Seascapes and landscapes

Turner's 'The Battle of Trafalgar': a maligned masterpiece?

J.M.W. Turner's vast naval scene is a treasure of the Royal Museums Greenwich collection, but why was it so controversial when it was unveiled in 1824?
Contemporary art

The art of piracy: imagining the world of Zheng Yi Sao

A series of illustrations by Livia Giorgina Carpineto brings the world of notorious pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao to life
Portraits

Seeing Ourselves podcast

How does it feel to see 'yourself’ represented – or misrepresented – in museum spaces?

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Seascapes and landscapes

Follow how artists throughout history have depicted our maritime world, and learn more about scenes in Royal Museums Greenwich's collection

A painting of the ship HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar with seafarers being tossed around in the churning waves below

Turner's 'The Battle of Trafalgar': a maligned masterpiece?

J.M.W. Turner's vast naval scene is a treasure of the Royal Museums Greenwich collection, but why was it so controversial when it was unveiled in 1824?
Two art object handlers hold a painting against a wall

Moving masterpieces: behind the scenes at the Queen's House

How do galleries move and hang artworks? Follow what happens as curators, conservators and art handlers prepare for an exciting new display at the Queen's House
A close-up view of a drawing of a tall ship at sea. The fine lines of the masts and sails contrast with the sepia tone of the paper, which shows signs of age and staining

A Sea of Drawings: the art of the Van de Veldes

Why do artists draw, and what can their sketches teach us about their skills and techniques? Take a closer look with the unique Van de Velde drawings collection
An engraving of the 17th century artist Willem van de Velde the Elder

The artistic legacy of the Van de Veldes

How the founders of British marine painting inspired generations of artists, including J.M.W. Turner
A rough drawing illustrating how shadow falls on a round object. Across the top is a hard to decipher note in flowing handwriting, and the bottom half of the drawing contains two balls with cross-hatching to indicate areas of shadow

A Van de Velde drawing lesson

Notes, inscriptions and observations fill many of the Van de Velde drawings. What can they tell us about their artistic process?
A detail from the van de Velde painting The Battle of Scheveningen, 10 August 1653

Sketching at sea: Van de Velde the war artist

Daring, dedication and an eye for detail – how Van de Velde the Elder risked his life to record naval battles as they happened
A lump of graphite and a metal lead holder on a piece of crumpled paper. The dark grey rock is shiny where it has been cut to be used for drawing, while the lead holder is a brass colour with a small nib of graphite sticking out of one end

Drawing paper and materials

What did the Van de Veldes use to create their detailed ship portraits and maritime sketches?
An oil painting from the 17th century showing a view of Greenwich, London from Greenwich Park. The Queen's House can be seen in the centre, and in the foreground a man can be seen sketching

The Van de Veldes in Greenwich

Find out about the Dutch artists’ time in the Queen’s House
A drawing of boats and people at the water's edge, with a cart pulled by horses on the shore

Artist secrets revealed: the techniques of the Van de Veldes

Explore how the Van de Veldes used their vast drawings archive to bring their maritime masterpieces to life
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Portraits

Appearance and reality, status and symbolism - find stories of artists and their sitters

Painting of a young, 21st-century woman pictured in a pose and costume that echoes a Vermeer painting in an interior reminiscent of a 17th-century artist’s studio,

Women artists in the Queen's House

Discover some of the contemporary works and historic pieces taking pride of place at the Queen's House
An oil painting of a sailor by Henry Carr

The Sailor

Sophie Warburton explores the story behind a portrait in Royal Museums Greenwich's collection and their connection with the sitter.
A young boy and a woman look at a painting of Nelson

A history of naval portraiture in six artworks

Curator Katherine Gazzard charts the evolution of this complex and creative genre
Two art object handlers hold a painting against a wall

Moving masterpieces: behind the scenes at the Queen's House

How do galleries move and hang artworks? Follow what happens as curators, conservators and art handlers prepare for an exciting new display at the Queen's House
Pastel portrait of a woman looking to the side and wearing a blue naval uniform and hat

The search for the lost Wren

A quest to uncover the identity of a female naval officer in the collection
Paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds

The art of rivalry: Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds

The two leading portrait painters of the 18th century weren't just competing for commissions. They each held fundamentally different beliefs about art
Historian Fiona Compton and Seeing Ourselves podcast host Sharon Walters examine an object in the National Maritime Museum's collections

Seeing Ourselves podcast

How does it feel to see 'yourself’ represented – or misrepresented – in museum spaces?
A close-up view of part of a painting of Queen Elizabeth I, showing her pale oval face framed by a crop of ginger hair and delicate lace ruff

Royal portraits in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collection

Come face to face with Kings and Queens, and discover 500 years of royal portraits at the Queen's House in Greenwich
Portrait of Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Cornish, Richard Kempenfelt and Thomas Parry

Art in focus: inside the ship’s cabin

Discover how a little-known painting changed the face of naval portraiture
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Watch

Feeling Blue is a new commission created by multidisciplinary artist Alberta Whittle and Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. Currently on display in the Queen’s House, the tapestry is rooted in maritime traditions.

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Contemporary art

Discover how artists today are engaging with and responding to Royal Museums Greenwich's collections

Painting of a young, 21st-century woman pictured in a pose and costume that echoes a Vermeer painting in an interior reminiscent of a 17th-century artist’s studio,

Women artists in the Queen's House

Discover some of the contemporary works and historic pieces taking pride of place at the Queen's House
Artist EM Parry works on the 'Queering Piracy' artwork for Pirates at the National Maritime Museum, sewing 'tattoos' into a silicon body

Crafting identity: the making of Queering Piracy

Queering Piracy is a contemporary artwork that explores how some LGBTQ+ communities have adopted and embraced pirate history and symbolism
Illustration of pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao at sunrise holding a sword with her back to another pirate

The art of piracy: imagining the world of Zheng Yi Sao

A series of illustrations by Livia Giorgina Carpineto brings the world of notorious pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao to life
Black and white woodcut style illustration of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read standing on the deck of a ship holding a sword and a lantern, which emits orange beams

The art of piracy: a fresh perspective on Bonny and Read

A new artwork by Linnea Maertens questions what we think we know about notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. See it on display in Pirates at the National Maritime Museum
Artist Joseph Ijoyemi stands in front of a colourful painting depicting a queen against a backdrop of colourful triangles

Reframing Black history: Joseph Ijoyemi and the Atlantic Worlds gallery

From resilience to resistance, two new paintings in the Atlantic Worlds gallery at the National Maritime Museum celebrate the history of pre-colonial Africa
A model of a ship filled with colourful cardboard zigzag makers

Unfolding the past: Elgin Cleckley and the Atlantic Worlds gallery

Through colour and cardboard, a contemporary artwork at the National Maritime Museum shifts perspectives on the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans
Two artists wearing colourful clothing look at a sketchbook

Practitioners in Residence: Griffi & Rosie

Learn more about Royal Museums Greenwich’s current practitioners in residence
Alberta Whittle smiles at the camera with a blue coloured tapestry called Feeling Blue on a loom in the background

Beneath the blue: Alberta Whittle on the making of Feeling Blue

Artist Alberta Whittle shares the inspiration behind Feeling Blue, a tapestry created in collaboration with Dovecot Studios
Image of woman mudlarking at Enderby Wharf

A Quietly Historic Shoreline In Transition

“Time and Tide” is filmmaker Paul Wyatt’s love letter to a once-industrial riverside path in Greenwich. This area played a significant role in bridging oceans and changing how we communicate forever. Paul talks to Assistant Curator Aimee Mook about his film.
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Architecture

Find out more about Greenwich and London's most spectacular buildings

An oil painting from the 17th century showing a view of Greenwich, London from Greenwich Park. The Queen's House can be seen in the centre, and in the foreground a man can be seen sketching

History of the Queen's House

The centre of Greenwich for hundreds of years, the beautiful Queen's House has also been at the heart of royal life

Inspiring architecture at the Queen's House

Refined, stylish, revolutionary – the white cube of the Queen's House influenced centuries of British architecture

Inigo Jones and the Queen's House

Discover how England’s first Classical building was created

Musing on a mollusc: Brunel’s inspiration for the Thames Tunnel

The year 2019 marked the 150th anniversary of the opening in 1869 of the East London railway line, completed in 1843 with the help of pioneering technology invented by Marc Isambard Brunel
Illustrated view of the Naval Gallery in the Painted Hall, Greenwich Hospital, in 1865 (PAH4034)

Art for all, art for free

Whilst cataloguing a collection of papers from the early 19th century, we came across an intriguing note.

The Queen's House - centre of town for 400 years

Discover how the building of the House had a dramatic effect on the history of Greenwich

Andrea Palladio (1508–80)

Andrea Palladio was one of Italy's greatest and most imitated architects, whose influence can be seen in the elegant Queen's House.

Christopher Wren

Best known for designing St. Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's two loves of astronomy and architecture were combined when he worked on the Royal Observatory Greenwich
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Photography
Image of dry mud terrain where the sea is out, with a curved path through the landscape with water in and big cracks in the mud. Rotted wooden sea defenses come out from the land. Behind in the blue sky are star trails forming concentric curved lines

'Out with the camera, my senses are heightened' – behind the lens with Paul Haworth

Discover the vibrant nocturnal world of East Anglian astrophotographer Paul Haworth, shortlisted in 2024's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition
A photographer stands in front of an RNLI orange lifeboat holding an Edwardian camera on a tripod

Capturing history: Jack Lowe and the RNLI 

How one photographer’s quest to visit every lifeboat station shines a light on our maritime heritage
Image of blue circle of water forming a unique pattern of droplets against a black background

Seeing the sound of a black hole: the story of Black Echo

How do you picture something that is invisible and inaudible to humans? Artist and photographer John White has the answer
A woman takes a photograph using a DSLR and a tripod. She is standing in a forest in front of grey rocks, wearing an orange-red coat, her camera facing the viewer

Behind the lens with Monika Deviat

Dancer, educator, heavy metal fan and astrophotographer, discover more about the Aurorae winner of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023
HMS Phoenix (1832), HMS Talbot (1824) and HMS Diligence (1814) at anchor, Holsteinborg (now Sisimiut), Greenland taken in June 1854

Secrets of the glass plate: The Edward Augustus Inglefield photograph collection

Assistant Curator Alex Grover gives a brief insight into his ongoing research into this small but significant collection of polar photographs
A diver swims close to a giant manta ray in the ocean off Mexico

Why conservation photography matters

Human activity has caused significant damage to the world’s ocean and marine life. Photographer Octavio Aburto documents the vital changes local communities in Mexico have made to conserve ocean resources
A portrait of conservation photographer Jenny Adler

Life beneath the waves – conservation photographer Jennifer Adler

Conservation photographer Jennifer Adler reveals the photos, dives and projects that give her hope for the future of our ocean

Pioneer maritime photographers at the National Maritime Museum

Names like WH Fox Talbot, Calvert R. Jones and Nicolaas Henneman are not well known within a maritime photographic context. These names are more familiar for their early pioneering photographic work using nature and architecture.

Black and white photography of the Great British Seaside

In a world of bright deckchairs and beach huts, black and white photographs demand that we look at the seaside differently.
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Decorative arts
Porcelain plates adorned with images of women and flowers

The story behind... The Keeper of All The Secrets

Artist Jacqueline Bishop speaks to historian Stella Dadzie about the influences behind her ceramic artwork, now on display in the Queen’s House
Alberta Whittle smiles at the camera with a blue coloured tapestry called Feeling Blue on a loom in the background

Beneath the blue: Alberta Whittle on the making of Feeling Blue

Artist Alberta Whittle shares the inspiration behind Feeling Blue, a tapestry created in collaboration with Dovecot Studios
Close up of orange green and blue flowers on a kanga

Knotted histories: addressing Britain's colonial legacy through crochet

Meet Sarah Hawke, the artist behind a new crochet kanga on display at the National Maritime Museum
Solebay tapestry conservator close up with needle

The conservation process: the Solebay tapestry

What does it take to conserve a 300-year-old tapestry? Conservator Zenzie Tinker offers a glimpse into this complex process
A cartoon is placed behind a tapestry

What is a tapestry?

Find out more about the ancient craft of tapestry weaving
A large tapestry that depicts a naval battle and ships burning at sea

The history of the Solebay tapestry

Discover the story behind the largest tapestry in Royal Museums Greenwich’s collection
A bronze shell-like sculpture by artist Rowan Mersh

Asabikeshiinh Aeris by Rowan Mersh joins the Queen's House collection

Royal Museums Greenwich is delighted to acquire ‘Asabikeshiinh Aeris’ by artist Rowan Mersh. The work will go on display as part of the contemporary art collection at the Queen's House.

Beneath the Earth's surface: using X-rays to find out how globes were made

Table globes are truly beautiful objects, with historic representations of the Earth and stars captured in intricate detail. But take a look beneath the surface and the marvels get more mysterious...
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See great art in Greenwich

Visit the Queen's House, see special exhibitions and events, and find books about art and culture in our online shop

An art lover's guide to the Queen’s House
Royal portraits, seascapes and cutting-edge sculptures are just some of the masterpieces to see  
Pirates
Explore the myth, discover the truth: Pirates at the National Maritime Museum is now open
The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I
See the iconic painting of the Tudor queen, one of the treasures of Royal Museums Greenwich
Shop
The Art of Naval Portraiture
£25.00
From elite officers to ordinary sailors, the portrayal of naval personnel has been a significant branch of British art for over 500 years...
Buy now
Shop
Astronomy Photographer of the Year Photography Book: Collection 13
£30.00
Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Collection 13 is a stunning gift for admirers of astrophotography. The competition's official book, this spectacular astronomy photography book showcases the most spectacular space photography, taken from locations across the globe...
Buy now
Shop
Spotlight Series: The Keeper of All The Secrets: Ceramic Art, Botanicals and the Caribbean Market Woman
£10.00
At the centre of The Keeper of All The Secrets is an important acquisition from artist and writer Jacqueline Bishop, a tea service that is the stage for conversations around empire, enslavement and female resistance...
Buy now

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