"Miss Sophie Wackles that is — Mrs. Richard Swiveller that is to be." Chapter XXI of Dickens's Old Curiosity Shop by Thomas Worth in the first Household Edition volume published by Harper & Bros., New York (1872), 73: 3 ⅝ x 5 ¼ inches (9.2 x 13.5 cm) framed. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Context of the Illustration: Quilp begins to manipulate Dick Swiveller
"Give us a toast!" cried Quilp, rattling on the table in a dexterous manner with his fist and elbow alternately, in a kind of tune, ‘a woman, a beauty. Let’s have a beauty for our toast and empty our glasses to the last drop. Her name, come!"
"If you want a name," said Dick, "here’s Sophy Wackles."
"Sophy Wackles,’ screamed the dwarf, "Miss Sophy Wackles that is — Mrs. Richard Swiveller that shall be —that shall be—ha ha ha!"
"Ah!" said Dick, "you might have said that a few weeks ago, but it won’t do now, my buck. Immolating herself upon the shrine of Cheggs —"
"Poison Cheggs, cut Cheggs’s ears off," rejoined Quilp. "I won’t hear of Cheggs. Her name is Swiveller or nothing. I’ll drink her health again, and her father’s, and her mother’s; and to all her sisters and brothers — the glorious family of the Wackleses — all the Wackleses in one glass — down with it to the dregs!" [Chapter XXI, 72]
Related Material about The Old Curiosity Shop
- Dickens's The Old Curiosity Shop (homepage) Dickens's
- The Old Curiosity Shop Illustrated: A Team Effort by "The Clock Works"
- Illustrated Editions of The Old Curiosity Shop
- Kyd's Characters from Dickens (1889)
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 the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Dickens, Charles. The Old Curiosity Shop. Illustrated by Thomas Worth. The Household Edition. 16 vols. New York: Harper & Bros., 1872. I.
Created 24 August 2020
Last modified 26 November 2020