The Humane Nurse (
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
: Den Humane Sygeplejerske) is a monument to Danish nurses standing in front of
Bispebjerg Hospital
Bispebjerg Hospital is one of the hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark. Along with a number of other hospitals and the University of Copenhagen (the Faculty of Health Sciences), Bispebjerg Hospital forms part of the Copenhagen University Hos ...
, facing its old main entrance and with
Lersø Park as a backdrop, in the
Bispebjerg
Bispebjerg, more commonly referred to as Nordvest (English: North-West), is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Located on the northern border of the municipality, it covers an area of 5.39 km² and a population of 40,033 ...
district of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. It was unveiled in 1941 and depicts a uniformed nurse holding a somewhat obstinate infant in her arms.
Description
The monument is located on the south side of the street Bispebjerg Bakke with the Lersø Park as a backdrop and facing the old main entrance of Bispebjerg Hospital on the other side of the street. It consists of a bronze statue of a nurse placed on a
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
ian granite pedestal. The monument measures C. 331 x 125 x 95 centimetres. The statue is 220 centimetres tall.
The statue depicts a young nurse holding an infant in her arms. She wears a
nurses' uniform consisting of a short-sleeved dress,
apron,
cap and closed, long-necked shoes.
Nurses' caps were first worn by Danish nurses at the
Garrison Hospital in the beginning of the nineteenth century and were introduced at Bispebjerg Hospital in 1913.
History
Bispebjerg Hospital opened in 1913. The monument was a donation from the
Foundation for the Advancement of Artistic Purposes (Fonden til kunstneriske Formaals Fremme) with funding from the Goldschmidt Grant for the Embellishment of Copenhagen (''Fhv. Grosserer og Farver B. Goldschmidts Legat til Københavns Forskønnelse''). It was designed by
Jens Jacob Bregnø
Jens Jacob Nielsen Bregnø (9 February 1877 – 26 March 1946), often referred to as J. J. Bregnø, was a Danish sculptor and ceramics designer. He collaborated with Bing & Grøndahl, Saxbo and Dahl Jensen Porcelain and also designed silver for Ka ...
. He found the model for the statue by studying the group photographs of graduating nurses from
Copenhagen Municipal Hospital in 1938 and selected Pia Kappel, née Togeby (1910-2004) for her "sculptural appearance".
The statue was unveiled on 1 September 1941, the 65th anniversary of the introduction of the first professional training programme for nurses in Denmark. The way the nurse holds the infant was met with criticism for her failure to provide head support. Bregnø explained that he had intentionally chosen the design with an obstinate child to avoid an overly twee expression.
[
]
References
External links
The Humane Nurse
at the City of Copenhagen's website for art in the public realm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humane Nurse
1941 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Copenhagen
Monuments and memorials in Copenhagen
Monuments and memorials to women
Nursing monuments and memorials
Outdoor sculptures in Copenhagen
Statues of women in Copenhagen