Charles Dickens and George W. Childs at the Public Ledger
Entry/Object ID
623
Acquisition
Source (if not Accessioned)
C. Hugh Acheson
Notes
Date: 1953
Means of Accession: gift
Source: Acquired from his brother when the Ledger merged with the Inquirer in 1934.
Made/Created
Artist
Stanley Massey Arthurs
Place
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Dimensions
Height
35 in
Width
23 in
Interpretative Labels
Label Type
Exhibition Label
Label
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.
