Dickens Portrait Forgotten And Covered In Grime Now Clean And Authenticated To Be Displayed Once More

Painted in 1843, the stylish artist’s miniature portrait of a 31-year-old Charles Dickens was displayed at the time, way back in 1844. Since appearing at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, a prestigious Victorian event, the painting by Margeret Gillies disappeared from public view.  Acquired privately, the image no-doubt spent some time on the wall somewhere before being packed up as an heirloom or out-of-trend knickknack too valuable to give away. This was back in 1844, more than 160 years ago. 
 
Back in 2017, before we received our collective pandemic trauma, in an auctioned South African pile of belongings, a dust and mould covered painting was uncovered. It looked like Charles Dickens, but with the grime and the discolouration, it was difficult to tell. Thankfully, its owner took the portrait to Fake or Fortune art connoisseur Philip Mould to clean it up and have a proper look. The extremely reputable authority on art of this period was able to clarify that it was not only a portrait of Dickens but the lost portrait from the Summer Exhibition of 1844.  
 
Naturally, the new owner decided to sell the piece, maybe to make the money back from the initial auction. This is where the Dickens Museum in Holborn came into play. You might think that the Dickens name carries huge wealth, yet the money didn’t come from them. With the help of fans and enthusiasts, family, friends, and locals, the venue was able to find the fee and bring their artist back home. To be displayed among the many other Dickens related treasures they have on show, an image of the younger man is back in public view.  
 
Already famous for his Pickwick Papers, a serialised storyline involving a pantheon of relatable characters including the immortal portrayal of Professor Pickwick, and his friendly nemesis Alfred Jingle. Although not an international superstar, which was to come much later with thanks to films made from his later stories after his death, Dickens was still a man of significant regard in his day.  
 
Dickens drew on his early experiences of marginalisation and poverty when crafting his narratives. From a family who struggled with debt, which in those days would put you in prison if you could not pay, the aspiring novelist carried this sense of injustice forward with his literary creations. Known for highlighting the difficulties of the poor and the working class in a system that provides very little to some and everything to others, Dickens’ work no-doubt went on to shape real public policy when concerning the topics he cared about.  
 
When you go and see the painting, or if you simply see it on this page, look at the face and ask if he could possibly have known who he was to become and what his work would achieve. Look at the quiet dignity the artist has given him, although already battered by age for his day. What blemishes and pains do you think she decided to hide when creating his best likeness? Don’t you think we all should get the same dignity handed to us, if not for what we’ve done already but for what we’re going to do throughout our lives? 

​Via The Standard

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