The Vault is Slate’s new history blog. Like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter @slatevault; find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here. During the 18 th century, ...

The petitions below come from a recently concluded exhibition, “The Fallen Woman,” at London’s Foundling Museum. In the pair of 19 th-century documents, two unmarried mothers, Damaris Phillips and ...

- Looking to be a foster parent? Here is your chance - a forum tomorrow from 1 to 3 p.m. at the New York Foundling Hospital, 119 Tompkins Ave., Stapleton, will focus on recruiting foster parents here.

It’s 1911, and the world is buzzing with awe and innovation and change. The first airplanes dot the skies, Marie Curie has just won her second Nobel Prize, George V is crowned King of the United ...

The black-and-white photo was among the raft of mementos Sister Teresa Kelly came across while cleaning out her New York Foundling Hospital office. Sister Teresa remembers the moment. A thunderstorm ...

On this day, a century ago, "Sixty-six babies from the New York Foundling Hospital were shipped . . . to foster parents in the South and West in a special car on the noon train for St. Louis from the ...