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Nov 22, 2010Dorie rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is a really good "coffee table" book. I set it down a few places around the house and found others reading it. The premise of the home for foundlings to take in children, abandoned and otherwise, and care for them till adulthood or the Mother returned, whichever came first. Hundreds of children were dropped off by parents, usually single mothers, unable to cope. Some amazing pictures show the children eating Sunday dinner, sparse at best, while society folk tour the institution, making comments and generally treating the foundlings such as zoo animals. The home allowed this process because it encouraged donations from the well to do. Children often went on to service jobs or apprenticeships, working just as hard as they had most of their lives.