Derbyshire decorator seeks identity of 1971 portrait found under wallpaper
A contractor renovating a property in Bolsover made a startling discovery last week when he uncovered a drawing on the wall made half a century ago – and now he is looking to reunite the image with anyone who might know about its origin.
Self-employed decorator and property maintenance worker Andrew Richard was tackling the bathroom of a flat on Hill Top – subdivided within a large Victorian house – when something unusual caught his eye.
He said: “I was asked by the estate agents to take the wallpaper off and repaint. It took about two days to scrape through three layers of paper that have been there for years in this room with three-metre high ceilings.
“As I finally got down to the plaster, I started to uncover this white patch with something on it. I didn’t pay much attention at first, but then realised it was a really good drawing.
“Then I saw someone had signed their name to it and that sparked my interest in the story behind it. Its a very good portrait, and it’s signed Graham Holmes, 1971.”
The text under the picture of a woman is ambiguous, perhaps reading ‘Drawn,’ but Andrew has decided to name her Dawn.
He said: “Unfortunately the walls have now been sanded, repaired and reskimmed and ‘Dawn’ has gone forever.”
Before she was lost to the sandpaper of time, Andrew took a photo of the drawing and shared it in a local Facebook group.
He said: “I wanted to preserve one last shot for anyone out there who has a connection to this, or remembers Dawn or the the artist Graham, and maybe shed some light on who they were.”
So far, there has been no definite explanation but one respondent did point to a 2013 Derbyshire Times obituary for Graham Holmes, “a retired painter and decorator” from Stanfree, who would have been in his mid-30s in 1971 and was survived by his wife Irene, sons Grady and Malcolm and three grandchildren.
A second clue on the walls perhaps lends some credibility to that theory – a note that appears to say “Papered by Graham Holmes, July 30, 1971.”
Andrew, who lives near Dronfield, said: “I’d really like to know if people have any other suggestions, or to share the photo as a keepsake for anyone it means something to.
“After all the time it’s been there, it would be a shame for it to just disappear.”
He added: “After this, I’m ready to uncover more treasures if anybody needs work done.”
To join the conversation, check out the Bolsover Opinions group on Facebook, or contact Andrew directly via 07887 595851 or facebook.com/andrew.richard.925.