# Belle - Paperback

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by **Paula Byrne** (Author)

**The sensational true tale that inspired the major motion picture _Belle_ starring Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson, Penelope Wilton, and Matthew Goode--a stunning story of the first mixed-race girl introduced to high society England and raised as a lady.**

The illegitimate daughter of a captain in the Royal Navy and an enslaved African woman, Dido Belle was sent to live with her great-uncle, the Earl of Mansfield, one of the most powerful men of the time and a leading opponent of slavery. Growing up in his lavish estate, Dido was raised as a sister and companion to her white cousin, Elizabeth. When a joint portrait of the girls, commissioned by Mansfield, was unveiled, eighteenth-century England was shocked to see a black woman and white woman depicted as equals. Inspired by the painting, _Belle_ vividly brings to life this extraordinary woman caught between two worlds, and illuminates the great civil rights question of her age: the fight to end slavery.

_Belle_ includes 20 pages of black-and-white photos.

  

This meticulously researched biography uncovers the full story behind the painting:

  

-   **A Defiant True Story:** Follow Dido Belle, the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a sea captain, as she navigates the complexities of Georgian high society.
-   **A Landmark Legal Battle:** Explore the pivotal Somerset ruling and the infamous Zong massacre case, revealing the legal foundations for the end of slavery in Britain.
-   **Georgian London and the Slave Trade:** Delve into the hidden world of 18th-century Black London and the brutal realities of the transatlantic slave trade that shaped an empire.
-   **The Portrait that Shocked an Era:** Go behind the scenes of the revolutionary portrait that dared to depict a black woman and a white woman as equals, challenging the conventions of an age.
-   **Exclusive Archival Material:** Featuring 20 pages of black-and-white photos and drawing on deep historical research, this is the definitive account of Dido Belle's life.

### Back Jacket

The sensational tale of the first mixed-race girl introduced to high-society England and raised as a lady...

The illegitimate daughter of a captain in the Royal Navy and an enslaved African woman, Dido Belle was raised by her great-uncle, the Earl of Mansfield, one of the most powerful men of the time and a leading opponent of slavery. When the portrait he commissioned of his two wards, Dido and her white cousin, Elizabeth, was unveiled, eighteenth-century England was shocked to see a black woman and white woman depicted as equals. Inspired by the painting, _Belle_ vividly brings to life this extraordinary woman caught between two worlds, and illuminates the great civil rights question of her age: the fight to end slavery.

The feature film _Belle_ is produced by Damian Jones (_The Iron Lady_, _The History Boys_, _Welcome to Sarajevo_), written by Misan Sagay, and directed by Amma Asante, and stars the extraordinary Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido Belle, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Reid, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Tom Felton, Matthew Goode, and Emily Watson.

**Number of Pages:** 304

**Dimensions:** 0.9 x 8 x 5.2 IN

**Publication Date:** April 29, 2014

## Details

- **Price:** 19.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 19.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Belle - Paperback
- Belle - Paperback

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