Product Description

The intimate biography of Charles Dickens’s daughter, the artist Kate Perugini, written by his great-great-great-granddaughter.

Katey Dickens was a nineteenth-century artist and socialite, and the beautiful daughter of Charles Dickens. In this illuminating biography, Lucinda Hawksley, herself a direct descendant of the great novelist, recreates the life of an extraordinarily determined girl who defied Victorian convention to live and love as an independent woman.

Blessed with a privileged upbringing, Katey Dickens pursued her love of painting, acted in her father’s plays, modeled for John Everett Millais and enjoyed a high profile in society thanks to her famous father. Yet she refused to be eclipsed by her father and fought to establish herself as an artist in her own right.

Katey was driven to marry young by a turbulent family life, and following a sexless yet companionable marriage with Charlie Collins, brother of the famous author Wilkie Collins, she fell in love with and married the handsome Italian artist Carlo Perugini.

Despite finding happiness with Perugini, Katey was prone to deep depression, particularly following the deaths of her father and baby. Yet she continued to pursue her career as a painter while also championing Charles Dickens’s works and befriending such eminent figures as J.M. Barrie and George Bernard Shaw.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2236383 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-26
• Released on: 2006-09-26
• Format: Import
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

About the Author
Lucinda Hawksley is the author of the acclaimed Lizzie Siddall: The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel. She organized and curated an exhibition of Kate Perugini’s paintings in 2002 at the Dickens House Museum.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews

Great review of the whole Dickens family as well as Kate
I preordered this book after hearing a lecture by Lucinda Hawksley. It met all my expectations and more. It is easy to read and very informative. She uses great references and is able to access and read actual correspondence which really helps accuracy and interest. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Charles Dickens. BRAVO!