BIB_ID
420771
Accession number
MA 1352.131
Creator
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.
Display Date
London, England, 1848 November 6.
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, 1951.
Description
1 item (3 pages) ; 18.1 x 10.9 cm + envelope
Notes
Mourning envelope with seal and Dickens' signature to "Miss Burdett Coutts."
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.
Written on mourning stationery from "Devonshire Terrace / Monday November Sixth / 1848."
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.
Written on mourning stationery from "Devonshire Terrace / Monday November Sixth / 1848."
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
Offering to help her identify a Mr. Chapman whose signature he does not recognize as "...either of my Mr. Chapmans [...] My own personal friend Mr. Chapman, is the Chairman of the shipping Committee of Lloyds; and the House are merchants, and large ship-owners [...] It never occurred to me before, to speak to him about the Emigration; but he is an excellent gentleman, whom I am sure you would like (I first knew him in connexion with the Sanatorium, of which we were both Directors) and an admirable man of business, with an interest in all good things. And I know they send ships to that part of the world, constantly;" adding "I am in the act of grinding at my Christmas book. I hope we shall have another little reading here, if your remembrance of the last one has no deterring influence. I have hit upon a little notion for the book, which I hope is a pretty one, with a good Christmas tendency."
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