Joseph Grimaldi, 1778-1837, was born in London, England, on 18 December 1778. He started performing as a child alongside his entertainer father and went on to become a celebrated actor and comedian, often portraying a clown. He performed at such prominent theaters as Drury Lane, Sadler's Wells, and Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. Due to declining health, he retired in 1823 and died on 31 May 1837. His son, Joseph Samuel "JS" Grimaldi, 1802-1832, was also an actor and comedian.

Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, was born in Portsmouth, England, on 7 February 1812. He gained literary fame with the publication of The Pickwick Papers in 1836 and went on to publish a total of fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and essays. He used his writings to campaign for social reform by describing poor social conditions. He also edited The Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, which was first published in 1838.

The collection also references manager and dramatist Alfred Bunn, 1796-1860; caricaturist Robert Cruikshank, 1789-1856; actor and manager R. W. (Robert William) Elliston, 1774-1831; actor John Philip Kemble, 1757-1823; actor Signor Paulo, 1787-1835; dramatist Richard Brinsley Peake, 1792-1847; and artist Clarkson Stanfield, 1793-1867.