Policeman with children, Warley Park
Photographs of Norton Juvenile Offenders
The harsh discipline of the reformatory was reinforced through the use of stark uniforms. The uniform was intended to remove the child’s individual identity. Each new inmate in the reformatory was photographed. ...
Photographs for the Bournville Village Trust, 1939-1943, showing a family at the dinner table
This photograph was taken on the Weoley Castle Estate. The shot is clearly posed. Another photograph showing the family in the garden reveals how high the window was from the ground. The child could never ...
Photographs for the Bournville Village Trust, 1939-1943 showing a girl on a swing by Bill Brandt
Bournville Village Trust was established by George Cadbury in 1900 to manage his model village at Bournville. It had a longstanding interest in improving housing conditions for the working classes. In ...
Photographs for the Bournville Village Trust by Bill Brandt
This photograph shows members of the Dawson family who moved from a back-to-back house in Hockley to a maisonette in Harborne. They subsequently moved to a modern house on the Weoley Castle Estate. The ...
Photograph of the rear of 12-13 Upper Priory Court by James Burgoyne
This is one of a series of photographs which Burgoyne made showing the conditions in slum properties in Birmingham. These were properties which were to be demolished as part of the 1870s Improvement Scheme. ...
Photograph of the Parsons family of Halesowen, 1915, showing Abednego Parsons, his wife Fanny, and their daughters Sarah and Norah
Abednego was a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps and served in France. He survived and returned home at the end of the war. The family is shown in a conventional studio pose with the father standing ...
Photograph of Joscelyne’s sister Margaret and their father in front of a bookcase by William Smedley Aston
Photograph of Joscelyne with her mother and her sister Margaret in front of a bookcase by William Smedley Aston
Photograph of group of nurses and infants at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Newhall Street
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital helped to cater for children suffering from, for example, disease of the bones and joints caused by tuberculosis.
Photograph of children playing outside a Birmingham convalescent home
Photograph of children on a ward
Concerns for the health and welfare of children in the 19th century led to the establishment of children’s hospitals. Prior to the emergence of these specialist institutions children were generally treated ...
Photograph of Arthur Wallis as a child
Page from the album of photographs for the Bournville Village Trust, showing scenes of urban childhood by Bill Brandt
Most working class homes were so small and overcrowded that there was little space to play indoors. Parents encouraged their children to play outside in the street. The street became a place for running, ...
Of the Duties of Children Towards their Parents
This 17th century manuscript is about family relationships and the responsibilities of parents and their children towards each other. The document clearly shows that childhood was seen as a distinct and ...
Nursemaid with her three charges in the Triangle, Sycamore Road, Bournville
Many upper middle class and wealthier families had nurses or governesses to take care of the children. Children often grew very attached to these women and sometimes had a closer relationship with them ...
Notice sent to the parents of children who were to be evacuated from St. Clement’s Junior and Infants School Nechells
Children from St. Clement’s School, Nechells, were evacuated to Church Gresley, near Swadlingcote, Derbyshire on 1 September 1939. After the bombing of Birmingham in summer 1940 a second group of children ...
Norton Reformatory Punishment Book
On March 14 1886 four boys were caned for planning to run away. One of them had been previously caned for bullying. Of all of the institutions which children came into contact with the reformatories generally ...