Ladies of Quality & Distinction

Marking 100 years of female suffrage, this landmark exhibition highlights the hidden stories of women in the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity. Discover portraits and stories of the 21 duchesses who in 1735, risking society’s disapproval, signed a petition to the King calling for the establishment of the institution. Displayed together for the first time, these paintings temporarily replace portraits of male governors that hang in the Museum’s Picture Gallery. Downstairs in the exhibition gallery, the lives of the remarkable women who supported the day-to-day running of the institution are brought to life.