History of hand and foot impressions

Any new parent will testify that one of the most special times in life takes place during those first few weeks and months after the arrival of a newborn baby. They soon pass by in a blur of love and excitement, until that beautiful babe-in-arms is all of a sudden grown up before you know it. A baby foot cast or hand cast is the ideal way of preserving this exciting new stage of your life – just like the family history preserved by those who have gone before us.

Life Castings: from the Ancient India, Egyptians to Modern-Day Baby Keepsakes

Ancient civilisations the world over have been using castings to capture their likenesses for an eternity, creating a direct impression which would then be cast in precious metal. In India, taking hand prints of new married couple in turmeric, red vermillion on walls taking footprint of new bride is termed very auspicious. The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used casting techniques to craft incredible likenesses of the feet and hands of their loved ones. It is this brilliant likeness that a cast forms, showing every nuance, every dimple, wrinkle and perfect little toe, making a baby hand cast or foot cast such a beautiful baby keepsake today.

Royal Baby Foot Casts

The most famous examples of a baby foot cast are those of Queen Victoria’s nine children. The Queen commissioned the casts from sculptor Mary Thornycroft, who captured the children’s hands and feet in an alabaster cast, which would later be sculpted in marble with great accuracy. This led to the rise in popularity of baby casts, and they remain popular today with good reason: what other type of art perfectly captures your tiny, precious baby so accurately within his or her first few weeks or months?

Baby keepsakes to last a lifetime

Techniques may have moved on from Queen Victoria’s day – indeed, our high quality casts are created and finished in many antique colour finishes like gold silver ,bronze and copper – but the concept is still the same: beautiful, baby keepsakes that capture a snapshot of a truly wonderful time in a parent’s life.

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