Secret Maps

Fascinating exhibition at the British Library looking at how maps have been used to hide things, establish power and deceive.

The show had a clear narrative and included some amazing maps and objects. Each section was told chronologically but building a theme over time. As ever I was more drawn to the older works but many of the current ones were fascinating too.

The show concluded by looking at how maps have been used to marginalise people and had a brilliant video about the people of Kibera in Kenya set about mapping their settlement when it was left off official maps. It then discussed issues of privacy particularly in relation to new technology.

Stand out works for me included a map of Portuguese settlements in Asia given to Charles II as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry  as a sign of the two nations sharing knowledge, a map of Africa commissioned by Mary I for her Husband Philip II of Spain and a quilt made by inmates of Bullingdon Prison showing an aerial view of a prison cell made to the exact scale reflecting that prisons have often not been included on maps. 

Closed 18 January 2026


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