Foundlings at the exhibition "Filhos de todos… filhos de quem? Os expostos da roda de Lisboa"

Foundling tokens

The "tokens" of the foundlings left on the Lisbon Wheel are one of the great hallmarks of the Historical Archive of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa.

Tokens of foundling children

Foundling no. 1103 of 1790 Token of Maria da Conceição

Foundling no. 708 of 1791 Token of Joaquim Ferreira

Foundling no. 720 of 1791 Token of Guilherme

Foundling no. 495 of 179 Token of Gertrudes Rosa

Foundling no. 1216 of 1792 Token of José

Foundling no. 406 of 1793 Token of Egídio

Foundling no. 845 of 1793 Token of Agostinho

Foundling no. 948 of 1793 Token of Francisco

Foundling no. 99 of 1795 Token of Francisco Inácio da Conceição

Foundling no. 559 of 1795 Token of Francisco

Foundling no. 131 of 1796 Token of Simplícia Flitéria da Anunciada

Foundling no. 308 of 1798 Token of José

About the tokens

These “tokens” are mostly composed of a ‘note’, i.e., a textual document, usually on paper, in which the parent or someone designated thereby, recorded information regarding the child that was considered necessary or useful. The “token” essentially served as a mark and individualizing element of the child, but sometimes it was also used as a means of sharing anxieties, the causes of abandonment, and also the conveyance of requests regarding the child’s future.

Some of these documents, in addition to the ‘note’, were accompanied by other pieces that, from a symbolic point of view, aimed to place the abandoned child under the protection, shielding or intercession of the divine (through images of saints, medals, crucifixes, etc.), secular objects (charms, clovers, amulets, playing cards, etc.), or even affective items (ribbons, embroidery, socks, mother’s hair, etc.).