Jointly funded by the Works Progress Administration during the New Deal and by hospitals belonging to the Hospital Council of Southern California, this sculpture originally depicted Nightingale holding a lamp in her left hand while shielding the flame with her right hand. Since its dedication, however, the work has been attacked by graffiti, vandalism and paint. Her arms and nose were broken off and a descriptive plaque has been removed from the pedestal. In 1974, representatives from the California Hospital School of Nursing and the California Hospital Medical Center requested permission from the Municipal Arts Commission of the City of Los Angeles to move the statue from the park and place it in a secure setting where it could be repaired and saved. Both groups were encouraged by the Commission to collaborate in restoring the work in Lincoln Park. Though each nursing schools claimed they had funds for the project, neither school pursued the restoration effort and the statue has continued to deteriorate.
