Charles Dickens was one of the very first people to whom the word ‘celebrity’ was applied. He lived in an extraordinary century, full of innovators and pioneers, and he was friends with many of the most interesting people of his day. The Focus Day will include talks that accompany Lucinda’s book Charles Dickens and his Circlewhich was written for the National Portrait Gallery in London. Discover the fascinating circle of Dickens’s friends and acquaintances including artists, actors, musicians, radical thinkers, philanthropists and politicians as well as many of his fellow writers.