Charles Dickens was at Broadstairs with his family for the autumn
months. During all this year he was busily engaged with the periodical
entitled "Master Humphrey's Clock," in which the story of "The Old
Curiosity Shop" subsequently appeared. Nearly all these letters to Mr.
George Cattermole refer to the illustrations for this story.
The one dated March 9th alludes to short papers written for "Master
Humphrey's Clock" prior to the commencement of "The Old Curiosity Shop."
We have in this year Charles Dickens's first letter to Mr. Daniel
Maclise, this and one other being, unfortunately, the only letters we
have been able to obtain addressed to this much-loved friend and most
intimate companion.
[Sidenote: Mr. George Cattermole.]
1, DEVONSHIRE TERRACE,
_Monday, January 13th, 1840._
MY DEAR CATTERMOLE,
I am going to propound a mightily grave matter to you. My now periodical
work appears--or I should rather say the first number does--on Saturday,
the 28th of March; and as it has to be sent to America and Germany, and
must therefore be considerably in advance, it is now in hand; I having
in fact begun it on Saturday last. Instead of being published in monthly
parts at a shilling each only, it will be published in weekly parts at
threepence and monthly parts at a shilling; my object being to baffle
the imitators and make it as novel as possible. The plan is a new one--I
mean the plan of the fiction--and it will comprehend a great variety of
tales. The title is: "Master Humphrey's Clock."
Now, among other improvements, I have turned my attention to the
illustrations, meaning to have woodcuts dropped into the text and no
separate plates. I want to know whether you would object to make me a
little sketch for a woodcut--in indian-ink would be quite
sufficient--about the size of the enclosed scrap; the subject, an old
quaint room with antique Elizabethan furniture, and in the
chimney-corner an extraordinary old clock--the clock belonging to Master
Humphrey, in fact, and no figures. This I should drop into the text at
the head of my opening page.
I want to know besides--as Chapman and Hall are my partners in the
matter, there need be no delicacy about my asking or your answering the
question--what would be your charge for such a thing, and whether (if
the work answers our expectations) you would like to repeat the joke at
regular intervals, and, if so, on what terms? I should tell you that I
intend to ask Maclise to join me likewise, and that the copying the
drawing on wood and the cutting will be done in first-rate style. We are
justified by past experience in supposing that the sale would be
enormous, and the popularity very great; and when I explain to you the
notes I have in my head, I think you will see that it opens a vast
number of very good subjects.
I want to talk the matter over with you, and wish you would fix your
own time and place--either here or at your house or at the Athenaeum,
though this would be the best place, because I have my papers about me.
If you would take a chop with me, for instance, on Tuesday or Wednesday,
I could tell you more in two minutes than in twenty letters, albeit I
have endeavoured to make this as businesslike and stupid as need be.
Of course all these tremendous arrangements are as yet a profound
secret, or there would be fifty Humphreys in the field. So write me a
line like a worthy gentleman, and convey my best remembrances to your
worthy lady.
Believe me always, my dear Cattermole,
Faithfully yours.
[Sidenote: Mr. George Cattermole.]