The Charles Dickens Letters Project

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Individual letter:

Dickens, Charles. To [addressee], [date of letter]. Charles Dickens Letters Project, ed. Leon Litvack, Emily Bell, Lydia Craig and Jeremy Parrott (London: Dickens Fellowship). [URL of individual letter], [date of access].

Database:

Charles Dickens Letters Project, ed. Leon Litvack, Emily Bell, Lydia Craig and Jeremy Parrott (London: Dickens Fellowship), DickensLetters.com.

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Period:

1836-1840

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friends

social engagements

To LADY HOLLAND,1 [?12 AUGUST 1838-11 DECEMBER 1839]

Text from facsimile in Sotheby’s on-line catalogue, 2002; MS (fragment) 1 p.; address and date given at foot of page. Date: after CD’s first visit to Holland House, 12 Aug 38 (a Sunday); before 12 Dec 39, when he moved to Devonshire Terrace.

48 Doughty Street

Wednesday Morning

As I am (fortunately for myself) both in town and disengaged next Friday, I shall be most happy to avail myself of your and Lord Holland’s kind invitation.

Very Faithfully Yours

CHARLES DICKENS2

1. Elizabeth Vassall Fox (1770-1845; Dictionary of National Biography), wife of the 3rd Baron Holland; the famous and autocratic hostess of Holland House: see Pilgrim Letters 1, p. 412n and Pilgrim Letters 2, p. 63n. Holland House, on Kensington High Street, its grounds now Holland Park, was extensively damaged in the Second World War: see Lord Ilchester, Chronicles of Holland House, 1937, Chs. 16 & 17.
2. The top of the MS has been torn off, leaving traces of descenders.