Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Massachusetts Boston Charles Dickens' Door and Mirror
AO Edited

Charles Dickens' Door and Mirror

These items are all that remain from the room used by the author during his second tour of the U.S.

Boston, Massachusetts

Added By
Sydney Rose
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Charles Dickens Door and Mirror   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Charles Dickens Door and Mirror   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Charles Dickens Door and Mirror   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
The Parker House as it looked in 1866.   Wikimedia Commons file: Parker House, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views
Dickens in New York, circa 1867–1868   By Jeremiah Gurney - Heritage Auction Gallery, Public Domain
Omni Parker House Hotel   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omni_Parker_...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Although best known for dinner rolls and Boston Cream Pie, the Parker House Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, was also known as the temporary residence of Victorian British author Charles Dickens during his second tour of the United States from 1867-1868. Dickens was already a prominent celebrity at the time. He was booked into the Parker House, Boston's most opulent hotel, whose rooms included such luxuries as hot and cold running bathwater.  

Upon his arrival in Boston on November 19, 1867, hotel owner Harvey Parker, Jr. provided Dickens with a spacious apartment on the third floor. Suite 138-139 served as Dickens's home during his six-month stay in the United States. It was in this suite that Dickens spent endless hours practicing his readings before a large, arched mirror in a walnut frame. His readings included A Christmas Carol, and the trial scene from The Pickwick Papers. They were performed to sold-out audiences at the Tremont Temple next door. The first public performance was on December 2, 1867. Dickens gave his last Boston reading on April 8, 1868. He left Boston two days later, never to return.

The original hotel building was torn down in the mid-1920s and was replaced with more modern accommodation at the same location. Although Dickens's suite of rooms is gone, his door and mirror remain on display at the Omni Parker House. 

The eight-foot-tall door was almost lost when the original hotel was destroyed. A wrecking crew worker recognized the door and donated it to the Bostonian Society, who placed it in storage. In 2015, the society returned the door to the hotel. It's framed in wood and mounted behind glass on a wall in a small museum on the hotel's ground floor. The door is displayed with the original 138 and 139 enameled door numbers and a small framed plaque that reads: 

"Door to Rooms 138-139, Parker House. Occupied by Charles Dickens in 1867. Also occupied by Charlotte Cushman from October 7, 1875, until her death February 18, 1876."

Each December, the door is adorned with a festive Christmas wreath as a nod to Dickens's famous seasonal novella.

Dickens's rehearsal mirror now hangs at the end of a corridor on the hotel's Mezzanine. The mirror is around four-feet wide and six-feet tall. It's mounted in an arched and intricately carved walnut frame. Brass plaques mounted on the frame's base and next to the mirror read:

"Mirror from the rooms at the Parker House occupied by Charles Dickens 1867 & 1868 authenticated by the Boston branch of the Dickens Fellowship." 

"Look closely and see reflections of Dickens as he practiced a 'Christmas Carol.'"  

Many claim that the mirror is haunted by Dickens himself. It's said that if guests gaze deeply into the mirror, they might see the renowned author dressed in his performance attire. Others report that saying, "Charles Dickens," three times before the mirror will cause the nearby elevator bells to chime.

Whether or not one believes in ghosts, it seems that the Parker House Hotel may still be imbued with the very spirit of Dickens.   

 

Related Tags

Literature History Authors Hotels

Know Before You Go

The Parker House Museum is located on the ground floor of the hotel, next to the gym.

The Dickens's Mirror is located on the hotel Mezzanine. From the front door on School Street, go up the stairs to the Mezzanine.  Turn left and look for a corridor on the right with a sign that says: “Press Room –>.”  The mirror hangs at the end of that corridor, next to a bank of elevators.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sydney Rose

Edited By

jonathancarey

  • jonathancarey

Published

February 12, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Charles Dickens' Door and Mirror
60 School St
Boston, Massachusetts, 02108
United States
42.357763, -71.060515
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tremont Temple

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

King's Chapel Crypt

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Boston's Old Burying Grounds

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 32

Nearby Places

Tremont Temple

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

King's Chapel Crypt

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Boston's Old Burying Grounds

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 32

Related Places

  • Natick, Massachusetts

    Horatio Alger House

    The American author whose "rags-to-riches" stories were popular during the Gilded Age.

  • The house where H.G. Wells lived.

    Sandgate, England

    House of H.G. Wells

    In a small Kentish seaside stands the former home of one of the greatest science-fiction writers.

  • The statue in situ in West Philadelphia’s Clark Park.

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Dickens and Little Nell

    The oldest of only three existing statues of the great novelist stands in a city he did not care for.

  • Consuegra, Spain

    Consuegra Windmills

    This line of 12 tower mills described in the story of Don Quixote is among the most iconic landscapes in Spain.

  • Béccar, Argentina

    Villa Ocampo

    A beautiful riverside mansion where the intellectual life of early-20th-century Argentina flourished.

  • The Orchard House.

    Concord, Massachusetts

    Orchard House

    Louisa May Alcott based “Little Women” on her experiences growing up in this house with her sisters.

  • Historical markers at Willa Cather Memorial Prairie.

    Red Cloud, Nebraska

    Willa Cather Prairie

    Over 600 acres of idyllic open grassland honor Nebraska’s georgic storyteller.

  • The hotel lobby

    Chicago, Illinois

    Palmer House Hilton

    This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.