‘Orphaned’ tokens
In the 18th century, tokens were used by the Foundling Hospital administration as identifying objects, tangible links between mother and child. These small tokens ranged from religious medals, rings, and scraps of fabric, to padlocks, dice, and tiny handwritten notes. Now displayed inside the Museum, these objects offer us insights into the remarkable stories of each Foundling’s origin: their parentage, birthplace, and the circumstances and context surrounding their conception.
During the 19th century, the Foundling Hospital administrators removed many of these tokens from their respective admission records. In doing so, countless tokens were stripped of their embedded stories, becoming ‘orphaned’ tokens. Efforts have been made to match these orphaned tokens with their records, with limited success. Restoring each lone token to their rightful owner will take years of diligent research and indeed may never be possible. At present, most of the stories behind these ‘orphaned’ tokens remain untold.
A mother’s musings
In Untitled (This is a token), David Shrigley – commissioned as part of the Museum’s exhibition Fate, Hope & Charity – takes the perspective of an anonymous Foundling mother. Penniless, she has little to bestow as a token. Her child could get rid of this parting gift, the mother muses, or keep it as a symbol of their unknown mother’s existence. In short, the mother presents a choice. Through his trademark text-based work, Shrigley gives a voice to the Foundlings’ mothers. While their individual names and experiences have been lost to time, their tokens remain as irrefutable proof that in the beginning, someone was there. Someone loved these children, and someone gave them up.
About the artist
British artist David Shrigley is renowned for his distinctive graphic style. Since the 1990s, Shrigley’s honest, playful and sarcastic illustrations have brought him international acclaim. His drawings are simplistic, satirical renderings, characterized by visual naivety and textual depth. His rudimentary figures make us reflect on our own lives, our own quirks, our own neurotic tendencies. Sprawling text – often darkly humorous or absurd – speaks to the anxiety, frustration, and delights of modern life. Shrigley’s work can be found in various prominent collections throughout the world. He is based in Brighton, UK.
