When the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg (on the left) affiliated with the Daughters of Charity in France in 1850, they began wearing the clothing that the Daughters of Charity wore (on the right), which included the iconic white cornette.
I had my first book signing for Battlefield Angels: The Daughters of Charity Work as Civil War Nurses yesterday and I was told something I hadn’t heard before. Maybe someone who is reading this can give me more detail.
The Daughters of Charity in America wore the wide, white cornettes that they became known for 114 years from 1850 to 1964. At that time, they switched to simpler head covering somewhat similar to what they had worn when they were Sisters of Charity in the early 1800’s.
I was told that the reason for the switch was that three sisters were killed in an automobile accident because the cornettes obstructed their peripheral vision and they didn’t see an oncoming car.
So does anyone know anything more about this?