| Time's running out to see Tiny Traces
We often hear tales of London children who were taken in as foundlings in the 18th century… but what about African and Asian children who were cared for in the same way? Foundling Museum’s current exhibition, Tiny Traces, tells the recently rediscovered stories of more than a dozen children from these diasporas who were taken in between 1739 and 1820. Personal items, physical artefacts and archival documents are all on display, depicting the circumstances of the children’s admission to the Hospital, their parents’ lives, the Hospital’s ties to Empire and the wider picture of colonial Britain at the time. Contemporary artworks by Zarina Bhimji, Hew Locke, Kehinde Wiley, Alexis Peskine, Deborah Roberts and Shanti Panchal run parallel to the exhibition, encouraging a dialogue about the historic narratives, exploring the many emotions arising from the archive materials, and asking questions about the past, present and future. Tiny Traces: African & Asian Children at London’s Foundling Hospital is at Foundling Museum until 19 February. The exhibition is included in museum admission. Image: Shanti Panchal, Mother and Child, 2015 © Shanti Panchal | 