One morning in 1890 a painting wrapped in brown paper appears on the steps of the National
Gallery and causes a sensation. It's clearly by Timothy Ponden-Hall an artist whose paintings
were celebrated and debated not just for their beauty but for the rumours behind them: his
masterpieces were believed to immortalise the souls of their subjects. But the shadowy
explorer and artist has been thought dead for the last 50 years - so what does this new
portrait mean? The gallery brings in renowned art historian Solomon Oak to investigate the
painting as rumours swirl through the streets of London town. In a bid to uncover the truth
Oak is assisted by an unlikely aid: his daughter Alice. A passionate but sheltered student
Alice has worldly desires which eclipse the life she's expected to lead. Together they discover
that exposing Ponden-Hall's legacy will prove more controversial than they could ever have
imagined for their family and Victorian society. Set between London and Oxford The Portrait
Artist is a twisting historical debut exploring race fame and long-kept secrets.
