ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

'Antiques Roadshow' guest gets a staggering appraisal for painting related to Jack the Ripper case

A lot of people gathered to hear the appraisal of the item somewhat related to the notorious killer.
PUBLISHED JUN 14, 2025
Screenshot showing the expert (L) and the guests with the painting on "Antiques Roadshow." (Cover image source: Dailymotion | aaadata13)
Screenshot showing the expert (L) and the guests with the painting on "Antiques Roadshow." (Cover image source: Dailymotion | aaadata13)

Jack the Ripper is one of the most mysterious and terrifying figures in history, and his legend draws attention from all corners of the world. So, when an item somewhat related to his gruesome murders committed by him came on the BBC version of “Antiques Roadshow,” it raised a lot of eyebrows. The item was the painting of a man who was with the police of the time and had worked on the murders.

The guest who brought the picture claimed that it was her great-great-grandfather, Doctor Thomas Bond. She revealed that he was a police surgeon and had worked on the Ripper cases. According to the guest’s husband, what Bond did at the time was kind of revolutionary when it came to solving gruesome crimes like murder. The painting was even made by a popular painter of that era, George Frederick Watts.

"He started to do what was thought to be the first medical profiling. There were some thoughts at the time that Jack the Ripper had medical knowledge or was a surgeon, and Doctor Thomas Bond was very clear that this was the work of someone that didn't have surgical skills,” the owner’s husband said, according to a report in Hello Magazine. The expert at the time was a historian named Lawrence Hendra.

Screenshot showing the painting. (Image credit: Dailymotion | aaadata13)
Screenshot showing the painting. (Image source: Dailymotion | aaadata13)

He was fascinated by the story, much like everyone who had gathered to see the appraisal, and she also found the painting interesting. Watts had signed it on the bottom left corner and was usually not known for portraits like such. However, paintings on giant canvases made by the artist out of passion might not always put food on the table. So, it was not uncommon for a lot of artists to turn to portraiture to make some money.

"Of course, this isn't one of Watts' huge canvases, but actually, I think the sitter is really interesting,” Hendra said. "He was – like Watts was – a pioneer of his day. So, not that this work would ever be sold, but I think if this were to appear at auction, I would expect to see it sell for a figure in the region of $10,000 to $16,000."

Screenshot showing the expert on
Screenshot showing the expert on "Antiques Roadshow." (Image source: Dailymotion | aaadata13)

The guest did not want to sell the picture, but they said that they were exploring the ways in which they could showcase the portrait to the world. After all, the man in the portrait was one of the people who worked on arguably one of the biggest serial killer cases of all time. “Fabulous, we shall have to look after it,” the guest said after learning the valuation.



 

“We’ve been talking, we’d probably like to get in touch with the Watts Gallery and probably see if they’d like to have it on loan for a bit. So, you know, just for the story and what have you there,” the guest’s husband added. The expert also said that sharing the picture with a wider audience would indeed be nice, given the painter and the story of the man in the painting.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The fans did not believe that any of the prizes were as good as winning cash.
25 minutes ago
The expert said that the history of the watch would at least double its value.
2 hours ago
The shark also took a jab at Kevin O'Leary and the idea of partnering with another shark.
4 hours ago
The card had a manufactuting defect but that is what made it so valuable.
22 hours ago
He didn't believe he'd make any money on them and offered a ridiculously low price.
1 day ago
The contestant still managed to be in the lead after quickly learning from her mistake.
1 day ago
The guest was surprised to learn that it was by one of the top artist's of the time.
1 day ago
Despite the loss, the player called making it to the show a dream come true for her.
1 day ago
The host also poked fun at the contestant who answered for now knowing where the city was.
2 days ago
The guest ran a hard bargain, but the item was iconic enough to be worth that much money.
2 days ago
While the player, James, didn't get to play his dream game, he aced the one he got to play.
2 days ago
The best part was that a lot of those hilarious answers did appear on the board.
2 days ago
He got an expert to inspect the letter as it was too good to be true that it had landed in his shop.
2 days ago
The guest said that she often wore some of the jewels that were worth several thousands.
3 days ago
Mark Cuban described his business model as horrible, but still made an offer.
3 days ago
The expert had no idea whether the item was real without a test that could only be done in the US.
3 days ago
Harrison could have had a unique item in his store but his stubbornness cost him big time.
3 days ago
The shark had said that he was out earlier but came back in to swoop the deal away from the others.
3 days ago
The player was on a roll before she entered the bonus round and ran out of luck.
3 days ago
The item was gifted to the guest's grandfather by the Tsar of Russia towards the end of the empire.
4 days ago