ABSTRACT
In mid-nineteenth century Wallachia, an Ottoman principality in Southeastern Europe, the position of poor and abandoned children began to be properly regulated from 1832 when the Paupers’ Institute was created in the city capital of Bucharest. Using the institution’s archive, we follow up the formation of these children’s identities through baptism, care and adoption. The practices related to these three processes reveal the importance of social welfare networks and individuals, such as godparents, wet-nurses and adoptive parents, in the lives of these children. Further, we argue that the State intended to integrate them into the working class, allowing them no individual preference in the type of employment chosen If they were to be adopted, they would inherit not only the patrimony but also the social status of their new parent. Glimpses into specific case studies show how the situation evolved after these children left the care of the Paupers’ Institute and how they were viewed by society.
