This small collection is quite unique and not only does it give some details of the life of Matilda, working as a Children’s Nurse but it also gives an insight into childcare at the turn of the century. Matilda’s diary is a record of her relationship of a young boy in her care from 1902-1907. The child’s name is Karl and he is six months old when she receives him, she is paid a fee for his upkeep. Karl’s parents were to be divorced after the mother was caught having an affair with a man who was the child’s father, she takes leave for South Africa on the boat from London, and there is no more mention of the father or husband.
The diary details a Karl’s development covering many of the milestones parents experience, sitting, crawling, clapping, first words etc. It gives evidence of how he was cared for, what he ate, when he was weaned from a bottle to a cup, and toilet trained. It also records his statistics including his height and weight at intervals. The diary also shows how much Matilda cared for the small boy under her charge and that she formally adopted him and brought him up on her own as a single mother. Sadly the diary stops abruptly in 1907 when Matilda dies it is not known what happen to Karl after this point.