Charles Dickens Revealed Out of Museum of London's Archives

Written by Florence Stringfellow Monday, 08 August 2011 22:00

LONDON.- The first works of art and objects, which will tell the story of Charles Dickens in a new exhibition exploring one of the world’s most influential authors, have been taken out of storage at the Museum of London. The exhibition will examine the central relationship between Dickens and London – the city that inspired much of his work – and that he described as his ‘magic lantern’. Often walking the streets at night, Dickens would build in his mind the settings, plots and characters of his novels. Evoking the atmosphere of the streets of Victorian London and the river Thames , visitors will follow in Dickens’ footsteps and be taken on a memorable and haunting journey, discovering the places and subjects which sparked his imagination.

‘Every noise is merged, this moonlight night, into a distant ringing hum, as if the city were a vast glass, vibrating.’ Bleak House by Charles Dickens

There has not been a major exhibition on Charles Dickens in the UK since 1970. Dickens and London - opening 9 December 2011 - will be the largest exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of his birth in 2012. It will reveal that Dickens was the first great novelist of the modern city and the age of mass culture. Original and rarely seen manuscripts of his most famous novels, including Bleak House and David Copperfield, will be on show.

The display will examine the central relationship between Dickens and London – the city that inspired much of his work – and that he described as his ‘magic lantern’. Often walking the streets at night, Dickens would build in his mind the settings, plots and characters of his novels. Evoking the atmosphere of the streets of Victorian London and the river Thames , visitors will follow in Dickens’ footsteps and be taken on a memorable and haunting journey, discovering the places and subjects which sparked his imagination.

The great social questions of the 19th century will be investigated including childhood mortality, prostitution, and wealth and poverty. They will be set against the new features of the modern industrial age such as steam boats, railways, the electric telegraph and the penny post. The display will end with a specially commissioned film, ‘The Houseless Shadow’, by William Raban, one of the UK ’s leading documentary filmmakers. It will explore the continuities between London after dark as it is now, compared with how it was described by Charles Dickens over 150 years ago.

Key objects on display will include:
*Dickens’ writing desk and chair;
*the only surviving costume of the famous clown, Grimaldi;
*Dickens’ bank ledger;
*Luke Fildes’ painting Applicants for admission to a casual ward;
*excavated items from Jacob’s Island ;
*manuscript pages describing the East End opium den featured in Dickens’ last, unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood and William Powell Frith’s celebrated portrait of Dickens, both lent by the V&A.


Alex Werner, Head of History Collections at the Museum of London and lead curator of Dickens and London, said: “Dickens is the first author to describe the modern city of the 19th century and its profound impact on society and, in particular, on ordinary people. London was Dickens inspiration. He knew its alleys and streets better than anyone. His writings remain relevant today especially for the rapidly developing mega-cities around the world today, which face many of the problems and challenges that impacted on Victorian London 150 years ago.”

The official book of the exhibition, ‘Dickens’ Victorian London’ by Alex Werner will be published by Ebury Press. Dickens and London opens at the Museum of London on 9 December 2011 and runs until 10 June 2012. Ticket will go on sale from July 22nd.

Until recently, the most expensive Charles Dickens book ever sold was a copy of A Christmas Carol auctioned in 1996 by Sotheby’s in New York. That first edition book, the time-honored story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s Christmas redemption, nabbed $160,000 for the seller.

The record now goes to another first edition, a copy of Oliver Twist. Notably, the book contains an inscription by Dickens to friend and fellow novelist William Ainsworth. The book was part of the Kenyan Starling Library owned by TV mogul William E. Self. The collection was actually a union of two collections those of Self and rival collector Starling, who bequeathed his considerable library to Self in his will. Its hammer price of $229,000 at Christie’s in New York made it Dickens’ most expensive book ever.

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