Little Paul Dombey [frontispiece]

M. F. or E. M. Taylor

Photographic reproduction of line drawing

Approximately 3 inches wide x 3.5 inches high

From Dickens' Dream Children, verso of unornamented title page; realizing a scene in the ninth chapter, "Little Paul Dombey."

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in one in a print medium.]

In contrast to so many of the child characters created by Charles Dickens, Paul Dombey is neither poor nor orphaned. Rather, his father is a captain of industry, a merchant prince, and Paul wants for nothing material. However, he is nonetheless the pathetic figure, a poor little rich boy lacking a mother's love and a father's unqualified approval. Never a strong child, little Paulby the time he was five had suffered terribly from the usual childhood illnesses that he seemed wasted by them: "though he had the prettiest, sweetest little face in the world, there was always a patient, wistful look upon it, and he was thin and tiny and delicate" (177). The scene realized occurs when, at the close of an evening party for the boys at Dr. Blimber's Academy in Brighton, he awaits the arrival of his beloved sister on the corner of the drawing-room sofa. The arms protruding from the smock's sleeves emphasize his thinness, while his facial expression is pathetic rather than expectant, as Mary Angela Dickens describes it at this point. The pillow suggests his invalid nature, the collar his father's wealth.

Bibliography

Dickens, Mary Angela [Charles Dickens' grand-daughter]. Dickens' Dream Children. Illustrated by Harold Copping, E. M. Taylor, and M. F. Taylor. London, Paris New, York: Raphael Tuck & Sons, Ltd., 1926.

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Last modified 12 September 2010