The reproduction of a pencil drawing top middle shows A Literary Gathering in 1844. Charles Dickens reading The Chimes to his friends in John Forster's chambers by Daniel Maclise. Dickens had decided to see how a selected audience would react to his latest Christmas book. Present at the reading was the renowned actor, William Macready, who was undisguisedly sobbing and crying on the sofa. Of this occasion, Dickens said what thing it is to have power. Flanking this are sketches of Dickens as Bobadil in Jonson's Every Man in his Humour, one of the plays he performed with his amateur theatrical group. With friends and colleagues he traveled throughout England to support various charities, an experience that increased his desire to interact with the public.
The print in the bottom right corner depicts him reading the highly dramatic adaptation of David Copperfield.
The cartoon in the left hand corner shows Dickens in some of the guises he adopted during the Readings. It gives us an idea of how contemporaries identified him with his literary work.
The print in the bottom right corner depicts him reading the highly dramatic adaptation of David Copperfield.
The cartoon in the left hand corner shows Dickens in some of the guises he adopted during the Readings. It gives us an idea of how contemporaries identified him with his literary work.