Young Explorers: Mary Hogarth Room

Mary Hogarth Room © Charles Dickens Museum

Mary Hogarth was Catherine’s younger sister. Mary often stayed with Charles and Catherine at Doughty Street. Here is a picture of Mary.

Portrait of Mary Hogarth by Frederick Kitton after a painting by Phiz, 
DH556, 2008.3 © Charles Dickens Museum

In many Victorian marriages, a younger, unmarried woman would often accompany her newly married sister to help her with her new role as mistress of the house.

Listen to this letter which Mary wrote to her cousin. She is telling her all about the month she spent staying with Charles and Catherine at the start of their marriage.

A large print transcript of the audio recording is available to download here. 

As you will have will heard, Mary felt that Charles made a marvellous husband, and was in high demand as a writer!

Everybody has to start somewhere though! Click here to have a go at our activity and find out about Charles’s younger years, when some people might say he wasn’t quite so successful in love (or writing for that matter)!