03 | This image by Gustav Roux entitled ‘Das geraubte Kind’ [‘The stolen child’] was published in an illustrated magazine in 1861 and references a painting by H. W. Schlesinger. The notion that ‘gypsies’ steal children is a particularly powerful and enduring stereotype that is deeply embedded in European cultural history. It can be found in literature, art, film and opera, as well as in children’s books and textbooks. This meant that, whenever a child disappeared in unexplained circumstances, the public and the authorities regularly focused on ‘gypsies’ as the prime suspect.

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