American Toby Jug Museum 

Charles Dickens figurine produced by Artone Pottery of Burslem, England, circa 1980. Charles Huffham Dickens (1812-1870) is commonly regarded as England's greatest popular novelist of the nineteenth century. With little formal education and his father imprisoned for debt, the young Dickens spent five months in a factory sticking labels on early Doulton and Watts's pots, a real-life experience that manifested itself through the hero of his 1850 autobiographical novel, "David Copperfield". His career in writing began in 1836 with the creation of the immensely popular Mr. Pickwick. Dickens' diverse, colorful characters filled his works with spirited humor and satirical wit, carrying themes which reflected his own experiences and hardships. Among his more famous works are "The Pickwick Papers", "Oliver Twist", "The Old Curiosity Shop", "David Copperfield", "A Tale of Two Cities", "Great Expectations", and "A Christmas Carol".