Manuscripts

Charles Dickens letters

Description: A collection of letters by Charles Dickens; the letters are written to, among others, William Harrison Ainsworth, George Bentley, Frederick William Dickens, William Empson, John Pritt Harley, Susan Horner, Robert Bulwer Lytton (Earl of Lytton), and John Palgrave Simpson.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1837-1868
Call number: mssHM 78780-78794
Creator: Dickens, Charles (1812-1870)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Purchased for the Huntington from Jarndyce Booksellers by the Library Collectors' Council, January 2013.
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Charles Dickens collection

Manuscripts

A collection of letters, manuscripts, and ephemera related to Charles Dickens. The majority of the material is written by Dickens and covers the most productive years of his writing career. The letters are written from Devonshire Terrace, Broadstairs, and Tavistock House, as well as letters from various cities in England, Europe, and America. The collection also includes letters by Dickens' family members, friends, and business associates; there is also one forgery (mssHM 18751) and many of the letters include envelopes. Correspondents in the collection include, among others, Maria Beadnell, Hablot Knight Browne, George Cruikshank, Frederick Dickens, Georgina Hogarth, Charles Kent, William Charles Macready, Thomas Mitton, Frederic Ouvry, Richard Watson, Livinia Jane Watson, William Henry Wills, and the publisher Chapman and Hall. The collection also includes a small amount of ephemera.

mssDickens

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Charles Dickens letter to Sir James Murray

Manuscripts

An autograph letter written while Charles Dickens lived in Italy; the letter is written to the Irish physician Sir James Murray and concerns the illness of Dickens' youngest surviving daughter, Catherine (Kate) Dickens Perugini. Also included is a trimmed page with the address of Sir James Murray and a black and white engraving of Charles Dickens. The items were originally framed behind glass but were removed by Huntington Library staff.

mssHM 75953

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Edwin Dickens letter to John Dickens

Manuscripts

Letter is written by "Edwin Dickens of California" to his uncle John Dickens in England. The letter is written from "Washington, South Yuba" which is in Nevada County. Dickens writes an account of his journey to California and comments on Salt Lake City and Mormons, and about how he went to "North West of California" to mine gold. Letter is sewn into and glued on other sheets of paper, which make covers.

mssHM 83171

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A Souvenir of Charles Dickens' Last Visit to America

Manuscripts

A series of letters written to Charles Kent on the occasion of a dinner held in honor of Charles Dickens before his departure to the United States in November 1867. The letters were written in response to Kent's request the letter writers would be stewards for the dinner on November 2, 1867. The majority of the letters are short notes accepting or declining the invitation; many of the letters with envelopes. The letters were written by many of the most famous men of Victorian Britain, including prime ministers, politicians, authors, actors, artists, and businessmen, including, among others, Wilkie Collins, Frederick Locker-Lampson, and William Henry Wills. The collection also includes a small number of letters by Charles Dickens, printed copies of all the letters and other ephemera, a large printed poster announcing the dinner, and the original separated bindings.

mssHM 18584-18746

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Collection of photographic portraits of Charles Dickens, Dickens's family and friends, and his residences

Visual Materials

A collection of 201 photographs consisting primarily of photographic portraits of Charles Dickens and photographs of family members and residences associated with him and his works. The portraits (no. 1-95) are arranged chronologically and most are later reproductions. The group includes a signed portrait by Herbert Watkins (no. 15), as well as several portraits with the London Stereoscopic & Photographic Co. stamp (no. 30-33). Items 96 through 111 are photographic reproductions of painted, sketched, and lithographed portraits of Dickens. Photographs of Dickens and his family and friends include his children Kate Perugini, Mamie Dickens, Charles Dickens, Jr., Walter Savage Landor Dickens, Alfred Tennyson Dickens, Sydney Smith Haldimand Dickens, Henry Fielding Dickens, and Edward Bulmer Lytton Dickens (known as "Plorn"). There are several photographs of Georgina Hogarth. Items 141 through 201 are photographs of residences that Dickens occupied, sometimes very briefly, throughout his lifetime. There is also a London Stereoscopic Company photograph of Dickens's stuffed raven "Grip," which that firm purchased at auction in 1870. Some of the photographers include Henri Claudet, C. Watkins, Herbert Watkins, J. & C. Watkins, John Watkins, Octavius Watkins, Alphonse Maze-Sencier, Mason & Co., and J. Gurney & Son.

photCL 36

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Printed poster announcing Dinner for Charles Dickens

Manuscripts

mssHM 18584-18746

Charles Dickens letters

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Charles Dickens collection

Charles Dickens letter to Sir James Murray

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A Souvenir of Charles Dickens' Last Visit to America

Collection of photographic portraits of Charles Dickens, Dickens's family and friends, and his residences

Printed poster announcing Dinner for Charles Dickens