Merry Christmas Sepians

I'm pleased that Alan gave us the go ahead to take his photo in any direction we wished for Christmas.

Now I've always been a Dickens fan and he did Christmas rather well in much of his work. Mr Pickwick came immediately to mind.

Christmas Eve at Mr Wardle's

By Phiz (Hablot K Browne)

Image scanned by Phillip V Allingham; source www.victorianweb.org

Dickens was also very good at ghost stories - I sure you all know the ghosts in his 'Christmas Carol.' At Christmas in 1859 there was a series of ghost stories in 'The Haunted House,' the Extra Christmas number of 'All the Year Round.' So if you have the time and fancy a good read you can have one on line here

It's time for Santa to get in on the act and thanks to Project Gutenberg I found a delightful, illustrated poem by Elizabeth Andersen called 'The Goblins' Christmas.'

Santa Claus (The Goblins' Christmas - by Alexander Sharp 1908)

I also came across the work of Thomas Nast - 'Christmas Drawings for the Human Race' - including this rather rotund gentleman.

Santa Claus

Nast first drew Santa Claus for the 1862 Christmas season edition of Harper’s Weekly; he is said to have  “invented” the image popularly recognized as Santa Claus in America.

Christmas is a time when presents are exchanged and I have been privileged to play with one of mine already. As a result during the Twelve Days of Christmas I cannot promise my love two turtle doves, nor a partridge in a pear tree so I've compromised with this video clip.

One Wood Pigeon in an Apple Tree

All that remains is for me to wish all my fellow Sepians a very Merry Christmas and to thank you all for for your comments and encouragement throughout the year.

Meanwhile I must find a sleigh to hitch up to this chap before I visit you all at Sepia-saturday-157-christmas

Ho,ho, ho!

 

Dickens for Sepia Saturday

For me there could only be one interpretation of the Books theme this week. Today, 7 February is the 200th anniversary of this man's birthday.:

Charles Dickens 1868

Source: Project Gutenberg ebook of Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens, 1911.  From a photograph by Gurney

Source: Project Gutenberg ebook of Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens, 1911.  From a photograph by Gurney

In pride of  place on my bookshelf is a book I won as a form prize way back in 1949.

The Pickwick Papers

It so happens that I discovered Mr Pickwick and Sam Weller in an illustration which I though you might enjoy.

Wood engraving: 19th century. 

Characters from the books of Charles Dickens

(Photograph 1950 -1970 - unknown author)

The description with the photograph says, "The man seated in the chair is  Mr. Pickwick, a character from Charles Dickens’ first novel The Pickwick Papers, listening to his astute and humorous valet, Sam Weller, as he points out other characters from Dickens’ books. For example, midway up the left edge, from A Christmas Carol, are Ebenezer Scrooge in a night cap, and Bob Cratchit carrying his crippled son, Tiny Tim. In the bottom left corner, from The Old Curiosity Shop, are Little Nell and her grandfather. Fagin, from Oliver Twist, is third from the left in the front row with Mr. Bumble (in the bicorn or cocked hat), his wife Widow Corney, Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger, and Charley Bates nearby."

I must say you need very good eyesight to make them out. There is no doubt however about who is in the next photo.

Artist Fred Barnard (1846-1896)

Title "Mr. Pickwick Picnics"

Date 1870s

• Source: "The Anniversary Edition of the Works of Charles Dickens, February 7, 1812". The books were published in 1911 by P.F. Collier & Son of New York. This illustration is from the book, "Pickwick Papers Part I"
• Flickr: Mr Pickwick uploaded by Sue Clark
• License: CC BY 2.0

Today, thanks to Stockton Central Library's Facebook post I learned something new about Dickens. Apparently Dickens' study had a secret door designed to look like a bookcase which was full of fake books with titles such as Noah's Arkitecture, a nine-volume set titled Cat's Lives and The Virtues of Our Ancestors, which was so narrow that the title had to be printed vertically. Are there fake books on your shelves?

 And a final picture of the great man who ranks close behind Shakespeare in literary merit.

Charles Dickens, circa 1860

Project Gutenberg ebook of Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens

Photo by  J. & C. Watkins

Charles Dickens, circa 1860

Project Gutenberg ebook of Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens

Photo by  J. & C. Watkins

As some of you may know I have been a volunteer text corrector for the Dickens Journals Online Project. They are celebrating his birthday by announcing the completion of all the correction process. You may find out about the project at http://www.djo.org.uk/

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