The orphan was an extraordinarily visible figure on the Victorian social landscape.
Orphans figure prominently in the Victorian novel.
This apparent fascination with the orphan also received more practical expression. Orphanages were one of the most popular of the institutional beneficiaries of Victorian philanthropy, and were built on a lavish scale. It is tempting to view the Victorians' sympathy for the orphan as a natural human response to the suffering child. As we shall see, however, this sentiment is more historical than human in its nature. There's not much evidence of popular sympathy for orphans during the early modern period.