Exhibit

Poor Laws of England and America, 1597-1948

“Rogues, Vagabonds, and sturdie Beggers”
A black and white etching of a barefoot young girl holding flowers sitting next to a wall

Credit: Detail of The Wallflower Girl [from a photograph], London labour and the London poor..., Henry Mayhew, London: Charles Griffin and Company, [1861?], HOLLIS 990015841370203941
A black and white etching of a barefoot young girl holding flowers sitting next to a wall
Through Friday, Jul 30, 2027
Harvard ID required

Location

Caspersen Room, Langdell Hall, 4th floor
Harvard Law School Library
1545 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

This exhibit explores 350 years of welfare legislation in England and the United States. Beginning with the Elizabethan Poor Laws and ending with the New Deal in the US and the National Assistance Act in the UK, the exhibit is organized around four themes: the Tudor Poor Laws, the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, Poor Laws in the American Context, and Perspectives on Poor Laws. 

Visit the Exhibit 

The exhibit is on view in the Caspersen Room, Harvard Law School Library, weekdays from 9am to 5pm.

Explore Exhibit Highlights Online

The online exhibit features curated pages highlighting a selection of material from the Caspersen Room display, as well as a glossary of historic terms used in the exhibit and a select bibliography for further study.