| Sons of Italy |
|
The exhibition reconstructs the history of the Institute and the development of national policies on childhood during the first 50 years of the unified Italian state. The exhibit proceeds chronologically, starting from the final years of the use of the grating window, the so-called "wheel", until its closure, which took place in Florence in 1875: its closing marks the end of the anonymous abandonment of infants and introduces new ways of receiving children. Through the biographies of some of the children who lived in the Innocenti Institute and in other Italian charitable institutions between 1861 and 1911, as well as through archival documents and photographs of the early 20th century, the show recounts the everyday life of children in the institution; the evolution of their intake, care and education - reflecting, and at times, heralding the scientific and pedagogical innovations of the time - demographical aspects and future life prospects available to the boys and girls in the new nation; and welfare and support for pregnant women. Historical events form the backdrop for the biographies of the children, which are not just stories of abandonment, but also of travel, family reunification and new emotional ties. In parallel, the exhibition reviews the salient events leading up to a national policy on child care between 1861 and 1911, as well as presents some select institutions that are still active today.
|
