This is a major and extensive survey of design for children - progressive Nordic design - that includes examples of furniture, toys and books for children, clothing, photographs of school architecture, playgrounds and public spaces, along with posters and advertising. There are a few references to food and packaging with the OTA oat flakes and tetra paks for fresh milk for children and even a three-wheel Christiania bike from the 1980s with its large square front box for carrying small loads of goods or large loads of kids.
The title of the exhibition comes from a book, The Century of the Child by Ellen Key, that was published in Sweden in 1900 where Key wrote about child labour - which then existed throughout Europe - and wrote about her concerns about poverty, social conditions in working-class homes and the need for health care and support for young mothers.
review
Museum Vandalorum, Värnamo, Sweden - 10 May to 28 September 2014
Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen - 28 November 2014 to 16 August 2015
Design Museum, Helsinki - 9 October 2015 to 17 January 2016