Children in Trouble
A boy selling matches on the street, 1880-1890. (click image for larger version)
Children in Trouble is a changing display area exploring the aspects of childhood that can be hard to talk about. Children in Trouble focuses on the real lives of children outside the normal protection of home and family.
Children at Work
December 2004 - October 2005
Children at Work focused on working children over the past 200 years in the UK and around the world today. It highlighted the great changes in the role of children within society that have occurred over time as well as the harsh conditions children have had to endure. Looking at how reformers and organisations have raised awareness of the issues of children's rights, the exhibition explored how changes have been enforced. Despite growing protection, news reports and statistics reveal that many children all over the world, including those in Britain, are still being exploited through work today.
Childhood Diseases
March 2003 - November 2004
Figure, Lydia Dwight, John Dwight Factory, about 1673. (click image for larger version)
This exhibition focused on some of the major diseases suffered by children over the past 200 years.
It is a fact of life that children get ill and sometimes die. In history they have died of diseases which, given the medical knowledge today, are now preventable, such as smallpox.
Today we face new challenges in general health and welfare. These include lack of exercise, poor dental care, high salt, fat and sugar in our diets, antibiotic resistance, drug abuse and alcohol problems. The increased strain on the NHS is already apparent, with regular media reports concerning the length of waiting lists.
