The exhibition also reveals more about the man behind the masterpiece. Hergé had an enduring fascination with architecture and design. With his skill as an illustrator and a draughtsman’s eye for design, the settings in which the stories were played out were always rendered in meticulous detail.

Models/installations of memorable locations such as Tintin’s apartment are displayed and the exhibition is themed with reference to one of Hergé’s favourite backdrops – Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock’s country house once owned by his maritime ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock. With a similar neoclassical splendour and nautical history as the former home of the Navy Board and office of Lord Nelson, Somerset House makes a compelling site from which to share Hergé’s own story.