Vintage photos of Red Cross nurses doing lifesaving work around the world

• Henry Dunant co-founded the original Red Cross in his home country of Switzerland in 1863 to tend to the wounded from war.
• The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton in 1881.
• Red Cross nurses carried out humanitarian aid and treated soldiers on the frontlines.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May 8 each year to mark the birthday of Henry Dunant, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 for his work.

Dunant conceived of a committee to help those wounded in war co-founding the original Red Cross in his home country of Switzerland in 1863. Various other Red Cross societies began forming (including the American Red Cross in 1881), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919 as a way to consolidate them all.

In honor of Dunant's birthday, here are 20 vintage photos of Red Cross nurses doing what they do best: tending to those affected by war around the world.

Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881.

During the Civil War, Barton became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" for her work with the wounded. She founded the American Red Cross after encountering Henry Dunant's International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Switzerland on a trip to Europe.

Barton served as president of the American Red Cross for 23 years.

In its early years, the Red Cross helped support soldiers in battle and communities in disasters.

They worked to stop yellow fever outbreaks in Florida in 1888, helped flood victims in Pennsylvania in 1889, and aided the US military during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

The organization received its first federal charter from Congress in 1900.

While it's not a government entity, the American Red Cross is considered a "federal instrumentality" with responsibilities given to them by the government.