The Foundling Museum in London is a small social‑history and art museum telling the story of the Foundling Hospital, Britain’s first home for children at risk of abandonment and the UK’s first dedicated children’s charity.
The museum explores the history of the Foundling Hospital, founded in 1739 by the philanthropist Thomas Coram for “exposed and deserted young children.”It also interprets how the Hospital evolved into the country’s first public art gallery, using art and music to raise funds and awareness.
Artists such as William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds donated major works, many displayed in reconstructed 18th‑century interiors including the Court Room and Picture Gallery.
 
Interesting facts...
Perhaps the most moving things are the tiny tokens mothers left with their babies, intended as an identifier if they were ever able to reclaim them; many are ordinary trinkets, but some are altered coins, scraps of ribbon or jewellery bearing private symbols.