In Focus: 200 Years of the Picture Room with Inspectress Helen Dorey

In Focus is a series of lunchtime talks with Sir John Soane’s Museum curators and conservators in which they select an item from Soane’s vast and eclectic collection for an in-depth investigation. You will hear about the history and provenance of objects collected by Soane and have an opportunity to examine at close hand works from the collection not normally on display.

2024 marks the bicentenary of the building of John Soane’s Picture Room behind No. 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields – one of the most extraordinary spaces in London. In this talk Helen Dorey, Deputy Director and Inspectress, will discuss the origins of its design, highlights of the collection and the history of the room since Soane’s lifetime, culminating with the restoration of Soane’s original hang representing the ‘union of the arts’.

About the speaker

Regarded as one of the leading scholars of Sir John Soane, Helen Dorey joined the Museum in 1986 and has been its Inspectress since 1995. She has published extensively on the Museum and its collections and has led numerous restoration projects within the Museum over 30 years, including the restoration of Soane’s private apartments.  She is Chairman of the Scholarship Committee of the Attingham Trust and a member of its Council, a member of the National Trust’s Collections and Interpretation Panel, a Trustee of the Moggerhanger House Preservation Trust and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. She was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to heritage.

About the event

Please note that this event takes place in the Museum's Seminar Room at Number 14 Lincoln's Inn Fields. No food or drink is permitted in the room.

Your confirmation email serves as your ticket.  

Tickets are refundable up to 7 days before the event, after which point they are non-refundable or exchangeable. 

We are in a Grade I listed, 19th-century building, so access is not always straightforward. If you require step-free access or extra assistance, please contact us in advance of your booking on admin@soane.org.uk or 020 7405 2107.

Image: View of the Picture Room (Celia Rogge).