Catalogue Number
NMLH.1992.1078
Object Name
Sculpture
Title
Henry Mayers Hyndman
Place
London & England & UK; Guyana; Caribbean & West Indies: slave plantations
People
Hyndman, Henry Mayers; slaves
Date
1922
Creator(s)
Hill Lacey, Edward
Description
This is a copy, produced in 1922, of the Henry Mayers Hyndman bronze bust commissioned in 1922 by the Hyndman Memorial Committee. The original bust was presented to the National Portrait Gallery by the Hyndman Memorial Committee.
Hyndman was the founder, in 1884, of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), Britain's first Marxist party, which followed the ideas of Karl Marx. He came from a wealthy background, being the grandson of an owner of slave plantations in Guyana.
Much of the power of Marx's political writings derived from the fact that they were formed as scientific theory. In the Marxist's analysis, the capitalist system would ultimately collapse because of its inherent contradictions -- it was founded on the exploitation of human labour.
The SDF were not successful at spreading Marxist ideas and remained a small fringe party. Its successors formed part of the Communist Party of Great Britain.
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