The librarians at the British Museum during June 2002 offered much assistance in troubleshooting problems with the research, and granting permission to view and use the letters of M.E. Braddon, Ellis Havelock, George Bernard Shaw, and Charles Dickens (that he wrote to Catherine Hogart). However, without the kind hospitality of Eileen Clarke, who let me stay at her home in London while I continued the field research for this project, such a trip would not have been made possible. In addition, the librarians at Michigan State University, California State University, the Public Records Office in London, the British Newspaper Library, Sacramento, and University of California, Irvine, and the curators at the Tate Gallery (1995) and Modern Museum of Art (New York 2000) were generously accommodating with their time.
At Michigan State University, I would like to thank Dr. Victor Paananen whose compassion and gentle manner gave me the confidence to forge ahead with my project. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Jenifer Banks, Bill Johnson, and James Hill for helping me to see this project through, and the Graduate School of Arts and Letters for the Special College Research Abroad Moneys Fellowship. My fellow graduate students at Michigan State University, Jack Siler, Heejong Kwong, and David Marty, additionally challenged me with difficult questions and provided sound advice, always leading to a relevant insight as I began to form the ideas for my study.
Writing this book would not have been possible without the loving support of my family and friends. I would like to thank my parents, Betty and Tom Hedgecock, whose steadfast confidence in my ability kept me focused on my work; my sister, Kelly Ann Hedgecock who, despite her brief life, persuaded me to continue writing and pursuing this subject; Bill Burrus who answered my doubts with his tireless support; my friend, Catherine McAdams who, when this project was at its most critical stage, kept encouraging me to complete it; and of course my longtime friend, Mrs. Karen “K” Hopkins Kahn whose unflagging support, friendship and sense of humor carried me through the obstacles of this study.