Charles Dickens and Rochester
Rochester was founded by the Romans in some 53 AD, but often that would have been on a site earlier used by others. Charles Dickens' moved there when he was a child, and his father was struggling to support the family. He, the father, was constantly in debt, and in and out of debtors' prisons until he lucked out on one job -- found his employer a cheat -- blew the whistle, and then could move elsewhere for a fresh start. The senior Mr. Dickens was the model for Mr. Micawber, one of the characters in Great Expectations.
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Joseph Clayton Clarke illustrated much of Dickens, here Mr. Micawber, fair use. Smithsonian magazine has a fine article on Dickens, at Going Mad for Charles Dickens, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Going-Mad-for-Charles-Dickens.html
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Mr. Micawber, from David Copperfield:
Kyd's Mr. Micawber, Charles Dickens
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Our additional Kyd illustrations are still framed, so a little dark. Enjoy!
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The Artful Dodger, from Oliver Twist:
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Kyd's The Artful Dodger, Charles DickensSam Weller, from The Pickwick Papers:
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Kyd's Sam Weller, The Pickwick Papers, Charles DickensUriah Heep, from David Copperfield:
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Kyd's Uriah Heep, Charles DickensMr. Pickwick, from The Pickwick Papers:
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Kyd's Mr. Pickwick, The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
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Charles Dickens' life was complex, as anyone's. Meet Ellen "Nelly" Ternan, at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Dickens-Secret-Affair.html?onsite_source=relatedarticles&onsite_medium=internallink&onsite_campaign=SmithMag&onsite_content=Dickens'Secret Affair
