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A cast from an original sculpture (now lost) produced by Henry Dexter in Boston, USA, 1842. Dexter was one of only two artists that Charles Dickens sat for on his first visit to the United States. Perhaps due to Dexter’s diligence and use of measuring aids, this bust is the most accurate portrayal of the author’s visage. Copies were placed on exhibition in all the principal US cities and wherever Dickens gave readings. Dickens was also pleased with the result and the completed work was lauded for its precise likeness by many him including his wife, Catherine. In the 'Atlantic Monthly' October 1870, Dickens’s secretary George Putnam wrote an account of its production: 'in one corner of the room Dexter, the sculptor, was earnestly at work modelling a bust of Mr Dickens.
Charles Dickens Museum, London
London
Title
Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
Date
1842
Medium
painted plaster
Measurements
H 70 x W 44 x D 26 cm
Accession number
DH40
Acquisition method
gifted by the Boston branch of the Dickens Fellowship, 1962
Work type
Bust
