- 287
Dickens, Charles
Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
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Description
- Dickens, Charles
- Autograph letter signed, to the comic actor J.P. Harley
- ink on paper
inviting him to visit after his performance in The Tempest and writing in exhilarated terms about his rapid progress with The Lamplighter ("...He promises very well; I have just done your account of an uncle deceased, who committed suicide when gas first came up - and I think it's funny..."), 2 page, 8vo, Doughty Street, "Wednesday" [? 28 November 1838], loose in a collector's folder, remains of mount on final verso
Literature
The Letters of Charles Dickens, VII, pp.794-95
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
AN EARLY LETTER ON THE COMPOSITION OF 'THE LAMPLIGHTER'. Dickens's wrote this one-act farce, which was later included in The Pic-Nic Papers (1841), for his friend the theatre manager William Charles Macready. He was already in the midst of two novels - Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby - and penned the play in about a week. Harley, who was then playing Trinculo in The Tempest, was to play the lead, but Macready judged the plot too weak for success on the stage.