We're a force for change, where creative action is transforming lives! #Museum #Exhibitions #Events #Stories #VenueHire
Open Thursday - Sunday weekly, and also Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 June for half term.
Inspired by three great 18th- century activists - Thomas Coram, William Hogarth and George Frideric Handel - the Foundling Museum is a force for change. We believe in creative action that brings past and present together to stimulate imaginations and enrich young lives. We think play matters and not just for children. We’re very serious about our work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. F
Inspired by three great 18th- century activists - Thomas Coram, William Hogarth and George Frideric Handel - the Foundling Museum is a force for change. We believe in creative action that brings past and present together to stimulate imaginations and enrich young lives. We think play matters and not just for children. We’re very serious about our work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. F
Operating as usual
Get involved in some family fun this weekend with our new activities for children to do at home. Make a insect-inspired windmill, birdfeeder, sun print or binoculars, and let the creativity fun free. http://ow.ly/vYfG50FGZPP
Get involved in some family fun this weekend with our new activities for children to do at home. Make a insect-inspired windmill, birdfeeder, sun print or binoculars, and let the creativity fun free. http://ow.ly/vYfG50FGZPP
This delicate, Battersea enamel token shows a rosy-cheeked putti (cherub with no body), hovering over the name 'Ann Higs' in a ribbon design. No further information is known about what child it was connected to, or if 'Ann' was the name of the child, mother, or someone else. #TokenThursday
This delicate, Battersea enamel token shows a rosy-cheeked putti (cherub with no body), hovering over the name 'Ann Higs' in a ribbon design. No further information is known about what child it was connected to, or if 'Ann' was the name of the child, mother, or someone else. #TokenThursday
Grab your place at our Sun Print Adventures family workshop this Friday and uncover the natural elements of Quentin Blake’s drawings with artist Isobel Manning, learning how to make sun prints using organic materials and photographic paper.
Our afternoon session is with British Sign Language interpretation.
Find out more and secure your spot: http://ow.ly/M6iM50FFjAi
Grab your place at our Sun Print Adventures family workshop this Friday and uncover the natural elements of Quentin Blake’s drawings with artist Isobel Manning, learning how to make sun prints using organic materials and photographic paper.
Our afternoon session is with British Sign Language interpretation.
Find out more and secure your spot: http://ow.ly/M6iM50FFjAi
A donor has offered to match the next £2000 in donations to #FoundlingPortraitsCampaign. Every £10 will be worth double, more with Gift Aid. We are over half way, please help us reach our £15,000 target to commission 5 leading photographers to put former Foundling Hospital pupils on the walls. Donate here:
http://ow.ly/9XOi50FEs1Z
A donor has offered to match the next £2000 in donations to #FoundlingPortraitsCampaign. Every £10 will be worth double, more with Gift Aid. We are over half way, please help us reach our £15,000 target to commission 5 leading photographers to put former Foundling Hospital pupils on the walls. Donate here:
http://ow.ly/9XOi50FEs1Z
Our #FoundlingPortraitsCampaign has reached £7,851, with our goal of £15,000 by 31 July just days away.
Can you help us raise the remaining funds to commission five leading photographers, including Eileen Perrier and David Moore, to create portraits of the last generation of Foundling pupils who were admitted to the care of the Hospital in the 1940s and 50s? http://ow.ly/HFG350FDPw8
Our #FoundlingPortraitsCampaign has reached £7,851, with our goal of £15,000 by 31 July just days away.
Can you help us raise the remaining funds to commission five leading photographers, including Eileen Perrier and David Moore, to create portraits of the last generation of Foundling pupils who were admitted to the care of the Hospital in the 1940s and 50s? http://ow.ly/HFG350FDPw8
In July 1935, 300 foundling children followed the Hospital’s boys band as they processed into their new home at Berkhamsted.
The Governors purchased a 200-acre site overlooking the town of Berkhamsted and commissioned architect John Sheppard to design a new Hospital building. His design was closely based on Jacobsen’s original London Foundling Hospital but included an assembly hall, swimming pool and gymnasium with a prominent Chapel in the centre of the scheme.
The original staircase from the girl’s wing was incorporated in the new building and Thomas Coram’s coffin was moved into the Chapel along with some of the stained glass and original Chapel furniture. The girls and boys remained separated and the new dormitories housed 30 children in each.
In July 1935, 300 foundling children followed the Hospital’s boys band as they processed into their new home at Berkhamsted.
The Governors purchased a 200-acre site overlooking the town of Berkhamsted and commissioned architect John Sheppard to design a new Hospital building. His design was closely based on Jacobsen’s original London Foundling Hospital but included an assembly hall, swimming pool and gymnasium with a prominent Chapel in the centre of the scheme.
The original staircase from the girl’s wing was incorporated in the new building and Thomas Coram’s coffin was moved into the Chapel along with some of the stained glass and original Chapel furniture. The girls and boys remained separated and the new dormitories housed 30 children in each.
Quentin Blake: Gifted
The Foundling Museum updated their business hours.
Can you spot all the Masonic symbols on this token? The Masonic emblems of a moon, a star and the sun, with two columns on each side underneath, can be seen, and in between the columns are nautical/mathematical images and a trowel.
The token’s original purpose within the movement has not been established. Here it may have been used to try to gain some preference for the child. #TokenThursday
Can you spot all the Masonic symbols on this token? The Masonic emblems of a moon, a star and the sun, with two columns on each side underneath, can be seen, and in between the columns are nautical/mathematical images and a trowel.
The token’s original purpose within the movement has not been established. Here it may have been used to try to gain some preference for the child. #TokenThursday
In the twentieth century, the Governors decided to sell the Hospital Estate and move the children out of London. They bought St Anne’s School in Redhill as temporary accommodation for the children while the new purpose-built Hospital was constructed in Hertfordshire. This archive photo shows boys walking into the school in the late 1920s.
In the twentieth century, the Governors decided to sell the Hospital Estate and move the children out of London. They bought St Anne’s School in Redhill as temporary accommodation for the children while the new purpose-built Hospital was constructed in Hertfordshire. This archive photo shows boys walking into the school in the late 1920s.
We’ve taken the decision to continue our enhanced procedures at the Museum and our highest priority remains keeping you and our dedicated team of volunteers and staff safe. Find out how we're doing this: http://ow.ly/SvcQ50FzQhn
We’ve taken the decision to continue our enhanced procedures at the Museum and our highest priority remains keeping you and our dedicated team of volunteers and staff safe. Find out how we're doing this: http://ow.ly/SvcQ50FzQhn
Enjoy the first in our series of Q&As with the poets involved with our exhibition #QuentinBlakeGifted, and hear Ben Westwood talk about his inspirations, writing process, advice to budding writers, and more. http://ow.ly/Okkd50Fxx2Y
Enjoy the first in our series of Q&As with the poets involved with our exhibition #QuentinBlakeGifted, and hear Ben Westwood talk about his inspirations, writing process, advice to budding writers, and more. http://ow.ly/Okkd50Fxx2Y
Have you ever wondered what the exact definition of a foundling is?
‘Foundling’ is an historic term applied to children, usually babies, that have been abandoned by parents and discovered and cared for by others.
However, the term ‘foundling’ is a misnomer in relation to the Foundling Hospital, for although its criteria and process of admission changed over the centuries, mothers were required to hand over their child in person.
There were only two exceptions to this rule. The first was during a brief period known as General Reception which lasted from 1756 – 1760. The other exception applied to babies who came with a donation of £100 which guaranteed a place on a ‘no questions asked’ basis. This scheme ran from 1756 to 1801, during which time approximately 75 babies were admitted in this way.
Have you ever wondered what the exact definition of a foundling is?
‘Foundling’ is an historic term applied to children, usually babies, that have been abandoned by parents and discovered and cared for by others.
However, the term ‘foundling’ is a misnomer in relation to the Foundling Hospital, for although its criteria and process of admission changed over the centuries, mothers were required to hand over their child in person.
There were only two exceptions to this rule. The first was during a brief period known as General Reception which lasted from 1756 – 1760. The other exception applied to babies who came with a donation of £100 which guaranteed a place on a ‘no questions asked’ basis. This scheme ran from 1756 to 1801, during which time approximately 75 babies were admitted in this way.
Calling all Quentin Blake fans! Have you ever wanted to be a writer or illustrator? Why not join us to complete a story inspired by Blake’s new works with lots of other children!
Visit our website to see how to contribute each week to a brand new story, which will continue until the end of August. Start the adventure now...
http://ow.ly/fker50Fxk7q #QuentinBlakeGifted
Learn more about our #FoundlingPortraitsCampaign and the five exceptional photographers who will undertake the commission if we reach our goal of £15,000 by 31 July. http://ow.ly/dMdo50FxgdL
Learn more about our #FoundlingPortraitsCampaign and the five exceptional photographers who will undertake the commission if we reach our goal of £15,000 by 31 July. http://ow.ly/dMdo50FxgdL
This Duke of York token displays the text 'THE WOODEN WALLS OF OLD ENGLAND' on its reverse, the name of a poem by Henry Green. The poem references the British Navy, and the 'wooden walls' are the ships, hence them being shown next to the words. #TokenThursday
This Duke of York token displays the text 'THE WOODEN WALLS OF OLD ENGLAND' on its reverse, the name of a poem by Henry Green. The poem references the British Navy, and the 'wooden walls' are the ships, hence them being shown next to the words. #TokenThursday
In July 1935, 300 foundling children followed the Hospital’s boys band as they processed into their new home at Berkhamsted.
The Governors purchased a 200-acre site overlooking the town of Berkhamsted and commissioned architect John Sheppard to design a new Hospital building. His design was closely based on Jacobsen’s original London Foundling Hospital but included an assembly hall, swimming pool and gymnasium with a prominent Chapel in the centre of the scheme.
The original staircase from the girl’s wing was incorporated in the new building and Thomas Coram’s coffin was moved into the Chapel along with some of the stained glass and original Chapel furniture. The girls and boys remained separated and the new dormitories housed 30 children in each.
In July 1935, 300 foundling children followed the Hospital’s boys band as they processed into their new home at Berkhamsted.
The Governors purchased a 200-acre site overlooking the town of Berkhamsted and commissioned architect John Sheppard to design a new Hospital building. His design was closely based on Jacobsen’s original London Foundling Hospital but included an assembly hall, swimming pool and gymnasium with a prominent Chapel in the centre of the scheme.
The original staircase from the girl’s wing was incorporated in the new building and Thomas Coram’s coffin was moved into the Chapel along with some of the stained glass and original Chapel furniture. The girls and boys remained separated and the new dormitories housed 30 children in each.
This archive image shows a scene from a Foundling Hospital summer camp trip, with group of boys eating grapes and posing for the camera.
This archive image shows a scene from a Foundling Hospital summer camp trip, with group of boys eating grapes and posing for the camera.
We need your help to raise £15,000 by 31 July, to give a face to the last generation of Foundling pupils who were admitted to the care of the Hospital in the 1940s and 50s. They are the last living connection to our 300-year history.
Not a single one of the dozens of paintings which line the walls of the Foundling Museum are of a named pupil from the Foundling Hospital. With your support, we can change that.
We hope to commission five leading photographers, including Wolfgang Tillmans and Mathab Hussain, to create portraits of some of these remarkable men and women, to add them permanently to our collection, to hang alongside the great 18th-century portraits and to continue the story of great artists supporting young lives.
Find out more about this project and how you can donate to make it happen here: https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/support/foundlingportraitscampaign/
#FoundlingPortraitsCampaign #crowdfunding
This rough-cut rectangular piece of mother-of-pearl is engraved with 'JAMES SON OF JAMES CONCANNON GENT, LATE OR NOW OF JAMACA, 1757'.
The name of James’ father on this piece of shell and the information that he was ‘now or late of Jamaca’ suggests that mother and child were left stranded by his absence. She made sure the child was properly identified by his token before leaving him with the Hospital. The child, who was renamed Raymond Kent, survived to be apprenticed to a farmer in Yorkshire.
This rough-cut rectangular piece of mother-of-pearl is engraved with 'JAMES SON OF JAMES CONCANNON GENT, LATE OR NOW OF JAMACA, 1757'.
The name of James’ father on this piece of shell and the information that he was ‘now or late of Jamaca’ suggests that mother and child were left stranded by his absence. She made sure the child was properly identified by his token before leaving him with the Hospital. The child, who was renamed Raymond Kent, survived to be apprenticed to a farmer in Yorkshire.
#DidYouKnow that the Foundling Hospital were going on summer camps right up to 1939. In fact, they were at camp when WWII was announced and they were brought back to Berkhamsted early!
#DidYouKnow that the Foundling Hospital were going on summer camps right up to 1939. In fact, they were at camp when WWII was announced and they were brought back to Berkhamsted early!
As part of our exhibition #QuentinBlakeGifted, poems have been written responding to the works. But what short poem would you come up with for this image? Unleash your creativity in the comments! http://ow.ly/LFGC50FpEcl
As part of our exhibition #QuentinBlakeGifted, poems have been written responding to the works. But what short poem would you come up with for this image? Unleash your creativity in the comments! http://ow.ly/LFGC50FpEcl
Ahead of today's #ENGUKR match, here's an archive photo from 1908, showing Foundling Hospital boys playing football while some of the girls look on.
Ahead of today's #ENGUKR match, here's an archive photo from 1908, showing Foundling Hospital boys playing football while some of the girls look on.
Have you heard of Martin Folkes, mathematician and antiquarian? He served as Vice President of the Foundling Hospital between 1739 and 1747 and was present on the night of the first admission of children to the Hospital in Hatton Garden on 25th March 1741.
Folkes also served as President of the Royal Society between 1741 and 1752, having succeeded his fellow Hospital Governor Sir Hans Sloane. William Hogarth painted Folkes’ portrait in the year of his election and this print is taken from an etching/engraving Hogarth made after this oil painting.
Have you heard of Martin Folkes, mathematician and antiquarian? He served as Vice President of the Foundling Hospital between 1739 and 1747 and was present on the night of the first admission of children to the Hospital in Hatton Garden on 25th March 1741.
Folkes also served as President of the Royal Society between 1741 and 1752, having succeeded his fellow Hospital Governor Sir Hans Sloane. William Hogarth painted Folkes’ portrait in the year of his election and this print is taken from an etching/engraving Hogarth made after this oil painting.
A phoenix rises dramatically from a burning coronet on this silver disc token. Phoenixes are traditionally a symbol of hope, renewal and rebirth, possibly what the parents of this foundling wished for the child. #TokenThursday
A phoenix rises dramatically from a burning coronet on this silver disc token. Phoenixes are traditionally a symbol of hope, renewal and rebirth, possibly what the parents of this foundling wished for the child. #TokenThursday
40 Brunswick Square
London
WC1N 1AZ
TUBE: Russell Square // King's Cross St. Pancras // Euston TRAIN: King's Cross St Pancras International // Euston
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
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Until 28 March, discover the life and work of Richard Leveridge, a leading singer on the 18th-century London stage, in this Handel Gallery display. In this short film with Katharine Hogg, Gerald Coke Handel Collection Librarian, view a glimpse of the Museum display.
Do you remember our installation Exchange? Did you keep one of the cups and do a good deed? If so, let us know! Share photos of the cup you received and tell us about your deed. Learn more about our #kindnesscup campaign by watching the film below... Arts Council England
In 2013, we hosted Exchange, a site-specific installation. Leading ceramic artist Clare Twomey inscribed individual good deeds onto over 1,000 cups and saucers, encouraging visitors to undertake a good deed in exchange for keeping the cup. During lockdown, the Museum received an email from one of the recipients of a cup to say she’d finally completed her good deed. During a time when the country was rooting for the NHS and other unsung heroes, the team decided to revisit the exhibition and rekindle it in a digital format. When lockdown started to ease, Clare Twomey, alongside the Museum's Director Caro Howell, made this short film introducing our new #kindnesscup campaign. Watch the film, have a cup of your favourite drink, and think about what kind thing you’re going to do. When you’ve done it, tag 3 friends and pass on the #kindnesscup. Arts Council England
Are you looking for activities to do with the kids over the summer holidays? As we're not currently running workshops at the Museum, we've created a range of online art activities so you can get creative at home. From printmaking to games, there's something for everyone. Keep an eye on our website or follow us on Instagram for new activities each week. Find the whole range here: http://ow.ly/8AXU50AXl6R Happy making!
We're happy to be able to welcome people back to the Museum from this Wednesday! Pre-book for entry to #PortrayingPregnancy and the Museum in general. http://ow.ly/VCST50AmI9T
Photographer Karolina Heller visited us shortly before lockdown and produced this lovely, short video showcasing the Museum.
To celebrate #MuseumFromHome, here's a family activity from our learning department that you can do in the comfort of your own home.
The Foundling Museum explores the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity and first public art gallery. Through a dynamic programme of exhibitions and events, we celebrate the ways in which artists and children have inspired each other for over 275 years. Discover the intriguing story behind this important London institution and the children who grew up there, alongside original period interiors, poignant artefacts and inspiring art. Make the most of your visit by hiring a guide, picking up a unique artist-designed souvenir in our Shop, or attending one of our many events from free lunchtime concerts to curator-led tours.
To keep up to date with our latest exhibitions, events and more join our mailing list: https://goo.gl/AMBqsa
Luntravelled - Неизведанный Лондон
Canada Water