Dickens' England: Past And Present (PICTURES)

Dickensstrandsplit

First Posted: 3/02/2012 12:57 Updated: 3/02/2012 13:17

Charles Dickens' novels are about people: their struggles, their hopes, their weaknesses and their fears.

As we approach his 200th birthday, we tend to see Dickens as either the great chronicler of social injustice or simply the master storyteller who gave us some of the most colourful characters in our literary heritage.

But Dickens was also about places, predominantly the streets of London. The term 'Dickensian England' immediately conjures a vision of rag-and-bone Victorian alleyways where sooty-faced children scramble past men in top hats.

Here we've gathered photographs of classic locations from Dickens' life and fiction as they were during his era, and compare them to how they look today, 200 years later.

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Charles Dickens' home on Doughty Street, where he lived during his early success.

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Charles Dickens' novels are about people: their struggles, their hopes, their weaknesses and their fears. As we approach his 200th birthday, we tend to see Dickens as either the great chronicler of...
Charles Dickens' novels are about people: their struggles, their hopes, their weaknesses and their fears. As we approach his 200th birthday, we tend to see Dickens as either the great chronicler of...
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02:09 PM on 02/12/2012
this is rubbish, 1: no photographs from 200 years ago (no cameras) 2: photos are of different places, different angles (one is even outside when the original is inside!!) for real past/present come to whitby and see powerpoint of frank sutcliffe photos retaken today - a real treat. huffpost? crap.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Steve Lane
12:56 PM on 02/04/2012
Most of the modern photographs were rather pointless. It would have been better if they had been taken from the original photos view point.
01:15 PM on 02/04/2012
I agree.

Made viewing both pictures without purpose.

Lazy.
01:45 PM on 02/04/2012
Was going to post exactly the same. TOTALLY pointless.
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Rhubarbarian
Some of my best friends are corporations.
07:35 PM on 02/04/2012
Me too! How hard would that have been?
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WaveRhydr
DIEBOLD-WE VOTE SO YOU DONT HAVE TO
03:00 AM on 02/04/2012
I mean no offense, but from what I have read, the England of today, is doing its best to return to conditions such as were found in the time of Dickens. America is way ahead of you on that score, though.

The more comments, and editorials I read in the UK press, and here, the more impressed I am with your people. You seem much more concerned with ... your people, than our govt does with ours. Even if they are slashing (by your standards), programs now.
12:40 PM on 02/04/2012
No, this country has never been concerned with its people, our class system ensures the most needy stay that way while our extremely wealthy triple their wealth every few years, pay very little tax and attack the less well heeled every chance they get.
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WaveRhydr
DIEBOLD-WE VOTE SO YOU DONT HAVE TO
01:56 PM on 02/04/2012
Lol, think about it; when what you describe looks better than what we here in the USA have now, thats saying something.
05:29 AM on 02/05/2012
What the Dickens are you talking about?
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WaveRhydr
DIEBOLD-WE VOTE SO YOU DONT HAVE TO
05:35 AM on 02/05/2012
Rofl! Good one.
02:29 PM on 02/03/2012
Nice idea but shame pictures were not taken from same position to truly contrast....
cdnman
Still a free spirit...
02:48 PM on 02/03/2012
Yes, you are right, would be much more interesting...f and f
lastpost
see biography
02:08 PM on 02/03/2012
"Dickens' England:"
5 & 6 of 16.
Annual income GDP, annual expenditure GDP less six pence, result happiness. Annual income GDP, annual expenditure GDP ought and six pence, result misery. Doing bookkeeping in the dark can’t help much either.