The Secret of England's Greatness | Black History Walks X NPG

As part of #BlackHistoryMonth, Black History Walks took us round London, showing us the areas connected to three Black sitters from our Collection.

In this second video, they took us to the Museum of London Docklands and Canary Wharf Pier to share with us the history of the portrait The Secret of England's Greatness by Thomas Barker. This portrait shows Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle presenting an ambassador from East Africa with the Bible in what is likely to have been imagined scene that may have been based on an actual encounter, though it is not known for certain.

We visit Museum of London Docklands and Canary Wharf Pier in this video to unpack the colonial origins of the painting, with both of these areas of London being associated with trade during the Victorian period. The painting itself epitomises the Victorian concept of the British Empire. Find out more about the portrait on our website: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/se...

🎥 Kairon Edwards