The year 2012 spelt the best of times for Charles Dickens fans. Celebrations were held across the world in honour of the 200th anniversary of the author’s birth on February 7. Legacy projects, festivals and exhibitions commemorated the author’s life and works were scheduled throughout the year. The Museum of London showcased rarely seen manuscripts including Bleak House and David Copperfield – written in the author’s own hand.
The Museum of London will showcase paintings, photographs, costumes and objects that “illustrate themes that Dickens wove into his works, while rarely seen manuscripts including Bleak House and David Copperfield – written in the author’s own hand – will offer clues to his creative genius,” the museum’s Web site states. The exhibit details how Dickens’s childhood experiences in London, “working in a blacking factory while his father was locked away in a debtor’s prison, were introduced into the stories he wrote. The great social questions of the 19th century, including wealth and poverty, prostitution, childhood mortality and philanthropy, will also be examined.” Also featured will be an audio-visual experience and a commissioned documentary film that explores similarities between London after dark today and during Dickens’s day over 150 years ago.
Picture Credit : Google
