Halloween is a very special holiday at A Tale of Two Hittys. It is the birthday of Mary Angela Dickens, granddaughter of Charles Dickens, and also the day that she receives her doll Kitty on her 6th birthday, in my fictional tale. This year Kitty is making plans for a very special party with her friends. She tells them to come dressed in costumes, but not to bring gifts. Instead, she will share a special surprise with them. MacKenna dresses as as a candy-striper nurse and brings her new friend, Sienna, with her. Sienna is dressed as a doctor. Maeve appears as Robin Hood. Mabel and Cleo wear their costumes…
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3D Printed Kitty Doll
In Chapter 1 of my book, A Tale of Two Hittys, readers learn that the author, Charles Dickens, commissions a woodcarver to create a small wooden doll in the image of his beloved granddaughter, Mekitty. She instantly falls in love with her new doll, “Kitty,” who then comes to life. Mekitty begs her grandfather to retell the story about his encounter with the wooden doll named, “Hitty,” when he was on a reading tour in America. That is how my book begins. My two inspirations are the book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field, (see Who is Hitty?) and an antique paper mache doll named, “Kitty,” (see Meet…
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Georgina’s Makeover
Georgina is a 7.5” tall antique wax-over paper mache doll with glass eyes. Her arms and legs are carved from wood. But her most amazing feature is her feet, which look a lot like Hitty’s and Kitty’s. It’s my guess that all three dolls were made around the same time, since the style is so similar. I named her Georgina after Georgina Hogarth, sister-in-law of Charles Dickens and Mekitty’s Great Aunt. Restoring Georgina When I purchased Georgina on ebay, she was in frightful condition. The area surrounding her glass eyes had lost its coating of plaster, resulting in a scary, wide-eyed look. Her face was dirty, and she had a…
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Virtual Kitty
You may be wondering what “Virtual Kitty” means. Compared to the original, physical doll, which you can touch and see, a virtual doll only exists as digital bits in a computer file. So why would I want to create a doll that doesn’t even exist in the real world? Because a virtual doll is the first step towards my ultimate goal of making the fictional version of Kitty a reality. I love my antique Kitty doll (see Meet Kitty), who inspired A Tale of Two Hittys. I really enjoy dressing her and taking photos of her with my other dolls, but her fragile nature means that I have to be…
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Dickens the Magician
Many people know of Charles Dickens’ literary accomplishments, but have you heard of his talent with conjuring? In the early 1840s Dickens repeatedly entertained his family and friends with feats of magic. He would have been familiar with the card tricks and sleight-of-hand used by the street performers of London. Maybe something he saw had stirred his imagination, because in 1842 he purchased “the entire stock-in-trade of a conjurer.” After that, he spent hours in his room practicing to perfect the timing and technique of his tricks. I used Charles Dickens’ interest in magic as my inspiration for Miss Willow’s story in Chapter 4 of A Tale of Two Hittys.…
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Kitty’s Christmas Party
Kitty is hosting a Christmas Party for her Kitty Friends. Sharleen, Olivia and Jordan are happy to accept her invitation. David is visiting his grandparents in Florida for Christmas, but he did send a photo of a recent trip to Universal Studios Orlando. He loves all the Jurassic Park rides, especially the newest roller coaster with a Velociraptor theme: the VelociCoaster. Olivia admires the “Merry Christmas” banner, and Sharleen likes the poinsettias. Jordan is more interested in the pile of presents in the corner! Kitty explains that she has planned a fun afternoon, and she will start by reading from two books by Charles Dickens. Naturally, A Christmas Carol needs…
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A Real Ghost Story
The ghost story that Charles Dickens tells Mekitty in A Tale of Two Hittys is based on a real event. Click on the link to read Chapter 2 first, if you haven’t already done so. My ghost story was inspired by a letter which Charles Dickens wrote to Wilkie Collins, a fellow author and the brother of his son-in-law, Charles Collins, on Wednesday, October 24th, 1860. In my version, I pushed the timeline to December of the same year. I also elaborated on some of the details and changed the dialog to make the story more understandable and accessible to modern readers. Original letter from Charles Dickens to Wilkie Collins:…
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On Dickens’ Desk
A famous painting showing the library at Gad’s Hill Place (see above and below) was named The Empty Chair by the artist, Sir Luke Fildes. Painted in June 1870, shortly after Dickens’ death, the painting conveys the sense of loss felt by Dickens’ friends and family, as well as his readers all around the world. But the painting is also a snapshot in time, preserving for posterity a full-color view (in an era of black and white photos) of Dickens’ library and all its contents. Below is the complete version of the painting. The original desk and chair now reside at the Charles Dickens Museum in London at 48 Doughty…
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The Mighty Quill Pen
What type of pen do you use to write a letter to friend? Do you prefer a ballpoint, a fountain pen, a gel pen, or a Sharpie? During the Victorian era of Charles Dickens, most people used quill ink pens made from goose, turkey or crow feathers. In fact, the word pen comes from the Latin word “penna” which means feather. Quill pens were not very durable, and the nib (the part that you dip into the ink) frequently had to be re-cut with a pen knife. Also, an inkwell was a necessity, as well as a pen wipe to keep the tip clean. From Wikipedia, I learned that quills…
