The Wessex branch of the The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) recently enjoyed a lecture by Tom Beaumont James exploring the enigma surrounding Mary Seacole.

Mr Beaumont James traced the story of the 1869 portrait of Mary Seacole by his great-uncle Albert Challen.

Based on private archives, this story followed the portrait of Mary Seacole from the Royal Academy to a car boot sale and onwards to the National Portrait Gallery.

He had found in 2008, among his late mother’s possessions, a letter from Mary Seacole, which revealed her to be generous, optimistic, egotistical and intelligent.

Many viewed her as a heroine of the Crimea, although she was never a nurse and never claimed to be – she actually ran a boarding house for soldiers.

Her larger-than-life personality garnered her many friends and supporters, especially as her fortunes ebbed and flowed from bankruptcy to extreme wealth.

She was brazen enough to call uninvited on Queen Victoria and was welcomed into the royal household. She was the celebrity of her day.

Her self-promotion was in strict contrast to the behaviour of Florence Nightingale of whom she wrote very kindly.

Her reputation as such has been elevated beyond the bounds of her own ambition: her achievements were somewhat embellished. However, her name lives on. In 2004 she was voted the greatest black female in history and has become something of a female icon.

NADFAS next meets on October 14 at 2pm at St Francis Church, Beatrice Road, Salisbury to learn about War and Peace: 1780 to 2012, Patriotism and Protest, exploring how visions of “heroism” have changed over the years.