Mystery slave found in portrait
Conservators at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum are a step closer to solving a 250-year-old mystery.
They have been working on an 18th Century portrait to uncover a black servant who some experts believed was deliberately painted out.
The portrait of tobacco merchant John Glassford and his family was painted in the 1760s by Archibald McLauchlan.
The wealthy Glaswegian's black servant was included in the picture as an indicator of his wealth and status....
For many years, it was thought the family had painted the figure out, embarassed by their connections with the slave trade.
But a senior conservator, Polly Smith, believed the figure simply faded with time and her team eventually hope to uncover the man's identity.
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They have been working on an 18th Century portrait to uncover a black servant who some experts believed was deliberately painted out.
The portrait of tobacco merchant John Glassford and his family was painted in the 1760s by Archibald McLauchlan.
The wealthy Glaswegian's black servant was included in the picture as an indicator of his wealth and status....
For many years, it was thought the family had painted the figure out, embarassed by their connections with the slave trade.
But a senior conservator, Polly Smith, believed the figure simply faded with time and her team eventually hope to uncover the man's identity.