The History of Childhood told as Girls’ and Boys’ Stories

The exhibition about Girls’ and Boys’ Stories is built on a number of actual children’s lives – and deals with subjects such as family, health and disease, school, child labour, games, body and clothes, books and media and the differences between girls and boys. You may choose to follow Carl’s story; he was born in 1865 and had eleven sisters and brothers; or the only child Kaj from 1928. You will also find the story of Anna, born in 1905; she had six brothers and sisters; or that of Vibeke from 1952, who had a brother and a sister, just to mention four randomly selected children among the twenty-eight, who are shown in the exhibition.

You will find tools and toys that belonged to them or which are similar to theirs. Joy and sorrow, pride and punishment, inventiveness and stubbornness are elements of children’s lives – then and now. Girls’ virtues and boys’ pranks separate the two sexes – more then than now.

This section of the museum is supported by The Egmont Foundation, Oak Foundation Denmark, Ole Kirk’s Foundation, The Farumgaard Foundation, The Cultural Heritage Agency and the County of Århus.

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