Extra Ordinary Women

Special exhibition opens 11th February

11th February – 5th September 2026

Behind every great man, there’s a great woman, so the saying goes. Behind Charles Dickens, however, there were many great women supporting and inspiring him. The women in his life shaped the man and influenced his female characters but ultimately Dickens’s portrayal of them in his fiction reinforced Victorian ideals.

Often interpreted as weak and powerless, Dickens’s female characters were led by what his readers wanted. While these depictions offer us a glimpse into the Victorian ideals of womanhood, they are not a fair representation of their real-life counterparts. Artists, writers, actors, philanthropists, Dickens knew plenty of extraordinary women, including those in his own family. These women are rarely prominent in history, but in this exhibition, we’re going to bring their stories to light.

While we will briefly touch on the more well-known stories of Dickens’s relationships with women – his separation from his wife Catherine and his affair with actress Ellen Ternan – the focus of this exhibition is to bring a whole range of extraordinary women out of Dickens’s shadow. Where possible we have used their voices over his.