The Muse, the Fiddler, and the African Roscius: Peopling Black Britain 1700-2020

Using a selection of images from the V&A and other collections, this course will examine the changing ways in which the Black presence in Britain was depicted across 3 centuries of enormous global and domestic upheaval. Particular attention will be paid to how the legal status and social mobility of Black people was reflected in the visual arts. From Olaudah Equiano and Dido Elizabeth Belle to lesser-known sitters and figures in crowd scenes, the course will be illustrated by an extraordinary spectrum of lives and personal stories. 

We will explore how the impact of Black British culture and politics ranged from local to national and global spheres. We shall focus on self-representation and Black British artists and photographers in the 20th century. As their work reached new markets, we ask how the Black image has changed and, if so, for whom and why. Particular issues will be raised surrounding collections policies and accessibility to derogatory depictions of people of African origin, notably in the areas of 'Blackface Minstrelsy' and 'Human Zoos'. 

NB. Given the nature of this subject there will be images that some might find distressing. 

Programme to be announced.