George William Joy’s painting of the death of General Gordon in 1885, 'murdered' on the steps of the governor’s palace in Khartoum by the Mahdi's ‘dervishes’, was ignored by critics and dismissed as inaccurate by scholars.
In spite of such indifference, over the next century Joy's work became one of the iconic images of the British empire - of a heroic British officer battling 'natives' - recycled in books and films, comics and toys.
Using a wealth of unpublished illustrations, this lecture will explore why Joy’s vision captivated generations and came to define how the British Empire was remembered, as a moral force promoting civilization over savagery.
DR MAX JONES is a writer, lecturer and historian. He teaches modern history at the University of Manchester and has won a Distinguished Achievement Medal as the University’s Teacher of the Year. His book The Last Great Quest (Oxford, 2003) and new edition of Captain Scott’s last Journals (Oxford, 2006) established his reputation as a leading expert on Scott of the Antarctic, polar exploration and national heroes.
He is an experienced public lecturer and has been invited to speak to audiences all over the UK, and in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and the USA. Max is currently writing his next book for Oxford University Press, A New History of British Heroes, which will examine how and why ideas about national heroes have changed over the last three hundred years.