- This exhibition is now closed -
The Determination of Mary Seacole
2nd October – 31st December 2010
New Walk Museum and Art Gallery
Mary Seacole, a woman of mixed race, was a pioneering nurse and heroine of the Crimean War.
In 1854, Seacole asked to be sent as an army nurse to the Crimea - she was refused. Undaunted, she funded her own trip and set up the British Hotel near Balaclava to provide 'a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers'.
She often visited the battlefield, sometimes under fire, to nurse the wounded. She became known as 'Mother Seacole', her reputation rivalling that of Florence Nightingale.
The exhibition looks at the life of Mary Seacole, her medical achievements, her exploration of new worlds and determination of attaining what she believed to be her destiny.
The exhibition will include the only found portrait of Mary Seacole kindly loaned by the National Portrait Gallery, painted by Albert Charles Challen in 1869.
Events
Words of Colour: Joy Francis
Tuesday 12th
October
7.00pm – 8.00pm
New Walk Museum
& Art Gallery
Joy Francis examines the effects the media has on
the black community and highlights the achievements of black writers and
journalists within the UK. Joy Francis is the former editor of PRIDE and
PublicSector. Booking recommended. £3.00
Curator’s Talk: The Seacole Experience Brought to Life
Wednesday 20th
October
6.00pm – 7.00pm
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
Join
the exhibition curator in a talk about Mary’s life and journeys as a woman of
colour in the 16th century and discover how determination made her a heroine of
the time. Booking recommended. £3.00
Evening Talk: Mary Seacole in the Crimean War
Monday
8th November
7.00pm – 8.00pm
New Walk
Museum & Art GalleryA chance to investigate and handle objects
from the exhibition including books, the only known signed photograph of Mary
Seacole, letters from Queen Victoria, high ranking military officers and
Florence Nightingale. Booking recommended. £3.00
Visitor Information
Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm
Free admisssion
New
Walk Museum & Art Gallery
53 New Walk, Leicester LE1 7EA
T: 0116
225 4900
E: museums@leicester.gov.uk
W: www.leicester.gov.uk/seacole
