My main
reason for visiting the Foundling Museum was to see their contribution to the
wealth of Georgian exhibitions this year, By George!
Handel's Music for Royal Occasions. This being my
first visit to the museum, however, I got completely entranced by their
permanent displays, and spent most of my time on these. The introductory gallery is probably the most
moving I’ve found an exhibition since I first visited the Imperial War Museum’s
excellent Holocaust exhibition about seven years ago. It explains how and why
the hospital was founded, and what life was like for the foundlings. There are
letters from mothers requesting that their baby is taken in by the hospital,
one particularly memorable one explaining the rape that led to the conception
of the child. Most moving were the books with ribbons attached and the
foundling tokens (often every day
objects, sometimes engraved or embellished in some way) that were left with the
babies to help identify them should the parents ever come to collect them.
Most, sadly, were never reunited. One piece of text commented that the level of
distress exhibited by those whose children were taken was almost equal to that
of those who were turned away.
The hospital
has a long relationship with eminent artists throughout the ages. William
Hogarth and George Frideric Handel were among some of the first, but they have
objects on display by Jacqueline Wilson, David Shrigley, Charles Dickens, and
many others. Wandering around the rest
of the building you see some original
eighteenth century interiors, and can enjoy the impressive collection of art
held there. It’s a fairly quiet museum, and so you can enjoy these rooms at
your own pace, and absorb your surroundings. They don’t have lots of
explanatory signage ruining the display, but there are booklets for those
wanting to find out more, and informative, friendly staff on hand.
They also
have an impressive collection of Handel memorabilia, including his will. The
room is a peaceful one where you can enjoy some of his music and see some original
scores and other items relating to his connection with the hospital. Once I’d
done soaking up all the wonderful permanent displays, I headed down to the
basement for the royal music display. Wandering around accompanied by Handel’s
music you learn about the various royal occasions he composed for, how the
pieces were received, and how he sometimes recycled parts of compositions to
maintain his prolific output. Again, there are some lovely images on display.
One thing I’ve never seen at an exhibition before is the use of digital images
rather than original items. To my shame I spent less time on these. Although I
can absolutely see the benefit of using high quality digital images of items
that presumably otherwise wouldn’t be able to be included, it just doesn’t
capture the attention when placed in the room with original scores and
paintings.
The Foundling
Museum is a wonderful, wonderful place, and I feel I’ve been missing out all
these years having never visited before. It’s a great place to spend a few
hours, learn a lot, and see some incredible artwork. Their By George! Handel's Music for
Royal Occasions exhibition runs until 18th
May.
No comments:
Post a Comment