The Philadelphia Free Library's Exhibit on Dickens
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Yesterday, my family and I took the trip to Philadelphia. Our first stop included touring Independence Hall and stopping by to see The Liberty Bell. It was the first time my children had visited and I was so pleased that they enjoyed seeing perhaps the most historic room in all of America—the place where our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. It’s difficult not to get chills in that room.
After lunch at Campo’s, where we ate some noteworthy Philadelphia cheesesteaks, we made our way to the Philadelphia Free Library on Vine Street.
The bust of Charles Dickens, Philadelphia Free Library
It was a gorgeous day and I was particularly excited to see the exhibition on Dickens, commemorating the bicentenary of his birthday. Manuscripts are on display, books and letters from Dickens’s private collections, as well as his pen tray and paper knife that were given to him by his sister, Mary.
Just a fair warning: I was disappointed and I don’t want you to be if you make the trip, like I did, from a distance. Some of these items were not available and open to the public on the weekend. They are only on display Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., which I found slightly inconvenient, as I had cut the article on the exhibit out of the paper weeks ago and had carried it around with me, hoping we would make the trip. There was no mention that these items were not available for public viewing on the weekends.
Nonetheless, I did get to see some of Dickens’s things, just not the whole collection, and the display that the Library has put together on the main level is well done and worth the stop.
“Great Expectations” is probably one of my favorite books, along with “A Christmas Carol,” so just taking the time to pay respect to the “Inimitable,” as he liked to be called, was a tribute in itself.
Great Expectations Display, The Philadelphia Free Library
At the end of the day, we climbed the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Van Gogh is currently on display through May. We thew up our arms in true “Rocky” fashion and enjoyed a day away in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia.
Incidentally, I christened my new camera yesterday, as well. I wanted to personally thank all of my kind Facebook friends for their recommendation of the camera I chose: a Nikon DS3100. I hope you’ll enjoy the shots I took with it and I look forward to learning how to use my new camera to bring you great photography on my blog.
Yours Truly at the entrance to the Dickens Exhibit, The Philadelphia Free Library
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