Charles Dickens: novelist, social reformer, journalist… and conjuror? Dickens, a keen watcher of magic, gave a number of magic performances in the 1840s at Christmas and during summers on the Isle of Wight. This event, a blend of talk and performance, uses the unique setting of the Dickens Birthplace Museum in Portsmouth to discover Dickens’ involvement in the world of magic. Dr Christopher Pittard explores Dickens’ engagement with famous conjurors, the influence of magic on his fiction, and goes behind the scenes of his performances to reveal the secrets of Victorian sleight of hand.

This event is also taking place at 11:30am and 1:30pm.

This event is part of the series Disappearing acts.

For event information, please contact Christopher Pittard at Christopher.Pittard@port.ac.uk.