BIB_ID
421240
Accession number
MA 1352.545
Creator
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.
Display Date
London, England, 1843 January 13.
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, 1951.
Description
1 item (2 pages) ; 18.2 x 11.1 cm
Notes
Addressed to "Miss Meredith." Hannah Meredith married Dr. William Brown in December 1844.
Written from "1 Devonshire Terrace."
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 "1 Devonshire Terrace."
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
Asking her to thank Miss Coutts on his behalf, "for her kindness in respect of the box;" apologizing for not being at home yesterday and missing her note; explaining "I was ploughing at a tremendous pace through the snow near Harrow, with Mr. Pinch on my right hand and the Pecksniffs on my left" (a reference to Martin Chuzzlewit); mentioning that he has sent Lady Sophia Burdett "a piece (a very small one) of Niagara, and also a tiny scrap of Virginia Marble;" sending Catherine Dickens's compliments; referring to the actor James Robertson Anderson, then playing several parts at Drury Lane.
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