1873
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
The grave of Charles Dickens, Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey is a 1873 watercolor by Luke Fildes, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sketch shows a quiet corner inside a church. Tall stone pillars line the space. A colorful stained-glass window lets in dim light. In the middle sits a tomb with statues of two figures—one standing, one kneeling—and a small portrait on a plaque. The floor has scattered flowers and worn stones. The tomb looks old but clean, like it’s been cared for. The artist used soft watercolors to show the light and shadows. The scene feels calm, almost like a snapshot of a real place. Want to see more? Check out Luke Fildes.
A portrait-format watercolour in green and blue hues, the painting depicts the interior of Westminster Abbey, with a prominent central pillar framing the composition. Commissioned by John Forster, the work was engraved by J Saddler and published in 1874 as an illustration facing page 502 of Forster’s *Life of Charles Dickens*. Correspondence between Forster and Fildes from late 1873 to early 1874, now held in the National Art Library, likely pertains to this commission.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (3 October 1843 – 28 February 1927) was a British painter and illustrator born in Liverpool and trained at the South Kensington and Royal Academy Schools. He was the grandson of the political activist Mary Fildes.
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