African exploration captured the Victorian public's imagination. Books, newspapers, periodicals, and vivid printed ephemera reported explorers' sensational and heroic tales. Images of astonishing landscapes, exotic animals, and unfamiliar peoples circulated widely.

David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley became celebrities in the eyes of a public captivated by their adventures. Livingstone's work as a medical missionary in southern Africa allowed him to pursue his passion for exploration. Stanley, a newspaper reporter and tireless self-promoter, was hired by the New York Herald to find the missing Livingstone in 1871, winning himself wealth and reputation. The press presented Livingstone as a saintly hero; Stanley as a great adventurer. Their lives and exploits were depicted in illustrated lectures, published accounts, commemorative objects, and collectibles.