. It’s probably later than this one, but I would think these were probably (at a guess) British nurses sent to India during the start of WW1 or maybe some time before.
I’d love to know if you find out more about it!
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Hi Val, nice to hear from you! Thank you for that very interesting link. I’ve read a little about Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service, but I hadn’t run across that page. It’s so good to see some of these women recognized for their work. It was difficult, dangerous and essential.
I think we’ve talked about the history of nursing in the past. I’m frequently drawn to nurses’ portraits, so they’re well-represented here on the blog.
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Oh, also – if military, chances are they had a slightly different uniform for formal occasional – such as a photo shoot!
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I wondered about that! I’ll certainly let you know if I learn anything more.
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Good 👍
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