Memoranda, or, Chronicles of the Foundling Hospital

Abstract

Captain Coram's Foundling Hospital was established in 1739 for 'the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children'. Hogarth was a governor of the hospital - he donated several pictures, including his portrait of Coram - as was Handel, whose famous performances of his oratorio Messiah were given there from 1750 to raise funds. John Brownlow (1800–73), himself a foundling, was secretary of the hospital from 1849 until his retirement. He introduced improvements to the children's education and was a staunch defender of the hospital, countering the criticism often levelled in the nineteenth century that taking in illegitimate children simply encouraged neglect. Brownlow's Memoranda, first published in 1847, presents a valuable account of the hospital, its early supporters, and Coram, as well as descriptions of the paintings (Kneller's portrait of Handel among them) which formed the first public art gallery in London. The book also includes contemporary engravings and facsimiles of many original documents.

For Exposed and Deserted Young Children: Research at the London Foundling Hospital

“…[6]. Hans Sloane, one of the first governors, wrote in 1748: "I observed that in three infants bred without breasts, two generally dyed, or in that proportion, notwithstanding what I or others could do to help them" [4]. John Pugh cited Hanway [19]: "During the year 1765, in the workhouse of St. Clement Danes, one nurse, Mary Poole, had twenty three children committed to her care, and on the twenty fifth of January 1766, eighteen were dead, two had been discharged, and three only remained alive.…”

“…During this period, a sense developed that more foundlings should be preserved. Focusing on administration, funding, education, or the institution's art collection, the history of the London Foundling Hospital has been described by its governor Hanway in 1759 [2] and 1767 [3]; its secretaries Brownlow in 1847 [4] and 1858 [5]; and Nichols in 1935 [6]; and by the historians McClure in 1981 [7] and Levene in 2006 [8]. Mathisen evaluated the 1761-71 infirmary books, describing medical treatment of older children [9,10].…”

‘The mere relation of the sufferings of others’: Highmore, History Painting and the Foundling Hospital

“…54 John Brownlow, the fi rst historian of the hospital writing in the mid-nineteenth century, stated that the history-painting scheme within the Court Room was a 'conjoint agreement' between the four artists. 55 Hitherto it has been presumed that the paintings were linked on a simplistic level via biblical narratives connected to children, as outlined above. Further the particular concentration by scholars on Hogarth's Moses has effectively isolated his painting from its companions.…”