BIB_ID
421191
Accession number
MA 1352.537
Creator
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.
Display Date
London, England, 1852 July 11?.
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, 1951.
Description
1 item (2 pages) ; 18 x 11.3 cm
Notes
Dickens gives only "Sunday Morning" for the date of writing. Based on the timeline of Mrs. Morson's application for the position at the Foundling Hospital and Dickens's movements during this period, Storey, Tillotson, and Burgis argue that it is most likely that this letter was written on July 11, 1852. See the published correspondence, cited below, for additional information.
Written from "Tavistock House."
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 from "Tavistock House."
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 hopes Hannah Brown's health will now improve; adding that they were all concerned about the fact that she has been so ill, "but I have no doubt it is better for her disorder to have its full way than to linger about her as it has been doing;" reporting on the results of a discussion with Mr. Stone and a neighbor and saying that he thinks everything appears "promising and comparatively easy for the great experiment;" mentioning Georgiana Morson's application to become Matron of the Foundling Hospital, with a salary of £100 a year.
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