The mystery surrounding the haunting glass portrait found hidden in the loft of Robert Lenkiewicz’s former Plymouth studio appears to have finally been solved.
After the story sparked huge interest online, artist and photographer Tim Pearse came forward claiming he created the image and secretly left it hidden in the building nearly a decade ago.
Pearse said the portrait was an ambrotype — an early photographic process created on glass — made in 2016 while he was working from the studio as part of the Comma5 art collective.
In a social media post, he explained:
“This is an ambrotype that I made of Niamh Lily Goodwin Wimperis back in 2016 when I had a studio and darkroom in the building, as part of the Comma5 art collective.
“I hid it in the loft of the studio when we left, as a little nod to our time there.”
The explanation appears to match up with older photographs showing Pearse working inside the building with historic camera equipment used for ambrotype photography.
The mysterious image had sparked widespread speculation after being discovered hidden away in the attic space of the famous studio linked to the late Plymouth artist Robert Lenkiewicz.
Many people had questioned who the woman was, how old the portrait might be, and why it had been concealed in the loft.
The woman in the image has now been identified as Niamh Lily Goodwin Wimperis. Speaking to the Plymouth Post, Niamh said “she studied alongside artist Tim Pierce at Plymouth College of Art and often sat for him during their time there.”
Niamh has since moved into embroidery art and now works under the professional name Wimperis Embroidery. Meanwhile, Tim Pierce is currently based in Bristol, where he operates from his photography studio, Negative Thinking.
Tim told the Post ” I was so happy to see the Ambrotype of Niamh again after all these years, and loved the fact that it had caused such a stir! I’m a little sad that I came forward and solved the mystery! But perhaps, there might be another photograph hidden somewhere else in that building for someone to find!”
While the mystery now appears to be solved, many people online said the story somehow feels even more fascinating knowing the portrait was intentionally hidden as a quiet tribute to the collective’s time inside the historic studio.
Pictures Plymouth Post / Courtesy Tim Pearce