An Introduction to the Tokens at the Foundling Museum

by Janette Bright and Gillian Clark

Continuing on from the  highly successful “Threads of Feeling” Exhibit at the Foundling Museum in London this new book delves into the tokens other then the textile samples that were left as “identifiers”.  These “identifiers”  were not gifts for the children, keepsakes or love tokens as has often been stated.  They were official “documents” easily recognizable items that could be used to prove the identity of an infant if the parent or parents found themselves in circumstances to take the infant back.  

Since the tokens were first put on display in the 1860’s these small but speaking methods of identification have been giving life to individual moments of separation and loss.  Yet having been removed from their admission records, these compelling scraps of personal history were themselves orphans.  Now, thanks to eight years of painstaking work by Janette Bright and Gillian Clark, many of these tokens have been reunited with the children to whom they belonged, revealing the circumstances surrounding their arrival at the Foundling Hospital.  This small book showcases a number of tokens as well as their stories and is a wonderful addition to anyone’s library interested in material culture, children and fashion of the time.  Our books have been kindly signed by the Authors. Softcover