David Livingstone was one of the great Christian missionaries of the nineteenth century. He also fought the slave trade in Africa throughout his life with great dedication. His African expeditions and his discovery and naming of Victoria Falls made him Britain's national hero. This charcoal and crayon half-length portrait was made in 1857 whilst Livingstone was back in London. He spent the year working on a book ‘Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa’ and the latter months on a speaking tour. Livingstone has signed the bottom of this work ‘yours most truly, David Livingstone’.