The Bigger Picture: Dividend Day at the Bank of England

Visit our free display which sheds light on a painting from the Museum’s collection

About this event

George Elgar Hick’s painting ‘Dividend Day at the Bank of England’ [below] depicts a group of people inside one of the Bank’s then-public offices, showing the diversity of people who came to the ‘Old Lady’ to do their usual business. Who were these people? What do their stories tell us about the history of the Bank?

Dividend Day at the Bank of England painting

George Elgar Hicks, ‘Dividend Day at the Bank of England’, 1859, oil on canvas.

Viewable now in the Museum Stock Office, explore the stories behind the painting with our display ‘The Bigger Picture’. Learn more about how people used the Bank through research conducted by Alice Beagley, Exhibitions Manager at the Bank of England Museum. 

You can also join us for researcher-led talks in the Museum exploring this history. Find out more below. 

This page was last updated 26 September 2025