Haunts of Dickens is a collection of almost 60 watercolours painted by British artist Paul Braddon (1864-1937). The exhibition is part of Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday celebration and contains scenes from Dickens’ novels, ranging from Great Expectations to The Old Curiosity Shop. The illustrations were gifted to the Dunedin Public Library in 1956 by A. H. Reed, a well-known literary figure in New Zealand.
The exhibition comes with an interesting story: The watercolours were discovered last year by librarian Anthony Tedeschi, concealed between some rare books at the Dunedin Public Library. Curator Lynda Cullen says they were found wrapped in “fairly ordinary folders made of cardboard, tied with string”. It is estimated that the watercolours are worth $100,000.
The illustrations consist mostly of pencil sketches which have had watercolours added to them. The artist’s work was typically of an architectural nature and this is reflected in the exhibition. The main focus in every piece is on buildings and structures with a few figures, most of whom have walking sticks. The curator Lynda describes the watercolours as having three kinds of identifiers – Charles Dickens, the artist, and the scenes, which “often are representative of buildings that Dickens borrowed from real life for his novels.”
On the opening night of this exhibition Ray Henwood will be reading excerpts from Dickens. Friday June 1st 2012 at 5.30pm
Bleak House, St. Albans
Watercolour on paper.
Collection Dunedin Public Library