The Foundling Museum is a touching historical London attraction that tells the sad stories of the capital's abandoned children.

Founded in 1741 by philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram, the Foundling Hospital was established to care for young children who had been abandoned by their parents.

The museum tells the story of these children, and contains a collection of artefacts that featured in the hospital at some point during its four centuries.

Magnificent paintings, sculptures, prints, manuscripts, furniture, clocks and photographs all feature in the display, but some of the most poignant items in the collection are the foundling tokens.

These tokens were pinned by mothers onto their baby's clothes and when the child entered the institution, the hospital would attach them to the record of admission.

As the babies were given new names, these tokens would help the parents identify their children should they ever return for them.

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Posted by Michael Edwards