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ALS, two pages (affixed as one to a size of 4.25 x 10), February 5, 1858. Addressed from “Tavistock House,” a handwritten letter to John W. Knight, in part: “I would most willingly receive the Deputation from the Master Boot and Shoe Makers’ Benevolent Institution if I could possibly accede to the request they contemplate doing me the honor…But as I can make no new public engagement of that nature for the present season, and as I consequently know that their coming to me would be a waste of their time, I deem it right to inform you at once that I cannot have the satisfaction of presiding at the proposed dinner.” Matted and framed with a large artistic portrait of Charles Dickens to an overall size of 21.25 x 18.25. In fine condition, with a few light marks.
Written from Tavistock House, Dickens's London home from 1851 to 1860, this letter dates to a consequential turning point in his professional life. Little Dorrit had completed its serialization only months earlier, and less than three months after writing this letter, Dickens would give his first professional public reading on April 29, 1858, launching a lucrative second career as a performer that would occupy much of his remaining decade. His statement here that he could make "no new public engagement of that nature for the present season" is especially interesting in light of the extensive program of public readings he would soon undertake. The letter also falls amid a turbulent period in Dickens's personal life: his marriage to Catherine was collapsing, and the couple would formally separate that May, amid his deepening involvement with the young actress Ellen Ternan, whom he had met the previous year during rehearsals for The Frozen Deep.
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