Dickens's First Love

Being in love has long influenced novelists, and Charles Dickens was no exception. He fell in love with Maria Beadnell at the age of 18 and subsequently immortalised her in 'David Copperfield' (Dora Spenlow) and 'Little Dorrit' (Flora Finching). Beadnell dumped the young journalist and budding author after three years, but her influence on Dickens as a young man helped to turn him into one of our most beloved authors. This exhibition of portraits and early writings is a tribute to the couple and to the passion found in first love.