Other works: "The Secret of England's Greatness"

In the extra material from Wider Contexts, you are provided with a picture of a painting you need to analyse, which can expand your understanding of the short story “Lispeth” by Rudyard Kipling. The painting is titled “The Secret of England’s Greatness” and was created by Thomas Jones Baker in 1863, three years before the publication of "Lispeth".

The artwork depicts Queen Victoria holding a Bible in front of a dark-skinned kneeling man. In the background, there are four other characters, three men and a woman. They are British and illustrate different attitudes towards the dark-skinned man. Two of the men seem to be talking, and their faces suggest a critical and sceptical attitude. The woman seems to be almost hiding behind the courtain which might suggests she is curious but also untrustfull. The man next to the Queen might be Victoria’s hus...