"Here," drawing the cloth off with great pride and care, "are two pieces of furniture to commence with." — Twenty-eighth illustration by Fred Barnard for the 1872 Household Edition of David Copperfield. Chapter XXVII, "Tommy Traddles," positioned on p. 193), 10.6 cm high by 13.8 cm wide (4 ⅛ by 5 ⅜ inches), vignetted. Headline for page 193: "Eulogium on Doctor's Commons." Headline for page 201:"Traddles's History." [Click on image to enlarge it. Mouse over text for links.]
Passage Illustrated: Traddles Welcomes Copperfield to his Room
Traddles rose from his chair, and, with a triumphant smile, put his hand upon the white cloth I had observed.
"However," he said, "it’s not that we haven’t made a beginning towards housekeeping. No, no; we have begun. We must get on by degrees, but we have begun. Here," drawing the cloth off with great pride and care, ‘are two pieces of furniture to commence with. This flower-pot and stand, she bought herself. You put that in a parlour window," said Traddles, falling a little back from it to survey it with the greater admiration, "with a plant in it, and — and there you are! This little round table with the marble top (it’s two feet ten in circumference), I bought. You want to lay a book down, you know, or somebody comes to see you or your wife, and wants a place to stand a cup of tea upon, and — and there you are again!" said Traddles. "It’s an admirable piece of workmanship — firm as a rock!" I praised them both, highly, and Traddles replaced the covering as carefully as he had removed it.
"It’s not a great deal towards the furnishing," said Traddles, "but it’s something. The table-cloths, and pillow-cases, and articles of that kind, are what discourage me most, Copperfield. So does the ironmongery — candle-boxes, and gridirons, and that sort of necessaries—because those things tell, and mount up. However, “wait and hope!” And I assure you she’s the dearest girl!" [Chapter XXVII, "Tommy Traddles," 202]
Commentary: Tommy Traddles from David's Days at Salem House Reappears
David's old schoolmate from Salem House, the uncomfortable, large-hearted Tommy Traddles with the rebellious head of hair, is now struggling to enter the legal profession in London. He is experiencing difficulties with the family of Sophie, a poor curate's daughter to whom he is tentatively engaged. By sheer (Dickensian) coincidence, Traddles turns out to be the Micawbers' lodger. Barnard has chosen to realize the dialogue which demonstrates Traddles' desire to set up housekeeping with his fiancée, even as Copperfield himself is contemplating marrying Dora.
Related Material
- David Copperfield (homepage)
- Phiz's 40 serial illustrations for David Copperfield (May 1849 - November 1850)
- O. C. Darley's Frontispiece in the New York edition (Vol. 1, 1862)
- O. C. Darley's Frontispiece in the New York edition (Vol. 2, 1862)
- O. C. Darley's Frontispiece in the New York edition (Vol. 3, 1862)
- Sol Eytinge, Junior's 16 Diamond Edition Illustrations (1867)
- W. H. C. Groome's 7 illustrations for the Collins Clear-type Pocket Edition, Vol. I (1907)
- Kyd's five Player's Cigarette Cards, 1910
- Harry Furniss's 29 Illustrations for Dickens's The Personal Experience and History of David Copperfield in the Charles Dickens Library Edition (1910)
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 Personal History of David Copperfield, illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne ("Phiz"). The Centenary Edition. London & New York: Chapman & Hall, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911 [rpt. from 1850]. 2 vols.
_______. David Copperfield, with 61 illustrations by Fred Barnard. Household Edition. London: Chapman and Hall, 1872. Vol. 3.
_______. David Copperfield. Illustrated by W. H. C. Groome. London and Glasgow: Collins Clear-type Press, 1907. No. 1.
The copy of the Household Edition from which this picture was scanned was the gift of George Gorniak, Editor of The Dickens Magazine, whose subject for the fifth series, beginning in January 2010, is this novel.
Created 19 August 2016 Last modified last updated 2 August 2022