Niños - History Lab

Boys playing soldiers

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:26 +0000

This tapestry cartoon by Goya shows children playing at being soldiers, marching with their rifles on their shoulders and beating a drum. The animation of the lead soldier, the martial air and the childlike, graceful pride with which he faces the spectator constitute one of the highest achievements in the depiction of childhood in Goya’s entire oeuvre. The resulting tapestry hung in the dining room of the Princes of Asturias (the future Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma).

The post Boys playing soldiers first appeared on History Lab.

Seasonality of foundling mortality in Tenerife, 1752-1794

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:41 +0000

The behaviour of the mortality of foundlings in Tenerife was conditioned by the passing of the seasons, as during the harshest months of the year, in winter and summer, temperatures reached their extremes on the island and a higher mortality of abandoned children was recorded. Accordingly, in January there was an increase in the number of deaths due to respiratory illnesses (colds and flus), aggravated by the poor condition in which the children arrived at the centre after their journey. In spring, on the other hand, there was a slight decrease in mortality, favoured by the improvement in temperatures where conditions between abandonment and transfer to the crèche were more favourable. However, particularly in July, the number of deaths increased due to infectious diseases and the harshness of the conditions in which remission took place. After the summer heat, in autumn and at the beginning of winter, the number of deaths stabilised. At this level, and in relation to the particularities of the island’s economic and social life, parallels can be found with the situation experienced in Salamanca, London and Florence.

The post Seasonality of foundling mortality in Tenerife, 1752-1794 first appeared on History Lab.

Progressive mortality (%) of foundlings in La Laguna (Tenerife) during the first years of life, 1752-1780

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:41 +0000

The high mortality rate of foundlings recorded in 18th century Tenerife at the Casa de la Cuna de La Laguna was not so much due to the poor physical conditions in which they arrived at the institution as to the fragility and continuing economic hardship. These determined, for example, the absence of internal milkmaids, which meant that the children had to wait for one or more days until they were handed over to the external milkmaids. On the other hand, the mere exchange of the administrator resulted in the emergence of internal problems in the functioning of the incluse, such as the under-recording of infant mortality. The institution’s economic and administrative fragility must have been external, with a strong impact on the chances of survival of the children in its care.

The post Progressive mortality (%) of foundlings in La Laguna (Tenerife) during the first years of life, 1752-1780 first appeared on History Lab.

Average ages of servant boys and girls in the advertisements of the Diario de Barcelona (1795-1849)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

The graph shows the evolution of the age of access to the labour market for child servants between the end of the Ancien Régime and the beginning of the industrial economy. The spatial scope situates us in Barcelona, and the periods covered have “gaps” of information based on episodes that altered the sources, such as the War of Independence. The author points out that during the period between 1795 and 1850, the variation in age was a response to the work to be carried out by the children: while girls between 9 and 10 years of age began to work as nannies, boys who began to work at that age were employed as footmen. However, the age of majority was between 13 and 14 for girls and 14 and 15 for boys. The physical development of adolescence allowed them to carry out harder and heavier work in the service they performed. After the end of the Ancien Régime, the ages of access to work were not affected, showing this resource as an example of continuity in socio-economic practices.

The post Average ages of servant boys and girls in the advertisements of the Diario de Barcelona (1795-1849) first appeared on History Lab.