Grow Up! The New England Child, 1700-1900

Flynt Center of Early New England Life (lobby)

Our modern understanding of childhood as a separate stage of life from adult responsibilities is a relatively recent concept. In New England’s past, Anglo-European children assumed adult duties much more quickly than they do today. Using clothing, portraiture, games, toys, furniture, needlework, silver, ceramics, diaries and autobiographies, children’s literature, and advice manuals, this exhibition explores the changing nature of New England childhood at home, work, and school from the early 18th to the end of the 19th century.