Hall of Christ's Hospital c. 1815

Augustus Charles Pugin made this watercolor of the Hall of Christ's Hospital. Christ’s Hospital was founded in the 16th century in London as a school for poor children. This image gives us a glimpse into a world shaped by charity, discipline, and the visual rhetoric of power. Notice the long rows of boys uniformly dressed, regimented in their seating. The architecture, with its exaggerated length and height, seems designed to enforce a sense of order. The mural along the wall depicts benefactors and authority figures looking down upon the students, reinforcing the school's social hierarchy and the children's dependence on charity. Pugin’s choice to depict this space emphasizes themes of social control and the institutionalization of care. What does it mean to educate and care for children within such a rigid and visually imposing structure? This image invites us to consider how institutions shape individual identities.