Talk

Meet the Experts: Dr Janette Bright on the Foundling Tokens (In Person)

14 August 2026
3pm
£18

Join us in person to discover the heart-wrenching history behind the Foundling Hospital tokens.

Why are an old bent coin, a piece of ribbon and a hazelnut amongst the most treasured items in the Foundling Museum’s Collection? In this in-person talk by Dr Janette Bright, you can learn why such items were so important in the mid-eighteenth-century Foundling Hospital when a child was admitted and why their use as identifiers declined as the century went on. You will discover how and why the tokens had to be hidden and who had access to their secrets, and how many tell us not just about individuals but about life in general at this time. The talk will also reveal the individual stories behind some foundling tokens and why some stories will always be unknown.

This listing is supplied by one of our museum partners and is not moderated by Art Fund.

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Visitor information

Address

Foundling Museum

40 Brunswick Square, London, Greater London, WC1N 1AZ
020 7841 3600

Opening times

Tues-Sat 10am-5pm

Sun 11am-5pm

Closed Monday

Visitor information