In the first half of nineteenth-century Europe, the founding fathers of the philanthropic network developed a specific network for the care of children at risk. This network eventually resulted in institutionalized solutions for the care of these children. In this article, three topics are looked at: the meaning of the general concept of networks for this specific network; the building up of the network; and, finally, the working of the network at close quarters. It is concluded that the members of this network worked on the basis of reciprocal activities, were organized in an informal and horizontal way, knew each other very well and were regular philanthropic tourists across the frontiers of their respective countries. (Contains 40 footnotes.)