The Charles Dickens Letters Project

To FRANK STONE,1 26 NOVEMBER 1848

MS Free Library of Philadelphia.

Bedford Hotel, Brighton2 | Twenty Sixth November 1848.

My Dear Stone.

I think this, very pretty indeed, and cannot suggest any alteration whatever.3 Bradbury4 will probably come up to you soon after you receive this, in the hope of getting the first block.5

My Dear Stone | Faithfully Yours ever

CHARLES DICKENS

• 1. Frank Stone (1800-59; Dictionary of National Biography), painter, self-taught; ARA 1851. Son of a Manchester mill-owner and employed as a cotton-broker from 1816. Gave up business for painting 1824, and worked his way to London by painting portraits. On arrival in London 1831, found employment drawing "beauties" for the Keepsake, Book of Beauty and other annuals. Associate of the Watercolour Society 1833. Exhibited portraits in RA 1837-9; then, from 1840, the subject-pictures chiefly associated with his name. Secretary of the Shakespeare Club 1838-9, where he met CD. Was one of the illustrators of The Haunted Man, 1848, and provided extra plates for the First Cheap Edns of Nicholas Nickleby and Martin Chuzzlewit.
• 2. CD went to Brighton on 22 Nov to finish The Haunted Man and returned to London for the marriage of Augustus Dickens, 5 Dec (Pilgrim Letters 5, p. 445n).
• 3. Stone provided three illustrations for The Haunted Man. CD refers to the redrawn illustration, “Milly and the Old Man”, depicting Milly wearing a lace cap, as required by CD (To Stone, 23 Nov, Pilgrim Letters 5, p. 446).
• 4. William Bradbury (1800-69; Dictionary of National Biography), of Bradbury & Evans.
• 5. Woodblock illustrations were used for The Haunted Man: Stone would have drawn the illustration directly onto the block or pasted it on for the Bradbury & Evans cutter to work on.