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Between Two Worlds: Vanley Burke and Francis Williams
Two portraits created three centuries apart
Explore portraits of two Jamaican gentlemen scholars. Burke's photography and archives, alongside historical artefacts and scientific images shedding new light on the Williams painting, invite reflections on quests for identity and colonial legacies.
Display highlights
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Francis Williams, the Scholar of Jamaica, unknown artist, about 1745, Jamaica. Museum no. P.83&A-1928. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Boy with flag, Wilfred in Handsworth Park, photograph, by Vanley Burke, 1970, England. © Vanley Burke -
Supplementary Education, Wilks Green Infant School, photograph by Vanley Burke, 1975, Handsworth, England. © Vanley Burke -
Prospect of Lincoln’s Inn, by Johannes Kip, 1720, England. © Crown Copyright: UK Government Art Collection -
Mr Crouch in his greenhouse, photograph, by Vanley Burke, 2022, Leeds, England. © Vanley Burke -
Mrs Walker and her customers at her hairdressers shop, Rookery Road, photograph, by Vanley Burke, 1979, England. © Vanley Burke -
Self-portrait, photograph, by Vanley Burke, 2023, Birmingham, England. © Vanley Burke -
Relief portrait of Matthew Raper, by David Le Marchand, 1720, England. Museum no. A.20-1959. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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Header image: African Liberation Day, Handsworth Park, photograph, by Vanley Burke, 1977. © Vanley Burke