The Painter Who Captured Dickens’ Spirit Francis Alexander (February 3, 1800 – March 27, 1880) was an American portrait painter who achieved considerable renown during the Victorian era. Born in Killingly, Connecticut, he possessed a remarkable talent for capturing human emotion and translating it onto canvas with meticulous detail and masterful technique. His artistic journey began with self-taught observation of color—a formative experience that would profoundly shape his distinctive style—and culminated in a distinguished career marked by collaborations with literary luminaries like Charl…