Museums offer sights into how the world works, what it means to be human in all of its manifestations, how people are related to other species, and what they have achieved through the ages. And museums help kids develop their distinctive sense of self, both by seeing their own reflections in certain respects, and by judging themselves against other stuff that is there on offer. Museums supply excitement, wonderment, instruction, forbidden pleasures, enchantment, and escape, all in one extraordinary spot.’ – extract from Chapter 3, ‘The First Shall Be The Last: Picturing indigenous peoples and the sins of long ago’. Mounting Queen Victoria is an indispensable guide to the politics of culture and identity in the South African public sphere.