What's happening at the
museum for the whole
family.

This digital collection consists of selected images from the New York Foundling Hospital. The Foundling opened in 1869, under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity, as a Catholic haven for abandoned babies. It was one of the principal institutions sending children to live with families in the country, in a program known today as the "orphan train." The collection documents the programs and administration of the New York Foundling Hospital, 1869–2009, and the St. Agatha Home for Children, which operated separately from the Foundling beginning in 1884, before merging into the Foundling in 1977. The collection has processed and a finding aid, or guide to the collection, can be found here. Images include photographs of Foundling facilities and activities, reproductions of pamphlets, and reproductions of notes left with children entrusted to the Foundling.
 
Click here to view the full collection.
 

This site on Flickr highlights a selection of images from the historical records of the Children's Aid Society. The charitable organization was founded in New York City in 1853 to aid, educate and provide lodging for poor children in the city, and/or to place them in foster homes or with employers outside of the city. The entire collection has been rehoused and processed and a finding aid, or guide to the collection, can be located here. The select images portray children participating in activities at CAS facilities as well as children leaving on the "Orphan Trains." Some annual reports, personal diaries, intake volumes, broadsides and pamphlets have also been included.
 
Click here to view the full collection.
 

We ask that students at the high school level or younger visit the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library with an adult, such as a teacher or parent, and that the teacher or parent call ahead to discuss briefly the nature of the student's project with a reference librarian. The Klingenstein Library's research collections are not geared primarily to school history projects and students should undertake secondary source research prior to visiting this library. Please contact the Education Department if you're a school teacher and would like to bring your class to the New-York Historical Society.

Teachers of college and graduate school classes who would like to schedule a class visit to the Klingenstein Library should contact Nina Nazionale at nnazionale@nyhistory.org

We ask that students at the high-school level or younger visit the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library with an adult, such as a teacher or parent, and that the teacher or parent call ahead to discuss briefly the nature of the student's project with a reference librarian. The Klingenstein Library's research collections are not geared primarily to school history projects and students should undertake secondary source research prior to visiting this library. Please contact the Education Department if you're a schoolteacher and would like to bring your class to the New-York Historical Society.
Teachers of college and graduate-school classes who would like to schedule a class visit to the Klingenstein Library should contact Nina Nazionale at nnazionale@nyhistory.org.