The Lost Portrait: with Emma Rutherford

Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! 🔥

Dominic’s guest today is the inimitable Emma Rutherford who recalls her time working on the rediscovery of a lost portrait of Dickens, painted by Margaret Gillies in 1843, and lost for over a century until its serendipitous reappearance at a South African auction. A pivotal snapshot of Dickens' life, the portrait's story hints at the profound bond between Gillies and Dickens, a bond that may have helped shape A Christmas Carol
Emma is an art historian, with a specialisation in portrait miniatures and silhouettes. Emma began her career at London’s Victoria & Albert Musuem, and then for 15 years established and ran the Portrait and Miniatures Consultancy at Philip Mould’s & Company
This year she has set up The Limner Company

Her publications include Without Hands The Art of Sarah Biffin … a topic for a future episode!

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Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!

Chapters

1. The Lost Portrait: with Emma Rutherford (00:00:00)

2. The Lost Portrait of Charles Dickens (00:00:13)

3. Uncovering Dickens' Lost Portrait (00:12:58)

4. Dickens and Collaborative Artistic Endeavors (00:21:17)

5. Excitement Over Miniature Portrait Discovery (00:34:39)

6. Christmas Preparations and Farewell Conversation (00:39:07)