Dr. Mary Walker
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.
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Dr. Mary Walker
- depicted (sitter)
- Walker, Mary Ellen McMurry
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Jean Bowler Bloombergh
- 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
- National Museum of American History
- subject
- Women's History
- History, Women's
- Medical
- Medicine
- related event
- Civil War
- Record ID
- nmah_1904882
- Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-bc03-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa