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Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould revisit their 2017 investigation into two rare portraits of Black British women from the 18th and 19th centuries. Huge cultural shifts have happened since the original broadcast, with both paintings seeing their historical and commercial value soar and one of them finding a prestigious new home.

The original episode focuses on two remarkable paintings steeped in mystery – in both cases, the identity of the artist is unknown. The first artwork is a double portrait of Lady Elizabeth Murray and her cousin, Dido Belle, who was born into slavery and eventually became a member of the aristocratic Mansfield family. The painting is on display at Scone Palace in Scotland and was commissioned by the first Lord Mansfield, Dido Belle’s guardian, in the late 1770s or early 1780s, at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. In recent years, Belle’s incredible story has inspired books and a feature film about her life. Now, the current Lady Mansfield is determined to discover the name of the artist who painted her.

The second painting is even more unusual – two beautifully dressed girls holding a book in what appears to be a depiction of a tropical landscape. Early clues suggest this could be a political painting that is somehow connected to the campaign to abolish slavery in Britain’s colonies. Could the sitters themselves be enslaved? If so, why are they wearing such fine clothes?

The quest to solve both mysteries leads to renowned Scottish painter David Martin and pioneering artist Emma Jones, a child prodigy who made her name painting people on the margins of society. Demonstrating extraordinary skill and sophistication, both pictures are highly unusual in their positive depiction of Black women at a time when Britain was still heavily engaged in the transatlantic slave trade.

In the years since the episode was first broadcast, huge cultural shifts have taken place, inspired in part by the Black Lives Matter movement. Museums and galleries have raced to broaden the scope of the artworks in their collections, buying up the work of women artists and pictures that better reflect Britain’s multicultural history.

Philip and Fiona return to both paintings to find out what impact these changes have had on the value of the artworks and how they have enhanced their historical importance. They discover that the portrait of Dido Belle has become a star exhibit in multiple important exhibitions, while Two Girls with a Book, by Emma Jones, has found a new home, on loan to the Tate Gallery in London.