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London Foundling Hospital - Tokens
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London Foundling Hospital - Tokens
Some example of the tokens left with children deposited at Londons Foundling Hospital. They allowed parents to prove their connection with their child if ever required to do so
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Media ID 14250399
© Mary Evans/Peter Higginbotham Collection
Allowed Carehome Connection Foundling Orphanage Orphans Parents Prove Required Services Some Tokens Welfare Childrens Deposited
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EDITORS COMMENTS
1. Title: "Tokens of Love and Connection: A Historical Look at the London Foundling Hospital" The London Foundling Hospital, established in 1739, was one of the earliest institutions for the care and welfare of abandoned children in England. This evocative photograph, sourced from Mary Evans Prints Online, showcases a selection of tokens left with children deposited at the hospital. These tokens served as tangible reminders of the children's origins and allowed their parents to prove their connection with them if ever needed. The practice of leaving tokens with children was a common one during the time when the Foundling Hospital admitted over 30,000 children between its inception and 1854. Parents, often unable to care for their offspring due to poverty or other circumstances, would leave tokens such as buttons, ribbons, or small trinkets with their children, hoping to one day be reunited. The tokens ranged from the deeply personal, like a lock of hair or a piece of clothing, to the more practical, such as a note with vital information. These tokens not only provided a sense of comfort and security for the children but also offered a glimmer of hope that their families might one day find them. The London Foundling Hospital, which operated as a children's home and care facility until 1954, played a pivotal role in the social welfare system during the 18th and 19th centuries. Its innovative approach to caring for abandoned children, along with the use of tokens, paved the way for the development of modern childcare services. This photograph, with its poignant reminder of the tokens left behind, offers a glimpse into the past and the emotional connections that bound parents and their children, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
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