A man who paid a little over $30 for a bunch of junk at a sale in South Africa discovered a treasure in it: a long-lost portrait of 31-year-old Charles Dickens, painted by artist and suffragette Margaret Gillies. Art dealer and TV personality Philip Mould, who helped identify the portrait, says, “He was moments away from basically throwing away this fungus-covered picture and then he started looking at it and realised that the face was very compelling.” Mould says that the portrait "ranks among the most exciting things we have ever discovered."
The painting has been restored and had its official unveiling today at Mould's gallery, according to Dickens scholar Dr. Pete Orford, who was there. The Dickens Museum is raising money to buy it so it can be put on permanent display there.
Always check your garage sale boxes of junk carefully, folks -- you never know what might turn up!
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