The Timeline of Charles Dickens’ Life
– Art Imitates Life
The timeline of Charles Dickens’ life is intertwined with that of the city of London. Dickens was born in 1812, and at age 12 was working at a London blacking factory when his father was arrested and sent to debtor’s prison for spending beyond his means.
He worked 10 hours days and earned 6 shillings a week pasting labels onto cans of shoe polish. His father gained his freedom and moved the rest of the family to London where Charles eventually went back to school, but those years stayed with him. The working conditions in those times were often dangerous and wretched, especially for children, and these themes would colour much of Dickens’ future works. In 1827, Dickens went to work as a junior clerk at the law offices of Ellis and Blackmore. By 1833, he had his first story published in a London periodical, and the next year he became a political journalist for the Morning Chronicle. His keen powers of observation and storytelling served him well, and he continued to publish stories that illustrated the plight of the poor and needy in London. Dickens was a great philanthropist and used his writings to point out the inequities and evils he saw amongst the bustle and growth of Victorian London. By 1856, Dickens’ fame and fortune allowed him to purchase an estate in Kent where he lived out the rest of his days. Many of his major works such as “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Great Expectations” were written there. It was during this period that Dickens undertook several tours of public readings which proved to be quite popular as well. A notable event in Dickens’ life was his involvement in the Staplehurst rail crash of 1865; a terrible accident from which he emerged distraught but physically unharmed. Dickens’ voracious writing shrank to almost nothing in the following years. The timeline of Charles Dickens’ life ended in 1870 when he suffered a stroke and died at home the next day.
Charles Dickens Museum Address: 48 Doughty Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 2LX Telephone: 020 7405 2127 Opening Times Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm | Last admission 30 minutes before closing. Prices £5 (Adults), £4 (Concessions), £3 (Children).
Photo courtesy: gailf548
Return from Timeline of Charles Dickens’ Life to Famous London Residents
Return from Timeline of Charles Dickens’ Life to Best London Attractions
|
