Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Letter from Charles Dickens, London, to Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1855 November 2 : autograph manuscript signed.

BIB_ID
420666
Accession number
MA 1352.440
Creator
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.
Display Date
London, England, 1855 November 2.
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, 1951.
Description
1 item (3 pages) ; 19.8 x 12.4 cm
Notes
Signed with initials.
Written on the stationery of the Office of Household Words.
Envelope with stamp and postmarks: "Miss Burdett Coutts / The Lord Warden Hotel / Dover." The address has been crossed out, as has a note on the verso, "Returned from the Hotel / Jany 8, 56." The letter appears to have been redirected.
The letter is part of a collection, MA 1352, which consists of letters from Charles Dickens to the Baroness, to her companion Hannah (Meredith) Brown, or the latter's husband, William Brown; with 70 letters written by others to Miss Coutts or to Dickens in his capacity as her unofficial almoner; and a few others. See the collection-level record for more information.
Provenance
The letters formed part of the Burdett-Coutts sale (Sotheby, 17 May 1922); they were purchased for Oliver W. Barrett in whose collection they remained until it was sold by his son (Parke-Bernet, 31 October 1951).
Summary
Saying that he has sent a duplicate of this letter to Folkestone; describing the arrangements he has made with William Banting for Dr. Brown's funeral on Wednesday; saying that he has followed what he believes to be Hannah Brown's and her wishes in every respect; describing various obstacles that have been overcome; telling her that the invitations have all gone out; writing "My dear Miss Coutts I hope and trust you will find everything in perfect train when you arrive, and that both you and your tender charge [Mrs. Brown] will pass through this closing part of the trial, with a tender but not painful grief;" saying that the nature of service rests entirely with her; confirming that he has received her letters and saying that he will to come to her at Lady Falmouth's on Sunday.