Label Type
Exhibition LabelLabel
On his second trip to the United States in 1868, renowned British author Charles Dickens visited Philadelphia. This painting shows him at the presses of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, at the time one of the country’s most influential newspapers. Dickens, the tall, bearded man in the center, seems poised to pull a lever and begin the printing process. He is accompanied by Ledger owner George W. Childs and a well-dressed lady. We don’t know if this visit actually happened, but we do know that Dickens gave the manuscripts of his last novel to Childs. And it is fitting that this painting is in Drexel’s collection since Childs owned the Ledger along with his lifelong friend and University founder Anthony J. Drexel.