Old Fezziwig is a character from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol created by Charles Dickens to provide contrast with Ebenezer Scrooge's attitudes towards business ethics. Scrooge was apprenticed under Fezziwig. Despite this, the older Scrooge seems to be the very antithesis of Mr. Fezziwig in appearance, actions, and characterisation. Mr. Fezziwig is portrayed as a jovial, anachronistic man with a large Welsh Wig.
Fezziwig dances with his workers, illustration by John Leech
Fezziwig, as envisioned by Sol Eytinge Jr., 1843
A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. In the process, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
First edition cover (1843)
"Marley's Ghost", original illustration by John Leech from the 1843 edition
Scrooge and Bob Cratchit celebrate Christmas in an illustration from stave five of the original edition, 1843.
Dickens at the blacking warehouse, as envisioned by Fred Barnard
