Portraits from beyond the Grave

Stop Press! If you are in St Helena, you have a fortnight left to catch this moving and intriguing exhibition at the Museum of St Helena. It closes on 30 August 2025.

The Liberated African Advisory Committee has launched The Portrait Gallery - Stories of the Face to commemorate the third anniversary of the reburial of the Liberated Africans at Rupert's Valley. The exhibition is a collaboration between Assistant Professor Andreana Cunningham of Boston University, the Museum of St Helena, and the St Helena National Trust, with support from the St Helena Tourist Office.

It features powerful portraits of three individuals from the Rupert’s Valley burial ground, created by Saint and Saint-descended artists in collaboration with a bioarchaeologist (who studies skeletal remains of the historic past). The resulting portraits merge scientific accuracy with artistic interpretation. Using methods of facial reconstruction traditionally used in forensic identification, the artists have brought to life what these individuals may have looked like, offering a poignant and personal way to honour their memory.

Scientific facial reconstruction and artistic interpretation join forces to honour the memory of the enslaved Africans who were released on St Helena by the Royal Navy's anti-slavery squadron between 1840 and 1872. Photo courtesy of the St Helena Government.

If you can't make it along to St Helena in time, you can read more about the exhibition and see additional photos in the Government's press release here: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2025/press-releases/the-portrait-gallery-a-moving-tribute-to-liberated-africans/

You can also read about the background to the exhibition on our website here: https://www.uk-sthelenaheritagetrust.org/liberatedafricanestablishment

In the meantime, stay tuned to this blog. We hope to be announcing some exciting news soon about the creation of the Slavery Interpretation Centre in the No. 1 Building on St Helena.