Queen Victoria Giving the Bible to an African Chief (The Secret of England’s Greatness)

Thomas Jones Barker painted Queen Victoria Giving the Bible to an African Chief in 1861, a work widely interpreted as embodying imperial ideology through its portrayal of colonial authority and Britain's self-styled 'civilizing mission.' The painting is held in the Hermitage Museum as part of its holdings of 19th-century British art. Scholars have analyzed its composition and symbolism within the context of Victorian-era representations of empire, noting its role in shaping public perceptions of Britain's overseas expansion.

The work is categorized as a group portrait and was created in the United Kingdom in oil on cardboard.

Thomas Jones Barker’s 1861 oil painting, titled Queen Victoria Giving the Bible to an African Chief (The Secret of England’s Greatness), is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection. The work brings together several prominent Victorian figures in a single, staged scene that reflects contemporary ideas about empire and morality.

At the centre stands a regal woman in a white gown trimmed with gold, crowned and sash‑adorned, extending a small box that holds a Bible toward a dark‑skinned chief dressed in vivid red and gold. Flanking them are two additional figures, identified as Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, and John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, while Prince Albert appears in the background, suggesting a narrative of royal patronage and civilising mission.