Something Else

theoddmentemporium:

The Dionne quintuplets (born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy. Four months after the birth of the sisters, the Ontario government intervened and found the parents to be unfit for the quintuplets, and custody was withdrawn. The government realised the massive interest in the sisters and proceeded to engender a tourist industry around them.

The girls were moved to this nursery which had an outdoor playground designed to be a public observation area where tourists could observe the sisters behind one-way screens. The buildings were surrounded by a seven foot barbed wire fence. The sisters were brought to play there for thirty minutes two or three times a day.  They were constantly being tested, studied, and examined with tedious records taken of everything.

While living at the compound, had a somewhat rigid lifestyle. They were not required to participate in chores; they were privately tutored; every morning they dressed together in a big bathroom, had doses of orange juice and cod-liver oil, and then went to have their hair curled. They said a prayer before breakfast, a gong was sounded, and they ate breakfast in the dining room. After thirty minutes, they had to clear the table, even if they were not done. Then they went and played in the sunroom for thirty minutes, took a fifteen minute break, and at nine o’clock had their morning inspection. They bathed every day before dinner and put on their pyjamas. Dinner was served at precisely six o’clock. Then they went into the quiet playroom to say their evening prayers. Each girl had a colour and a symbol to mark what was hers.

Approximately 6,000 people per day visited the observation gallery that surrounded the playground to view the Dionne sisters. The nursery and the area acquired the name “Quintland.”