Dimbola Museum and Galleries reopens on Saturday 3rd February with their first exhibition of 2024 “Technicolour Dickens: The Living Image of Charles Dickens”.
Technicolour Dickens was originally commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of his death in 2020 and was co-curated by The Charles Dickens Museum. Dimbola are bringing it to the Isle of Wight to coincide with it being 175 years since the publication of David Copperfield, partly written whilst the author was staying at Ventnor.
Dickens’ story through Victorian photography
The exhibition presents Dickens’ story through the medium of Victorian photography, with each image brought to life in full technicolour – giving the exhibition its name.
Using the pioneering world of this early artistry, Dickens was able to enhance his fame and reputation. In showcasing these works this collection will sit alongside the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, who although was not known to have met Dickens, there is a slight possibility that they met at Little Holland House soirees.
However, Julia did photograph many of his acquaintances such as Thomas Carlyle, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Anne Thackeray Ritchie and William Holman Hunt, to name a few.
Film by Jamie Langton
A film by Jamie Langton will form part of the Dimbola exhibition entitled ‘Dickens Island’.
During his time on the Isle of Wight, Dickens befriended Tennyson who became God father to Alfred Dickens, Charles and Catherine’s sixth child and was named after him.
Where and when
Visitors will be able to catch Technicolour Dickens from 3rd February until 19th May.
See the Dimbola website for opening times and ticket prices.
Support for the exhibition
Technicolour Dickens was developed in 2020 by the Charles Dickens Museum, London, in collaboration with Oliver Clyde, with contributions from Dr Leon Litvack (Reader, School of Arts, English and Languages, Queen’s University, Belfast) and Dr Julian North (Associate Professor in Nineteenth-Century English Literature, University of Leicester).
The Charles Dickens Museum
The Charles Dickens Museum (Charity No 212172) is a fully accredited museum and is the leading centre for the study, appreciation and enjoyment of the life and work of Charles Dickens (1812-1870). The Grade I listed building at 48 Doughty Street is the only surviving family home of Dickens in London, and where he began married life, became established as a writer, and shot to international fame.
Founded in 1925, the Museum holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of material relating to Dickens. With well over 100,000 items comprising furniture, personal effects, paintings, prints, photographs, letters, manuscripts, scrapbooks, rare editions, and legal & financial documents, the collection is significant for its breadth and depth, and allows us to explore the many facets of Dickens’s influence and legacy.
News shared by Elissa on behalf of Dimbola Museum and Galleries. Ed
