Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens at National Portrait Gallery

A walk through the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives, the new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery is an informative exploration of these magnificent figures beyond the infamous nursery rhyme that has long plagued their identities, one that has defined their roles in history as simply by their marriage to the king. Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens aims to examine them as a collective portrayed through various media after their death, then evaluate who they are as individuals. It touches on their reigns as queens, their impact on Henry’s life and choices, as well as all the little details of their personalities beyond royal affairs.

The layout capitalises on the common perception of the queens throughout history. As such, the first few rooms look at them as a group. Upon entering, guests will see a wall detailing the link between these women – such as Jane Seymour potentially having been the lady-in-waiting to both Aragon and Boleyn, and Aragon possibly having been Catherine Parr’s godmother. This display illustrates the connection between the six beyond their marriages to Henry and the king’s long-spanning desire for a successor.

Diving deeper into the halls of the gallery, there are paintings of all of them together, putting into question this narrative of the wives as a collective. There are family portraits, footage of contemporary films featuring them and costumes from stage portrayals of the queens like that of SIX the Musical. There’s irony in the constant presentation of the six as a group throughout history, despite the reality of them never having once come together as a unit. Introducing the guests to this narrative early prepares them for the deconstruction of such perception as the exhibition moves onto individual rooms dedicated to each queen.

The true highlight here is the wax photography by Hiroshi Sugimoto. Hidden away in a small cubby across the entrance, this part can be explored at the beginning or the end of the journey through Six Lives. It’s a nod to the past and present, with the classical remaking of these historical figures in wax and using photography rather than painted portraits. This section easily falls into both collective and individual representations of the six wives; while it is a group photoshoot, each image is tailored specifically to represent the queen in her most unique form. The most captivating portrait is that of Cleves, whose shameful avoidance of the camera is symbolic of Henry’s judgement and disappointment of her in comparison to her portrait.

While informative and featuring some decent work, the artworks and pieces curated for this exhibition fail to fully express the themes of Six Lives. Yes, guests will get to know the queens as a collective and as individuals, but it’s hard to appreciate the difference between the two when most of the displays in the dedicated rooms are still very much rooted in Henry. They may have separated all six from each other, but the king’s ever-looming presence undermines the efforts to expand each woman beyond the title of “wife”. At the end of the day, they still once again fall back into that same label that connects them all. There are some excellent pieces here and there, and the meaning behind this display is one that many will find important. It’s the execution itself that just doesn’t do it enough justice.

Mae Trumata

Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens is at National Portrait Gallery from 20^th June until 8^th September 2024. For further information visit the exhibition’s website here.