The author of such classics as ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ might appear from his writing to be a family man at heart. Indeed, Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine produced ten children, and the couple were close to both of Catherine’s sisters. This exhibition consists mainly of addenda to the already lovely rooms in the Charles Dickens Museum, and documents Catherine’s achievements and personality in the context of her husband’s successes, travels and challenges. She enjoyed theatre and late-night parties, she wrote her own cookbook, she travelled with Charles to the USA in 1842, and she supported her family through the loss of three of her children.
As in any good novel, the course of true love did not run smooth, and the couple separated after 22 years together when Charles fell for an 18-year-old actress. The display gives an insight into the Dickens home, showing how the family dealt with what feels like a very modern break-up: children chose sides and wills were adjusted. But the main story here is one of a woman who was far more likeable than the man in whose shadow she lived. Ashleigh Arnott