Tony,
Well, well, I also happened to be there on Friday 25th, with my wife, for around an hour and a half from 1pm. Who knows, our paths may have crossed!
I too was favourably impressed with the exhibition, and agreeably surprised to find that Nelson had been, by no means, sidetracked. I can only echo your sentiments regarding the content, which was both informative and to the point but which did not slide, thankfully, into the present-day (and to my mind all-to-frequent) resort to gimmickry. As you say, the emphasis was mainly on the Nelson period, and other admirals and even monarchs had only somewhat brief mention.
An interesting and thoughtful addition I thought was a time-line, running through the whole period 1688-1815, and which effectively gave the dates and brief details of the various wars and significant events within them, thus tying them all together. A useful reference, if one wanted to check a particular event's place in the overall picture.
Many of the paintings on display will, of course, be very well known to most here, but there are few that I had not seen before. Similarly, with the objects on display, which I thought well-chosen, the most important of course being Nelson's uniform undress coat. We are all familiar with that, but naturally it is well worth seeing again!
Part of the exhibitions remit was to illustrate the relationship between the British people and the Royal Navy and this was effectively done using, for example, mass-produced souvenirs such as pottery, the caricatures of Gilray and Rowlandson, various broadsheets, and other items. To emphasise this aspect, various screens continuously highlighted a plethora of changing facts, for example how the navy grew in size during the period, how many trees it took to build a particular type of ship, and how men were recruited. (With regard to the latter, it would probably surprise the average visitor to learn that most joined the navy as volunteers, rather than be swept up by the hated press gangs as is generally supposed.)
All-in-all then a worthwhile exhibition, and thoughtfully set out. As Tony said, it covers a relatively small area so it is understandably brief in parts, but that is probably enough for the casual visitor. As I believe I have already mentioned, for those who wish to study the period in more depth, the book 'Nelson, Navy and Nation', specially written for the exhibition is probably required reading. I posted a review of the book on the Information Forum.
I too of course would be interested to see the Minotaurs union flag when conserved, and I trust that the exhibition will still be there when it is. I note from the NMM's own blurb that the display is noted as 'long term' rather than permanent, so it is anyone's guess as to how 'long' that is! In passing, the exhibition is right next to the 'Ship of War' gallery, which for me is an added plus!
_________________ Kester.
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