Visual representations serve as crucial windows into the artist's perspective, revealing how they perceived and interpreted the events of 1857. By examining specific elements within these images, we can identify the viewpoint and intentions of the artist.

In "In Memoriam" by Joseph Noel Paton, the composition reveals a clear British perspective. The painting depicts English women and children huddled together, appearing helpless and innocent, seemingly awaiting inevitable violence. Though the rebels remain invisible, the artist portrays them as violent and brutish through suggestion. The British rescue forces appear in the background as saviours. These elements identify Paton's perspective as one seeking to provoke anger and fury among the British public while justifying the brutal repression of rebels.

Barker's painting celebrates British victory through deliberate compositional choices. The British heroes – Campbell, Outram and Havelock – occupy the centre of the canvas, with gestures of surrounding figures directing the spectator's eyes toward them. The well-lit ground contrasts with shadows, while the damaged Residency in the background and dead and injured in the foreground testify to suffering. The triumphant horses emphasise that British power had been re-established.

These visual elements allowed the British public to feel reassured that the rebellion was over. The images shaped sensibilities, sanctioning brutal forms of repression while creating a narrative of British as victors and saviours.