2-588-589 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Mary Jane Seacole (1805-1881), was Jamaican-born and of Scottish and Creole descent. Seacole set up what she called the 'British Hotel' behind the lines during the Crimean War, from where she provided support for wounded servicemen on the battlefield. She described the 'British Hotel' as a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers. She was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991 and in 2004 she was voted the greatest Black Briton. This is a contemporary painting.