Children of all… children of whom? The foundlings of the Lisbon wheel

An unprecedented curatorial approach invites us to reflect on child abandonment, foster care systems, identity and memory, starting from the token left with the children left on the foundling wheel: handwritten notes, small objects, images, among others.

The Misericórdia de Lisboa preserves close to ninety thousand foundling tokens, organised in five documentary series, dating from 1658 to 1939. It is the largest collection of such documents in the world. The exhibition forms part of the application for these series to be included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register, submitted in partnership with other national and international institutions.

Exhibition gallery hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

It will be closed on 25 December, 1 January and during religious services at the Church of São Roque.

Free entry.

Bookings and/or Enquiries
Misericórdia de Lisboa Historical Archive
213 235 444
arquivo.historico@scml.pt