Reminders at the FCO

The FCO is Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It's a little bit unnerving for us fresh-off-the-boat types in the same way the British Museum can be. Huge, huge rooms, sprawling driveways, lavish wall decorations comprising spoils from former colonies and everywhere reminders of the hundreds of years of plunder and conquest.

But the FCO has delightfully retained some old murals, and what caught my eye was this one, Sigismund Goetze (abt 1914), Brittania Pacificatrix:


The people represent different countries. It's Britain at the centre, holding out to her hand to America prettily dressed in the flag (see the red stripes and blue stars on her gown?), Japan behind, with the fan, Russia - in mourning - hides her face at the back (Bolshevik Revolution, we were told!).

On the other side, behind Britain is Canada with maples leaves covering his, er, modesty as also South Africa with a lionskin and Australia with sheepskin. Belgium is at Britain's feet - a naked young girl - meant to symbolise the fact that "she has lost everything but her honor". Apparently there was some controversy over this, so the FCO wrote to Belgium who said they didn't mind.

I wonder if anyone wrote to Africa? Represented by a young slave boy holding a basket above his head. This, right at the head of the central stairway to the FCO!