Two days after his arrival, on a Saturday evening, Collins was honoured at a reception and dinner at the Lotos Club. Chartered in 1870, the Club's purpose was to ‘promote social intercourse among journalists, literary men, artists and members of the music and dramatic professions, and such merchants and professional gentlemen of artistic tastes and inclinations as would naturally be attracted by such a club’. Over the years, the Club had entertained such distinguished visitors as Charles Dickens and composer Jacques Offenbach. The engraved invitation to the Dinner to Wilkie Collins indicated that the evening was to be held at the Club House at No. 2 Irving Place and would begin at 9.00 p.m. Whitelaw Reid, President of the Lotos, would preside.

In attendance were ‘many persons of distinction’, including poets, novelists, editors, painters, operatic stars and actors. Among the guests were author Bret Harte, Italian tragedian Tommaso Salvini and Charles Bradlaugh. Collins's US promoter, Charles S. Brelsford, a Lotos member, was also present; ‘a scrawny, sickly Yankee, but a good fellow and capable manager’ according to Lotos historian, John Elderkin. Numerous newspaper accounts both at home and abroad covered an event that brought out the best and the brightest of American and European culture, albeit all male. As one newspaper described the evening, it was ‘a stag affair, and cigar smoke replaced the perfumed air which indicates the presence of the sex’.

Although it was reported that the evening started out ‘thin’ at 9.00, by 10.30 ‘every part of the club house was crowded’. The guest of honour showed up at 11.00 and was welcomed by President Reid. He introduced Collins and spoke of him ‘in the most gracious and flattering terms as a writer’, saying,