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. 347 of 1799 Token of Filipe António

Foundling no. 174 of 1801 Token of Ricardo Marcelo

Foundling no. 597 of 1802 Token of Ana dos Mártires

Foundling no. 866 of 1802 Token of Silvestre Martins dos Santos

Foundling no. 1043 of 1802 Token of João da Cruz

Foundling no. 841 of 1803 Token of Matilde

Foundling no. 318 of 1805 Token of Maria Inês

Foundling no. 387 of 1805 Token of Maria da Anunciação

Foundling no. 1260 of 1805 Token of Rodrigo José

Foundling no. 642 of 1807 Token of Gregória Nazianzena

Foundling no. 105 of 1808 Token of Gertrudes Tomásia

Foundling no. 516 of 1808 Token of José António Correia

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.).