Over 25 years in the mid-1700s, the mothers of 16,433 babies left their children at the Foundling Hospital in London with pieces of fabric attached as a means of identifying their child when they came to retrieve them.
But only 172 mothers returned.
The swatches of fabric and ledgers, keeping details of the children — referred to as foundlings — left at the hospital between 1742 and 1767, are part of a new exhibit called “Threads of Feeling” opening Saturday at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum on West Francis Street in Colonial Williamsburg. The exhibit, showing for the first and only time in the U.S., contains 59 books assembled from the original loose pages used for record-keeping, all of which have a piece of fabric of some sort to identify the child.
Once babies were left at the hospital, their past was erased: They were given new names and no information on the parents was retained. If a mother did return, the piece of fabric left would be used to reunite her with her child.
“Although the child was being given to the hospital, the mother had the right to come back to get the child,” said Linda Baumgarten, curator of textiles and costumes for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The Foundling Hospital was established in 1739 by Royal Charter upon the urging of Capt. Thomas Coram; it accepted the first foundling in 1741. In 1926, a decision was made to move the hospital from London to Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, about 31 miles northwest of London; it closed in 1954.
The hospital, at first, was privately funded. George Frideric Handel gave benefit concerts to help fund the Foundling Hospital.
“It sort of became a fashionable charity to support the Foundling Hospital,” Baumgarten said.
In 1756, Parliament took over funding the hospital, ending a lottery that had been used previously to determine which babies would be accepted. The lottery coined the term “blackballing,” as it had mothers draw from bag to determine whether their child would be accepted into the hospital. If they drew a black ball from the bag, the mother would have to take the child home again. For more information on this process and the Threads of Feeling exhibit, listen to a podcast from Colonial Williamsburg.
In addition to providing insight to the lives of the foundlings and the Foundling Hospital, the swatches of fabric also reveal information about fabrics and textiles of the 18th century. Some fabrics are named in the books.
“It’s so rare that we knew what they called these fabrics,” Baumgarten said.
One fabric is called “red lincey overcast with purple worsted,” meaning the fabric is linsey-wolsey, or linen and wool mixed, stitched with purple worsted thread.
Some of the fabrics are colorful or patterned, proving even poor people of the time could afford these types of fabrics.
Underneath the books on display are several drawers bearing similar items from Colonial Williamsburg’s collection relating to children and mothers. The drawers will be part of exhibits and tours outside of general admission to the museum. Under a textile division of the exhibit are needlework pieces including English and Williamsburg samplers.
“If you love samplers, sign up for one of the tours with samplers in it,” Baumgarten said.
Under the names and nature division of the exhibit are drawers filled with baby and maternity clothes. A 1785 handkerchief depicts all stages of life, from birth through death. Intricately embroidered caps, brocaded silk blankets and caps with silver and gold embroidery and a lace-embroidered swaddling band are part of the special exhibit. The drawers are arranged to show infant items, baby items, toddler items, children items and mother items.
The exhibit will be open until May 26, 2014. The next exhibit will include southern textiles such as needlework and quilts. At the time that exhibit opens, there will be several other southern art exhibits in the museum.
“Threads of Feeling” is on loan from the United Kingdom’s children’s charity Coram, with the assistance of the City of London, London Metropolitan Archives. The exhibit was organized by the Foundling Museum and curated by John Styles. A book, called “Threads of Feeling: The London Foundling Hospital’s Textile Tokens 1740-1770” by Styles will be on sale in the museum’s gift shop beginning Saturday.
Admission to the museum is through a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket, Museums Pass or a Good Neighbor Pass, all available online.
Styles will give a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday about the story behind “Threads of Feeling” in the Hennage Auditorium.
