Dr. Mary Walker Digital Download

Our digital download package includes the historic photograph in three variations:

• Brown textured background
• Plain white background
• Original file

Available in the following formats:

• JPG
• SVG
• PNG

Ideal for:

• Printing on demand
• Use in creative projects

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Dr. Mary Walker
The Congressional Medal of Honor visible on Dr. Mary Walker’s dress marks her as one of only eight private citizens to ever win the recognition. Mary earns her degree from Syracuse Medical College in 1855 and volunteers to join the Union Army as a surgeon when the war breaks out. Her gender initially rules her out, despite the fact that she and her husband have run a private practice for five years. Perseverance leads to assignment as a nurse, initially treating the wounded at 1st Bull Run. It is not until September 1863 that she is finally hired as a “Contract Assistant Surgeon” for the Army of the Cumberland. She often crosses enemy lines to treat patients, and in 1864 is arrested as a spy after supporting an amputation on a CSA soldier. Imprisoned for four months in Richmond, she is released in a prisoner exchange. In 1865 President Andrew Johnson awards her the Medal of Honor after her request as a female for a wartime commission is denied. Dr. Walker lives on until 1919, becoming a force for gender equality, temperance and dress reforms.