Dr. Mary Walker

U.S. Army surgeon in the Civil War and the only woman to be awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor

Born into a world with clearly defined gender roles, Mary Walker (1832–1919) defied them all. One of America’s first female physicians, she believed that restrictive clothing such as the corset encumbered healthful movement. She wore and advocated for “reform dress”—a shortened dress and pants as shown below, before she abandoned the skirt altogether, although she was physically attacked and arrested for wearing pants in public.

Dr. Mary Walker

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Object Details

depicted (sitter)
Walker, Mary Ellen McMurry
Location
Currently not on view
general subject association
Women's History
Women's History
Medical
Medicine
related event
Civil War
See more items in
Political History: Political History, Women's History Collection
Health & Medicine
Credit Line
Jean Bowler Bloombergh
Data Source
National Museum of American History
ID Number
1977.0564.01
accession number
1977.0564
catalog number
1977.0564.01
Object Name
photograph
Measurements
overall: 5 in x 3 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 8.89 cm
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-bc03-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
Record ID
nmah_1904882