PORTRAITS of a husband and wife by a famous painter will be reunited in a Dorchester museum on Valentine's Day.

Dorset Museum will bring together husband and wife portraits by Thomas Gainsborough not seen together for more than 100 years.

The historic coupling of the Georgian portraits of John and Elizabeth Bragge will see the painting of Elizabeth sent from the USA to be displayed alongside the painting of John - which the museum has owned since 1983 - in a museum gallery from February 14.

It will be the first time the portraits have been seen together in Dorset for more than 100 years.

A Portrait of Elizabeth Bragge, dating back to 1767, was owned by a private collector in the USA, who bequeathed the painting to Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America), which has loaned the portrait to Dorset Museum for display over a period of three years.

Elizabeth Adney (d.1783) married landowner John Bragge (1741-83) at Bath Abbey in 1762. Following her marriage, Elizabeth - the daughter of Benjamin Adney of Pymore - lived with her husband at Sadborow House, the Thorncombe estate of Bragge’s family, from 1650.

Gainsborough painted the half-length portraits in Bath in 1767. Born in 1727 in Suffolk, he was one of the most prominent portraitists of the 18th century. The portraits of the Bragges would likely have been completed in a matter of days.

The portraits were passed down through the Bragge family until 1909 when they were sold at auction, both entering ownership in the USA. In 1983, Dorset Museum was able to purchase the portrait of John Bragge. But Elizabeth’s portrait remained in private ownership.

In 2022, the portrait was bequeathed by Mrs. Delia Brinton to CAF America.

Elizabeth Selby, interim director of the museum, said: "We are thrilled to have taken guardianship of this important painting by Thomas Gainsborough, and delighted to reunite it with its companion piece in the Museum’s Artists’ Dorset gallery.

"It is wonderful to see the husband and wife portraits together again as we celebrate St Valentine. They are part of an important collection of Georgian portraits held by the museum, through which the society of 18th century Dorset can be better understood.

"We are grateful to CAF America for their work in facilitating the transfer and transportation of the artwork from the USA to Dorset."

CAF America said: "We are grateful for the generous donation of this historic portrait to CAF America, and we are thrilled to partner with the Dorset Museum to reunite these beautiful pieces.

"This story perfectly represents why CAF America accepts donations of complex assets, as they enable us to accomplish our charitable mission and that of our donors in many creative ways beyond simple cash donations."