SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Picturing Shakespeare

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published November 14, 2025 at 10:16 AM PST

Steven Wadlow at Shakespeare's grave with his portrait.

Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV

There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered “official” – but could a portrait that has been hanging over a family’s mantelpiece for the last 50 years be the third?

The portrait hung above the Wadlow family’s television set for 50 years. While watching a program about William Shakespeare, Peter Wadlow realized that the painting might also be of the famous playwright. With so few accepted, contemporary representations of the Bard in existence, could their portrait be genuine?

British window washer Steven Wadlow, whose father bought the portrait in the 1960s, is on the hunt to prove the painting is indeed genuine. If so, it could be worth as much as $200 million.

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Steven Wadlow’s method for testing and comparing his portrait of William Shakespeare with already authenticated ones originally involved cutting and pasting photocopied images by hand. Today, advanced facial recognition software offers, not only a shortcut for comparison, but also hope that the painting may indeed depict Shakespeare himself.

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X-ray scans and stylistic analysis of the Wadlow Shakespeare portrait reveal details hidden beneath several layers of overpaint. What do these new findings mean for the authenticity of the portrait?

Credits: A production of Barkingmad TV Limited for Blue Ant International, in association with The WNET Group. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. Directed, produced, and edited by Madoc Roberts. For SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Julian Lim is producer; Benjamin Phelps is senior supervising producer; Stephanie Carter is executive producer; Stephen Segaller is executive in charge.

Unlike other representations of William Shakespeare, Steven’s portrait was painted on wood panels rather than canvas. Researchers were able to pinpoint when the painting was made with dendrochronology, the scientific method of using tree rings to date events or artifacts, revealing surprising results.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Picturing Shakespeare

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