Foundling Museum: Superheroes, Orphans & Origins: 125 years in comics

**Before you book your ticket, check the full Days Out Guide travel advice here**

*To adhere to social distancing measures in place, guests can only pre-book their tickets online to guarantee entry to attractions. We currently cannot offer walk–up on the day vouchers*

Enter into the world of superheroes in this first major exhibition to explore the representation of foundlings, orphans, adoptees, and foster children in comics, graphic novels and sequential art from around the globe.

The Foundling Museum tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, founded in 1739 as a home for children whose mothers couldn’t keep or care for them. It was the UK’s first children’s charity.
Artists made it London’s most fashionable cause and destination as well as the UK’s first public art gallery. William Hogarth donated many of his own works, and persuaded other artists to do the same.
George Frideric Handel conducted benefit concerts of Messiah in the chapel and Charles Dickens was a supporter too.Their astonishing generosity and determination show that art transforms lives and encourages philanthropy.

Taking a lead from Hogarth and keeping his innovative and disruptive spirit alive, we don’t believe our museum should be a static display of things. We use our art and objects to unravel the past and keep its stories alive and relevant.
Through our Foundling Fellows, we also drive projects with outstanding creative individuals to continue transforming young lives.
Fellows include: Quentin Blake, Lily Cole, Sam Lee, Grayson Perry, Lemn Sissay, Yinka Shonibare, Sports Banger and Jacqueline Wilson.
Always ground-breaking, today our training and mentorship programmes for care-experienced young people stay true to our pioneering story.
Using creative action to improve the lives of children and young people, our artist founders set the pattern for our campaigning projects today.
Proud to be the first, we continue to take the lead.

Image Credits

Batman, Vol 1 #51, Bob Kane, Charles Paris, Ira Schnapp © & ™ DC. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission
New York World’s Fair Comics, Vol. 1 #2, Jack Burnley ©️ & ™️ DC. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission
Palimpsest © 2019 Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom (p 153)
Sunny © Taiyo Matsumoto Shogakukan (Vol 1)
Zenobia © 2016 Morten Dürr and Lars Horneman (p6)
Zenobia © 2016 Morten Dürr and Lars Horneman (p35 cropped)