Dickens, Charles

dark brown with some strands of white hair, tightly coiled in a miniature oval glass-fronted case (12 x 4mm), opposite a hand coloured photographic portrait of Dickens, Gurney and Son, c.1867, probably cut down from a carte de visite (28 x 22mm), housed within a hinged yellow gold locket, at least 14 kt, engraved "9th June 1870" above the lock of hair, the covers with the applied monograms "CD" and "MD", together with an autograph note of provenance signed by Dorothy Dickens ("...this locket containing the portrait & hair of the late Charles Dickens, my grandfather ... was given by him to his daughter Mamie, from whom it descended to me...") and an autograph letter signed by Dorothy Dickens to the auctioneers Puttick and Simpson further confirming the provenance of the locket following its sale at auction, 2 pages, 8vo, 25 August 1903, all housed in a bespoke book-form brown morocco box and slipcase, the locket in a red velvet cushion, the letter and document edge-mounted, the slipcase gilt and lettered "Dickens Locket", the document split at fold, the letter and document both seemingly reattached at a later date, box rubbed

Mary ("Mamie") Dickens, eldest daughter of Charles Dickens (1838-96); left as a bequest to her niece Dorothy G. Dickens (1868-1923), daughter of Charley Dickens (1837-1898); sold by her, Puttick and Simpson, 17 July 1903, lot 194, £10, to Hornstein; Frederick Ives Carpenter (1861-1925), bibliophile and Professor of English at the University of Chicago

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."