What is childhood and what does it consist of?

Today, childhood is perceived as something special and distinct from adult life, but 200 years ago and before, children were simply just small adults. However, during the late 19th century, in higher social classes, childhood began to be portrayed as something magical.

These ideas were particularly strong in England and left a deep impression on Hilda Pennington-Mellor regarding child-rearing. She staged Peter and Malcolm's childhood with theatre, children's literature, and dolls, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between what was for the boys and what was for herself.

Hildasholm's puppet collection comprises over 200 items and offers an exciting glimpse into an early stage of our modern view of children.

Ostwald Au-Yeung will present a selection from the collection and discuss the English children's culture that the Munthe family represented.