Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria

Discover over 100 inspiring artworks - including paintings, sketchbooks and miniatures - from the National Army Museum's collections, as well as major loans from the Royal Collections Trust and the National Portrait Gallery.

During Queen Victoria’s reign, military art had an enormous impact on the public in Britain. Demand for news from across the globe created a new trade in war correspondence, with reports sent directly from the battlefield. 

In an era when photography was still new, artists were commissioned to report and draw scenes from the front.

Images of war

Britain’s army was no longer depicted through its generals and leaders alone. Instead, military painters evoked ordinary soldiers and their experiences, playing a vital role in satisfying this appetite for accurate and up-to-date information.

Alongside the proliferation of realistic images of war appearing in the press, military art was displayed in exhibitions that attracted huge crowds. Similarly, affordable prints and illustrated publications could be found in homes across the country.

A growing appreciation and empathy for the hardships soldiers faced - newly reflected in the art of the era - led to a series of military reforms. However, idealised battle scenes and heroic portraits of the Army elite - an early form of propaganda and ‘fake news’ - continued to serve a purpose to inspire national pride and maintain public support for ongoing military campaigns.

A fresh perspective

Featuring artworks not seen in public for a generation, this major exhibition brings a fresh perspective to a vital period of art history.

Charting almost a century of military art, the exhibition gives prominence to paintings and sketches by Lady Butler, the leading female battle artist of the age. Her guiding principle of painting not for the ‘glory of war’ but to portray its ‘pathos and heroism’ demonstrates the stylistic development that can be seen through the works on display.

An accompanying series of public events and digital storytelling will explore the exhibition’s themes in more detail.