Sketches of Charles Dickens staging plays for his dinner party guests have gone on public display for the first time. The pencil, ink and watercolour drawings capture the 19th-century Oliver Twist author performing his own works in full costume for his friends, family and neighbours, often to raise funds for charitable causes.

The expressive poses were sketched by amateur artist Nathaniel Powell, who lived next door to Tavistock House in London. Emma Harper, deputy director and curator at the Charles Dickens Museum, where the drawings are on display, said: “These are incredibly rare visual records of Dickens the performer. They offer a vivid, intimate glimpse into evenings at Tavistock House – where Dickens staged private productions with a cast of close friends.

“Until now we had newspaper accounts and some written recollections, but these sketches bring the moment to life in a completely different way.” The drawings surfaced at a Bonhams auction earlier this year and with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, the Art Fund and the Wilkie Collins Society, were acquired for £9,600 by the museum.

“We’ve been aware of the existence of one of these sketches for some time, but had no idea of the full set – or their whereabouts – until the auction notice appeared,” Ms Harper explained. “Thanks to our supporters, we were able to act quickly and bring these important pieces of Dickensian history home.”

Powell’s five sketches, from the 1850s, include depictions of Dickens in character, alongside friends and collaborators including Mark Lemon and (possibly) Wilkie Collins. The performances were staged in what Dickens called “the smallest theatre in the world”, a converted schoolroom in his Tavistock House residence.

The sketches will be on show at another of his former homes on 48 Doughty Street, Bloomsbury, which houses the Charles Dickens Museum, until September 21. Just a short walk from Tavistock Square, the museum preserves his literary and personal legacy.

Tickets to view the display are available via the Charles Dickens Museum’s website.