BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

From a PhotographW. M. THACKERAY(Reproduced from the Biographical Edition of Thackeray’s Works, by kind permission of Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co.)

From a Photograph

W. M. THACKERAY

(Reproduced from the Biographical Edition of Thackeray’s Works, by kind permission of Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co.)

It seems strange that while his female readers can forgive him Becky Sharp, greatest of adventuresses, and can tolerate even Blanche Amory of “Mes Larmes,” they cannot pardon him Amelia Sedley. There are many other admirable sketches. Mrs. Peggy O’Dowd, lion-hearted, loyal and wise enough; the Dowager Countess of Southdown, Mrs. Bute Crawley, Miss Briggs, Miss Crawley, the lovable Catherine (the “Little Sister” of “Philip”); Miss Fotheringay and Fanny Bolton, who ensnared the affections of young Pendennis—what man has not met one or both of these?—Madame de Florac, the old lady with the beautiful face; the terrible Campaigner; Mrs. Warrington, who preferred to be known as Madame Esmond; Lady Castlewood, tender, loving, unreasoning, who can rise to the dignity of a great situation: “My daughter may receive presents from the Head of our House; my daughter may thankfully take kindnesses from her father’s, her mother’s, her brother’s dearest friend; and be gratefulfor one more benefit besides the thousand we owe him”; and, above all, irresistible, wayward Trix—that contradiction in words, an ambitious woman. So alluring is Beatrix that it is absurd to expect any man to think that she was ever all bad. Who knows but that if Harry Esmond had been a little less sensitive of his own demerits, and had let her see him as he was, they might have married and lived as happy as most couples? But her chance of redemption passed, and Beatrix became the Madame de Bernstein of “The Virginians.”

Thackeray’s men are no whit less successful. George Osborne and his purse-proud father; old Mr. Sedley and Jos; Sir Pitt Crawley—that most daring piece of character drawing—and his sons, Pitt and Rawdon; Pendennis and “Bluebeard,” as Lady Rockingham called George Warrington; little Bows; the valet, Morgan; Clive Newcome and his cousin, the little bounder, Sir Barnes; the Virginians, Harry and George; the inimitable Foker and the irrepressible Costigan. Thackeray drew gentlemen in a way that has never been excelled and rarely equalled. “They [the Kickleburys] are travelling with Mr. Bloundell, who was a gentleman once, and still retains about him some faint odour of that time of bloom.” “It is true poor Plantagenet [Gaunt] is only an idiot ... a zany, ... and yet you see he is a gentleman.” And the author makes the reader see it is so. In spite of the debaucheries and his behaviour to his family, the Marquis of Steyne is alwaysgrand seigneur. Esmond is a gentleman, and so is the intriguing Major Pendennis, Half-Pay; and Florac and Dobbin, and the little-worldly-wise Colonel Newcome. It has been said that the Colonel is too good for this world, too innocent, too ignorant, too transparently a child of nature, yet surely the noble-hearted man is human and true. Indeed, by this one character alone Thackeray could take his place among the masters. The whole gallery of his creations places him at the head of the

THE WRITING TABLE AND CHAIR USED BY THACKERAY AT YOUNG STREET, ONSLOW SQUARE, AND PALACE GREENReproduced by kind permission of Mrs. Richmond Ritchie

THE WRITING TABLE AND CHAIR USED BY THACKERAY AT YOUNG STREET, ONSLOW SQUARE, AND PALACE GREEN

Reproduced by kind permission of Mrs. Richmond Ritchie

English novelists of the nineteenth century.

From a pencil drawing by Richard Doyle in the British MuseumW. M. THACKERAY

From a pencil drawing by Richard Doyle in the British Museum

W. M. THACKERAY

A paper dealing with Thackeray’s characters may not ignore the question of the “originals.” Great interest has always been taken in Thackeray’s originals. Much has been written about them which is worth reading; much also has been written that is misleading. The novelist was personal sometimes, but it was seldom that he modelled a character on a man or woman of his acquaintance. He told his daughters that he never wilfully copied anyone; and there is no reason to disbelieve his statement. The Marquis of Steyne was a sublimation of half a dozen characters, and so were Captain Shandon and Costigan; and Becky, Dobbin, Jos Sedley, and Colonel Newcome were wholly original—from the celebrity point of view at least. Many of the people in “Esmond” are portraits of historical personages—the Duke of Hamilton, Lord Mohun, and

Painted by Sir John Gilbert, R.A., and presented to the Garrick ClubA POSTHUMOUS PORTRAIT OF THACKERAYCollection of Augustin Rischgitz

Painted by Sir John Gilbert, R.A., and presented to the Garrick Club

A POSTHUMOUS PORTRAIT OF THACKERAY

Collection of Augustin Rischgitz

Beatrix, for instance—but in the tales of modern life there are few characters that can be traced to any particular source. “You know you are only a piece of Amelia. My mother is another half; my poor little wife—y’est pour beaucoup,” the author wrote to Mrs. Brookfield. Edmund Yates always insisted that Wagg in“Pendennis” stood for Theodore Hook; that Lord Lonsdale was the original of Major Pendennis’s noble friend Lord Colchicum; and that Bunn was the model for Dolphin, the theatrical manager. It has been said that Mr. J. M. Evans, the publisher, was portrayed in “The Kickleburys on the Rhine”; that Mr. Flam in “Mrs. Perkins’s Ball” was a portrait of Abraham Hayward; that the Rev. W. H. Brookfield stood for the curate, Frank Whitestock; that Leigh Hunt was the original of Gandish in “The Newcomes”; and that the third Marquis of Hertford was the prototype of Lord Steyne. Mrs. Ritchie once saw the young lady who was supposed to have suggested Becky Sharp to her father; and Carlyle and his wife knew—and disliked—the original Blanche Amory.

From a photograph by Ernest EdwardsW. M. THACKERAY

From a photograph by Ernest Edwards

W. M. THACKERAY

A PAGE OF THACKERAY’S MANUSCRIPTShowing an original sketch in the margin(Reproduced from “Denis Duval,” by kind permission of Mrs. Richmond Ritchie)

A PAGE OF THACKERAY’S MANUSCRIPT

Showing an original sketch in the margin

(Reproduced from “Denis Duval,” by kind permission of Mrs. Richmond Ritchie)

Thackeray was not topographical in the sense that Dickens was. Often the briefest mention of a street satisfied him. Yet somehow the places of the principal scenes of his novels linger in the memory. As a young man he studied at Weimar, and later, while serving his apprenticeship both to art and letters, he resided from time to time at Paris. Had he never visited Germany, perhaps Amelia and Jos and Dobbin would not have gone Am Rhein, and the chapter about Becky and the Pumpernickel students would never have been written. Many of his characters went to Paris, which had for him a strong personal interest. It was there he wooed and won his wife. It was atParis that he wrote the autobiographical verse in the ballad which tells of the Bouillabaisse served at Terré’s Tavern in the Rue Neuve des Petits Champs:

Ah me! how quick the days are flitting!I mind me of a time that’s gone,When here I’d sit, as now I’m sitting,In this same place—but not alone.A fair young form was nestled near me,A dear dear face looked fondly up,And sweetly spoke and smiled to cheer me,—There’s no one now to share my cup.

From a photo by H. N. King, Avenue Road, W.THE HOUSE AT NO. 2, PALACE GREEN, KENSINGTON, IN WHICH THACKERAY DIED

From a photo by H. N. King, Avenue Road, W.

THE HOUSE AT NO. 2, PALACE GREEN, KENSINGTON, IN WHICH THACKERAY DIED

“I have been to the Hotel de la Terrasse, where Becky used to live, and shall pass by Captain Osborne’s lodgings,” he wrote from Paris to Mrs. Brookfield. “I believe perfectly in all these people, and feel quite an interest in the inn in which they lived.” It was at Brussels, in the Church of St. Gudule, the church in which he was christened, that Esmond met the inveterate intriguer, Father Holt, masquerading in a green uniform as a captain in the Bavarian Elector’s service; and in the convent cemetery knelt before the cross which marked the grave of Sœur Mary Madeleine, the unhappy Lady Castlewood, who was his mother. In that same city many years later the author of “Vanity Fair,” not claiming to rank among the military novelists, took his place with the non-combatants while the armies marched to the field of Waterloo, and portrayed manyfolk with anxious hearts awaiting news that must bring them happiness or misery. “No more firing was heard at Brussels—the pursuit rolled miles away. The darkness came down on the field and city; and Amelia was praying for George, who was lying on his face, dead, with a bullet through his heart.”

THACKERAY’S GRAVE IN KENSAL GREEN CEMETERY

Thackeray was pre-eminently the novelist of the upper classes, and as a natural result the majority of his characters lived in the West End of London, chiefly in the area enclosed by Park Lane, Oxford Street, Bond Street, and Piccadilly, known as Mayfair. But no part of the metropolis escaped him. The Sedleys lived in Russell Square before they removed to St. Adelaide’s Villas, Anna Maria Road, West, “where the houses look like baby-houses; where the people looking out of the first floor windows must infallibly, as you think, sit with their feet in the parlours; where the shrubs in the little gardens in front bloom with a perennial display of little children’s pinafores, little red socks, caps, etc. (polyandria polygyria); whence you hear the sound of jingling spirits and women singing; whither of evenings you see city clerks plodding wearily....” Dr. Firmin practised in Old Parr Street; and Colonel Newcome and James Binnie, on their return from India, rented a house in Fitzroy Square. Bungay and Bacon carried on their business in Paternoster Row, and lived over their shops. It was to the sponging house in Cursitor Street that Rawdon

From the statuette by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A.W. M. THACKERAY

From the statuette by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A.

W. M. THACKERAY

Crawley was taken after the ball at Gaunt House. Among others, Pendennis and Warrington lived in the Temple; while Colonel Newcome and his son, Dr. Firmin and Philip, Pendennis, young Rawdon—to name a few—were educated at the Charterhouse. “The Newcomes” immortalised that public school, and earned for the author the well-deserved title of “Carthusianus Carthusianorum.” The clubs and Bohemian resorts of the day were introduced into the various stories: the visit of Colonel Newcome to the “Cave of Harmony” is not easily forgotten. In Mayfair was situated Gaunt House, and in Curzon Street, near by, Becky and Rawdon practised the art of living on nothing a year. It was in the Curzon Street house that Becky is made to admireher husband, when he gives Lord Steyne the chastisement thatruinsher for life. “When I wrote that sentence,” Thackeray remarked subsequently, “I slapped my fist on the table and said, ‘That is a stroke of genius.’”

Lewis Melville.

William Makepeace Thackeraysee frontispieceRichmond Thackeray, Father of the Novelistsee page 3Thackeray at the age of three, with his father and mothersee page 5William Makepeace Thackeray, the only child of Richmond and Anne Thackeray, was born at Calcutta on July 18th, 1811. He was descended from Yorkshire yeomen who for several generations had been settled at Hampsthwaite, in the West Riding. In 1766 his grandfather, likewise named William Makepeace Thackeray, sailed for India at the age of seventeen, to enter the service of the East India Company. Under Cartier, the predecessor of Warren Hastings as Governor of Bengal, his promotion was very rapid. In 1776 he married Amelia Richmond, and the same year returned to England. His fourth son, Richmond Thackeray, father of the novelist, went to India in 1798 also in the service of the Company. In 1807 he became Secretary to the Board of Revenue at Calcutta, and undoubtedly possessed brilliant gifts for administration and public work. He married on October 13th, 1810, the reigning beauty of Calcutta, Anne, daughter of John Harman Becher. The painting by Chinnery, executed in 1814, gives a glimpse of the Thackerays at the time when their son had reached the age of three years. He is drawn perched on a large pile of books, with his arms round his mother’s neck, his father stiffly seated in a chair close by.The Charterhouse in the time of Thackeraysee page 2Thackeray, from the replica of a plaster cast by J. Devilesee page 4Richmond Thackeray was at this time Collector of the district called the Twenty-four Pergunnahs. Two years later he died, and in 1817 his son was sent to England to be educated, and was placed in the charge of his aunt Mrs. Ritchie, who first sent him to a school in Hampshire, and then to the establishment of Dr. Turner at Chiswick. About 1818 Mrs. Richmond Thackeray married a second time, and in 1821 returned to England with her husband, Major Carmichael Smyth, and settled at Addiscombe. The following year Thackeray was sent to the Charterhouse, where he remained until 1828. This famous school figured largely in his writings as “Greyfriars.” It was here that Colonel Newcome and Clive, Pendennis, George Osborne, Philip Firmin, and Rawdon Crawley were educated. Charterhouse was the scene of Thackeray’s fight with Venables, in which he sustained the unfortunate accident to his nose that caused a permanent disfigurement in his otherwise handsome countenance. Evidence of this is noticeable in the plaster cast executed by J. Devile, which represents Thackeray at the age of eleven.Larkbeare, the home of Thackeray’s mothersee page 2In 1825 Thackeray’s mother removed to Larkbeare, a house situated a mile and a half from Ottery St. Mary, where her son used to spend his holidays. On leaving school he remained at Larkbeare until he took up his residence at Trinity College, Cambridge, in February 1829. The scenery surrounding his mother’s home is described in “Pendennis,” Ottery St. Mary, Exeter, and Sidmouth figuring respectively as Clavering St. Mary, Chatteris, and Baymouth.While at Cambridge Thackeray contributed to a small paper calledThe Snob, a literary and scientific journal not conducted by members of the University. In it appeared “Timbuctoo,” a mock poem on the subject chosen for the Chancellor’s medal, won that year by Alfred Tennyson. In 1829 Thackeray spent the long vacation in Paris, and left college after the following Easter term.Having inherited a fortune from his father, it was arranged that he should finish his education by travelling abroad for a couple of years. Accordingly he spent several months at Dresden, Rome, Paris, and Weimar, and finally resolved to study for the Bar on his return to England. In 1831 he entered the Middle Temple, and by November of that year was settled in chambers in Hare Court. On coming of age, however, he abandoned all pretence of following the profession he had chosen, and made his way to Paris, whence he wrote letters forThe National Standard, and collected material for miscellaneous articles. Having speedily lost the greater part of his fortune, he turned his thoughts seriously to painting as a means of livelihood, and at this period frequented various studios, probably working in the atelier of Gros. Later he copied pictures assiduously at the Louvre, but though he delighted in the art he failed to acquire any great technical skill as a draughtsman.Thackeray among the Fraserianssee page 6In January 1835 Thackeray appeared as one of the Fraserians in a sketch drawn by Maclise and published inFraser’s Magazine. This celebrated cartoon depicts the Fraser writers at one of the frequent banquets held at 212, Regent Street. It was in this company that Thackeray first gained distinction as an author.Rue Neuve St. Augustin, Parissee page 7In 1836 he was appointed Paris correspondent ofThe Constitutional, and in August of the same year he married Miss Shawe. The wedding took place at the British Embassy, Bishop Luscombe, at that time chaplain, officiating at the ceremony. The newly married couple lived in apartments in the Rue Neuve St. Augustin, a street quite close by the Rue Neuve des Petits Champs, where is situated the restaurant made famous in the “Ballad of Bouillabaisse.”No. 18, Albion Street, Hyde Parksee page 10No. 13, Great Coram Street, Brunswick Squaresee page 11The Constitutionalcame to an end in 1837, and Thackeray returned to London and took up his abode for a time at 18, Albion Street, Hyde Park, where his mother was then living, and where he had stayed in 1834 when first contributing toFraser’s Magazine. Anne Isabella Thackeray, his eldest daughter, was born at this house. A removal was made not long afterwards to No. 13, Great Coram Street, Brunswick Square, where the Thackerays lived for some years. During this period “The Paris Sketch-Book” was written, being published in 1840 by Macrone. Owing to the misfortune of his wife’s illness the author’s household became unsettled, and about 1843 the home at Great Coram Street was given up.“Comic Tales and Sketches”see page 13Thackeray had published in 1841 a collection of “Comic Tales and Sketches, edited and illustrated by Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh,” with a preface dated “Paris, April 1st, 1841,” from which the following is an extract:When there came to be a question of republishing the tales in these volumes, the three authors, Major Gahagan, Mr. Fitzroy Yellowplush, and myself, had a violent dispute upon the matter of editing; and at one time we talked of editing each other all round. The toss of a halfpenny, however, decided the question in my favour.... On the title-page the reader is presented with three accurate portraits of the authors of these volumes. They are supposed to be marching hand-in-hand, and are just on the very brink of Immortality.Drawing from “Punch”: “Authors’ Miseries”see page 12During the same year “The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond” commenced to run its course inFraser’s Magazine.Punchhad been started on July 17th, and Thackeray’s first contributions appeared the following June. In the course of his ten years’ connection with this periodical he contributed something like 500 sketches irrespective of letterpress. One of these, reproduced on page 12, is taken from a series entitled “Authors’ Miseries,” and represents Jerrold and the artist himself in a railway carriage listening to the other occupants discussing the members of thePunchstaff:—Old Gentleman, Miss Wiggets, Two Authors.Old Gentleman: “I am so sorry to see you occupied, my dear Miss Wiggets, with that trivial paper,Punch. A railway is not a place, in my opinion, for jokes. I never joke—never.”Miss W.: “So I should think, sir.”Old Gentleman: “And besides, are you aware who are the conductors of that paper, and that they are Chartists, Deists, Atheists, Anarchists, to a man? I have it from the best authority, that they meet together once a week in a tavern in St. Giles’s, where they concoct their infamous print. The chief part of their income is derived from threatening letters, which they send to the nobility and gentry. The principal writer is a returned convict. Two have been tried at the Old Bailey; and as for their artist—as for their artist....”Guard: “Swin-dun! Station!”[Exeunt two Authors.In the latter half of 1842 Thackeray made a tour in Ireland, and recorded his experiences in “The Irish Sketch-Book,” which made its appearance the following year.The Strangers’ Room, Reform Clubsee page 17Thackeray, who for some time had been a member of the Garrick Club, was elected to the Reform in 1840, being proposed by Mr. Martin Thackeray and seconded by Mr. Henry Webbe. Sir Wemyss Reid gives an interesting description of the author at this Club. “Again and again I have heard descriptions of how he used to stand in the smoking-room, his back to the fire, his legs rather wide apart, his hands thrust into the trouser-pockets, and his head stiffly thrown backward, while he joined in the talk of the men occupying the semi-circle of chairs in front of him.... To some of us, at least, the Club is endeared by the thought that he was once one of ourselves; that he sat in these chairs, dined at these tables, chatted in these rooms, and, with his wise, far-seeing eyes surveyed the world from these same windows.” In the strangers’ room at the Reform Club hangs a portrait of Thackeray by Samuel Laurence. On one side of itthere stands a bust of Sir William Molesworth, on the other of Charles Buller. The latter seconded Thackeray when he was proposed by the Rev. W. Harness as a member of the Athenæum on February 12th, 1846. Thackeray was elected to this Club in 1851 under the rule which provides for the introduction of “persons of distinguished eminence in science, literature, or public services.”No. 13, Young Street, Kensingtonsee page 18In 1846 Thackeray took a house at 13 (now 16), Young Street, Kensington, where he established a home for his daughters. “Vanity Fair,” “Pendennis,” and “Esmond” were written there. “Vanity Fair” made its appearance in yellow covers, being brought out in monthly parts by Messrs. Bradbury & Evans. The first number was issued in January 1847, the last in July 1848.When passing his house in Young Street with Mr. J. T. Fields, the American publisher, Thackeray exclaimed, “Go down on your knees, you rogue, for here ‘Vanity Fair’ was penned, and I will go down with you, for I have a high opinion of that little production myself.”Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh as he appeared at Willis’s Roomssee page 21The first number of “Pendennis” appeared in November 1848, but the author’s severe illness at the end of 1849 interrupted its publication, which was not concluded until 1850. “Pendennis” was followed by “Esmond” in 1852. Whilst residing in Young Street Thackeray delivered his famous lectures on the English humorists at Willis’s Rooms. On page 21 an admirable caricature by John Leech is reproduced fromThe Monthrepresenting Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh as he appeared in these rooms in his celebrated character of Mr. Thackeray:Mr. Thackeray, of Vanity Fair, announced a simple course of lectures on a purely literary subject; and for the reason that Mr. Thackeray, living entirely by his pen, was still recognised as a fine gentleman by all—and they were many—who knew him in private, so accordingly his room was filled by an audience as brilliant and fashionable, as intelligent and judicious—in fact, after the lecturer, the agreeable sight of the excellent set of people who gathered about him with such thoughtful attention was really an attraction.Château de Brequerecque, Boulogne-sur-Mersee page 20No. 36, Onslow Square, Bromptonsee page 19On October 30th, 1852, Thackeray set sail for the United States, where he remained until the spring of 1853. He lectured in various towns—New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, and Richmond amongst others. Upon his return to Europe he made a very short stay in London, and then proceeded to Switzerland, where the story of “The Newcomes” was, according to his own statement, “revealed to him somehow.” Much of the novel was written abroad while its author was travelling in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, or staying at the Château de Brequerecque at Boulogne, where he is said to have evolved the noble figure of Colonel Newcome. The Château de Brequerecque lies pleasantly nestled in trees and shrubberies on the outskirts of the town, and is surrounded by a high wall screening it from public gaze. “The Newcomes” was completed at No. 36, Onslow Square, where Thackeray moved from Young Street in 1857. “The result of my father’s furnishings,” wrote Mrs. Richmond Ritchie of this residence, “was a pleasant, bowery sort of home, with green curtains and carpets, looking out upon the elm trees of Onslow Square. We lived for seven years at No. 36, and it was there he wrote the ‘Lectures on the George’s,and the end of ‘The Newcomes,’ and ‘The Virginians,’ part of ‘Philip,’ and many of the ‘Roundabout Papers.’ His study was over the drawing-room, and looked out upon the elm trees.”Thackeray stood for Parliament in the Oxford City division in July of 1857, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1860 he undertook the editorship of theCornhill Magazine, of which Messrs. Smith & Elder had commenced publication in the January of that year. Though continuing to contribute to this magazine until the last, he retired from the editorship in April 1862, doubtless finding the work too exacting for his now failing health.No. 2, Palace Green, Kensington, where Thackeray diedsee page 32The M.S. of “Denis Duval.”see page 31Thackeray’s Grave at Kensal Green Cemeterysee page 33In the year 1861 the firm of Jackson & Graham built for Thackeray the beautiful house at No. 2, Palace Green, Kensington, which alone of all his homes has the Society of Arts oval commemorative tablet inserted in its wall. An old house stood on the site at the time of purchase, but after careful consideration Thackeray wisely gave up the idea of repairing and adding to it, and erected in its place a fine mansion of red brick with stone facings in the style of Queen Anne. At this period, besides working for theCornhill, Thackeray was writing “Denis Duval,” his last book, which remained unfinished. After several severe attacks of illness, the novelist died at his residence in Palace Green on December 23rd, 1863, and was interred at Kensal Green Cemetery on the 30th of the month. The Middle Temple, of which he was a member, requested that they might be allowed to bury him in the Temple, near the grave of Goldsmith. The offer was, however, declined. A bust of Thackeray by his friend, Baron Marochetti, was placed in Westminster Abbey.NOTES ON THE PORTRAITS OF THACKERAYThackeray was striking in appearance, being over six feet in height and broad in proportion. He was erect in his gait and stalwart in bearing. His countenance was very expressive and capable of much dignity, and his peculiarly sweet smile, combined with a great gentleness of voice and manner, particularly endeared him to children. “Grand and stern and silent,” wrote Jerrold of him in later years, “a mighty form crowned with a massive, snow-haired head.”W. M. Thackeray, from a painting by Frank Stonesee page 9Among the portraits of Thackeray in early manhood is the painting by Frank Stone, executed in 1836 about the time of his marriage with Miss Shawe. This picture has never been engraved.W. M. Thackeray from a drawing by Daniel Maclise about 1840see page 1In 1832 and 1833 Maclise made two beautiful drawings of Thackeray from life, depicting him as a fashionably dressed young man, seated in anégligeattitude, displaying a massive eyeglass. These are now in the Garrick Club. Some years later the same artist made another delicately pencilled sketch, which Thackeray himself very skilfully copied.Of the various portraits by Samuel Laurence, the one of greatest interest is perhaps the chalk drawing executed in 1853 and here reproduced as a frontispiece.W. M. Thackeray, from the painting by Samuel Laurence in the National Portrait Gallerysee page 24Charlotte Brontë, when she first saw this portrait, exclaimed, “And there came up a lion out of Judah.” Later she wrote: “My father stood for a quarter of an hour this morning examining the great man’s picture. The conclusion of his survey was that he thought it a puzzling head; if he had known nothing previously of the original’s character, he could not have read it in his features. I wonder at this. To me the broad brow seems to express intellect. Certain lines about the nose and cheek betray the satirist and cynic; the mouth indicates a child-like simplicity, perhaps even a degree of irresoluteness, inconsistency—weakness, in short, but a weakness not unamiable.”A replica of the painting by the same artist in the National Portrait Gallery was presented by Thackeray to Sir Frederick Pollock, and remained for many years in the possession of the Dowager Lady Pollock.W. M. Thackeray, from a copy of the bust by Joseph Durham, A.R.A.see page 14W. M. Thackeray, from the statuette by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A.see page 34W. M. Thackeray, from a sketch by Sir John E. Millais, P.R.A.see page 23In the National Portrait Gallery is also a bust modelled in terra-cotta by Sir Edgar Boehm from the original plaster mould by Joseph Durham, A.R.A., which was presented to the Garrick Club. And the same sculptor executed in 1860 a statuette for which Thackeray when in Paris gave only two short sittings of half an hour’s duration. “The eminent sculptor,” writes Mr. F. G. Kitton in theMagazine of Art, “even in that space of time succeeded in all but completing one of the most successful portraits of his subject ever attempted.” “The work of Sir John Millais possesses exceptional interest,” continues the same writer, “and especially may this be said of a full-length delineation by that master-hand of his famous literary contemporary. Although but a slight memory-sketch, it is very characteristic of the man, and the portraiture so very life-like and true that Sir Edgar Boehm derived from it considerable assistance when completing his excellent statuette of the novelist.”Thackeray, from a painting by Sir John Gilbert, R.A.see page 29The posthumous portrait of Thackeray painted by Sir John Gilbert, R.A., was amongst those presented to the Garrick Club. It represents the novelist with long white hair and spectacles seated at a small table on which tea-things are displayed. In the background appears Stanfield’s picture of a Dutch vessel, which may still be seen in one of the Club apartments.Thackeray, from a drawing by Richard Doylesee page 28The pencil drawing taken from the life by Richard Doyle, which is now in the British Museum, is an interesting and very characteristic sketch of the novelist.He was a cynic; you might read it writIn that broad brow, crowned with its silver hair;In those blue eyes, with childlike candour lit,In the sweet smile his lips were wont to wear.A cynic? Yes—if ’tis the cynic’s partTo track the serpent’s trail, with saddened eye,To mark how good and ill divide the heart,How lives in chequered shade and sunshine lie.—Commemorative verses fromPunch.The portrait of Thackeray by Sir John E. Millais, P.R.A., which appears on page 23, is in the possession of Mrs. Richmond Ritchie, and is reproduced by her kind permission.

William Makepeace Thackeraysee frontispiece

William Makepeace Thackeray

see frontispiece

Richmond Thackeray, Father of the Novelistsee page 3

Richmond Thackeray, Father of the Novelist

see page 3

Thackeray at the age of three, with his father and mothersee page 5

Thackeray at the age of three, with his father and mother

see page 5

William Makepeace Thackeray, the only child of Richmond and Anne Thackeray, was born at Calcutta on July 18th, 1811. He was descended from Yorkshire yeomen who for several generations had been settled at Hampsthwaite, in the West Riding. In 1766 his grandfather, likewise named William Makepeace Thackeray, sailed for India at the age of seventeen, to enter the service of the East India Company. Under Cartier, the predecessor of Warren Hastings as Governor of Bengal, his promotion was very rapid. In 1776 he married Amelia Richmond, and the same year returned to England. His fourth son, Richmond Thackeray, father of the novelist, went to India in 1798 also in the service of the Company. In 1807 he became Secretary to the Board of Revenue at Calcutta, and undoubtedly possessed brilliant gifts for administration and public work. He married on October 13th, 1810, the reigning beauty of Calcutta, Anne, daughter of John Harman Becher. The painting by Chinnery, executed in 1814, gives a glimpse of the Thackerays at the time when their son had reached the age of three years. He is drawn perched on a large pile of books, with his arms round his mother’s neck, his father stiffly seated in a chair close by.

The Charterhouse in the time of Thackeraysee page 2

The Charterhouse in the time of Thackeray

see page 2

Thackeray, from the replica of a plaster cast by J. Devilesee page 4

Thackeray, from the replica of a plaster cast by J. Devile

see page 4

Richmond Thackeray was at this time Collector of the district called the Twenty-four Pergunnahs. Two years later he died, and in 1817 his son was sent to England to be educated, and was placed in the charge of his aunt Mrs. Ritchie, who first sent him to a school in Hampshire, and then to the establishment of Dr. Turner at Chiswick. About 1818 Mrs. Richmond Thackeray married a second time, and in 1821 returned to England with her husband, Major Carmichael Smyth, and settled at Addiscombe. The following year Thackeray was sent to the Charterhouse, where he remained until 1828. This famous school figured largely in his writings as “Greyfriars.” It was here that Colonel Newcome and Clive, Pendennis, George Osborne, Philip Firmin, and Rawdon Crawley were educated. Charterhouse was the scene of Thackeray’s fight with Venables, in which he sustained the unfortunate accident to his nose that caused a permanent disfigurement in his otherwise handsome countenance. Evidence of this is noticeable in the plaster cast executed by J. Devile, which represents Thackeray at the age of eleven.

Larkbeare, the home of Thackeray’s mothersee page 2

Larkbeare, the home of Thackeray’s mother

see page 2

In 1825 Thackeray’s mother removed to Larkbeare, a house situated a mile and a half from Ottery St. Mary, where her son used to spend his holidays. On leaving school he remained at Larkbeare until he took up his residence at Trinity College, Cambridge, in February 1829. The scenery surrounding his mother’s home is described in “Pendennis,” Ottery St. Mary, Exeter, and Sidmouth figuring respectively as Clavering St. Mary, Chatteris, and Baymouth.

While at Cambridge Thackeray contributed to a small paper calledThe Snob, a literary and scientific journal not conducted by members of the University. In it appeared “Timbuctoo,” a mock poem on the subject chosen for the Chancellor’s medal, won that year by Alfred Tennyson. In 1829 Thackeray spent the long vacation in Paris, and left college after the following Easter term.

Having inherited a fortune from his father, it was arranged that he should finish his education by travelling abroad for a couple of years. Accordingly he spent several months at Dresden, Rome, Paris, and Weimar, and finally resolved to study for the Bar on his return to England. In 1831 he entered the Middle Temple, and by November of that year was settled in chambers in Hare Court. On coming of age, however, he abandoned all pretence of following the profession he had chosen, and made his way to Paris, whence he wrote letters forThe National Standard, and collected material for miscellaneous articles. Having speedily lost the greater part of his fortune, he turned his thoughts seriously to painting as a means of livelihood, and at this period frequented various studios, probably working in the atelier of Gros. Later he copied pictures assiduously at the Louvre, but though he delighted in the art he failed to acquire any great technical skill as a draughtsman.

Thackeray among the Fraserianssee page 6

Thackeray among the Fraserians

see page 6

In January 1835 Thackeray appeared as one of the Fraserians in a sketch drawn by Maclise and published inFraser’s Magazine. This celebrated cartoon depicts the Fraser writers at one of the frequent banquets held at 212, Regent Street. It was in this company that Thackeray first gained distinction as an author.

Rue Neuve St. Augustin, Parissee page 7

Rue Neuve St. Augustin, Paris

see page 7

In 1836 he was appointed Paris correspondent ofThe Constitutional, and in August of the same year he married Miss Shawe. The wedding took place at the British Embassy, Bishop Luscombe, at that time chaplain, officiating at the ceremony. The newly married couple lived in apartments in the Rue Neuve St. Augustin, a street quite close by the Rue Neuve des Petits Champs, where is situated the restaurant made famous in the “Ballad of Bouillabaisse.”

No. 18, Albion Street, Hyde Parksee page 10

No. 18, Albion Street, Hyde Park

see page 10

No. 13, Great Coram Street, Brunswick Squaresee page 11

No. 13, Great Coram Street, Brunswick Square

see page 11

The Constitutionalcame to an end in 1837, and Thackeray returned to London and took up his abode for a time at 18, Albion Street, Hyde Park, where his mother was then living, and where he had stayed in 1834 when first contributing toFraser’s Magazine. Anne Isabella Thackeray, his eldest daughter, was born at this house. A removal was made not long afterwards to No. 13, Great Coram Street, Brunswick Square, where the Thackerays lived for some years. During this period “The Paris Sketch-Book” was written, being published in 1840 by Macrone. Owing to the misfortune of his wife’s illness the author’s household became unsettled, and about 1843 the home at Great Coram Street was given up.

“Comic Tales and Sketches”see page 13

“Comic Tales and Sketches”

see page 13

Thackeray had published in 1841 a collection of “Comic Tales and Sketches, edited and illustrated by Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh,” with a preface dated “Paris, April 1st, 1841,” from which the following is an extract:

When there came to be a question of republishing the tales in these volumes, the three authors, Major Gahagan, Mr. Fitzroy Yellowplush, and myself, had a violent dispute upon the matter of editing; and at one time we talked of editing each other all round. The toss of a halfpenny, however, decided the question in my favour.... On the title-page the reader is presented with three accurate portraits of the authors of these volumes. They are supposed to be marching hand-in-hand, and are just on the very brink of Immortality.

Drawing from “Punch”: “Authors’ Miseries”see page 12

Drawing from “Punch”: “Authors’ Miseries”

see page 12

During the same year “The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond” commenced to run its course inFraser’s Magazine.Punchhad been started on July 17th, and Thackeray’s first contributions appeared the following June. In the course of his ten years’ connection with this periodical he contributed something like 500 sketches irrespective of letterpress. One of these, reproduced on page 12, is taken from a series entitled “Authors’ Miseries,” and represents Jerrold and the artist himself in a railway carriage listening to the other occupants discussing the members of thePunchstaff:—

Old Gentleman, Miss Wiggets, Two Authors.Old Gentleman: “I am so sorry to see you occupied, my dear Miss Wiggets, with that trivial paper,Punch. A railway is not a place, in my opinion, for jokes. I never joke—never.”Miss W.: “So I should think, sir.”Old Gentleman: “And besides, are you aware who are the conductors of that paper, and that they are Chartists, Deists, Atheists, Anarchists, to a man? I have it from the best authority, that they meet together once a week in a tavern in St. Giles’s, where they concoct their infamous print. The chief part of their income is derived from threatening letters, which they send to the nobility and gentry. The principal writer is a returned convict. Two have been tried at the Old Bailey; and as for their artist—as for their artist....”Guard: “Swin-dun! Station!”[Exeunt two Authors.

Old Gentleman, Miss Wiggets, Two Authors.

Old Gentleman: “I am so sorry to see you occupied, my dear Miss Wiggets, with that trivial paper,Punch. A railway is not a place, in my opinion, for jokes. I never joke—never.”

Miss W.: “So I should think, sir.”

Old Gentleman: “And besides, are you aware who are the conductors of that paper, and that they are Chartists, Deists, Atheists, Anarchists, to a man? I have it from the best authority, that they meet together once a week in a tavern in St. Giles’s, where they concoct their infamous print. The chief part of their income is derived from threatening letters, which they send to the nobility and gentry. The principal writer is a returned convict. Two have been tried at the Old Bailey; and as for their artist—as for their artist....”

Guard: “Swin-dun! Station!”

[Exeunt two Authors.

In the latter half of 1842 Thackeray made a tour in Ireland, and recorded his experiences in “The Irish Sketch-Book,” which made its appearance the following year.

The Strangers’ Room, Reform Clubsee page 17

The Strangers’ Room, Reform Club

see page 17

Thackeray, who for some time had been a member of the Garrick Club, was elected to the Reform in 1840, being proposed by Mr. Martin Thackeray and seconded by Mr. Henry Webbe. Sir Wemyss Reid gives an interesting description of the author at this Club. “Again and again I have heard descriptions of how he used to stand in the smoking-room, his back to the fire, his legs rather wide apart, his hands thrust into the trouser-pockets, and his head stiffly thrown backward, while he joined in the talk of the men occupying the semi-circle of chairs in front of him.... To some of us, at least, the Club is endeared by the thought that he was once one of ourselves; that he sat in these chairs, dined at these tables, chatted in these rooms, and, with his wise, far-seeing eyes surveyed the world from these same windows.” In the strangers’ room at the Reform Club hangs a portrait of Thackeray by Samuel Laurence. On one side of itthere stands a bust of Sir William Molesworth, on the other of Charles Buller. The latter seconded Thackeray when he was proposed by the Rev. W. Harness as a member of the Athenæum on February 12th, 1846. Thackeray was elected to this Club in 1851 under the rule which provides for the introduction of “persons of distinguished eminence in science, literature, or public services.”

No. 13, Young Street, Kensingtonsee page 18

No. 13, Young Street, Kensington

see page 18

In 1846 Thackeray took a house at 13 (now 16), Young Street, Kensington, where he established a home for his daughters. “Vanity Fair,” “Pendennis,” and “Esmond” were written there. “Vanity Fair” made its appearance in yellow covers, being brought out in monthly parts by Messrs. Bradbury & Evans. The first number was issued in January 1847, the last in July 1848.

When passing his house in Young Street with Mr. J. T. Fields, the American publisher, Thackeray exclaimed, “Go down on your knees, you rogue, for here ‘Vanity Fair’ was penned, and I will go down with you, for I have a high opinion of that little production myself.”

Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh as he appeared at Willis’s Roomssee page 21

Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh as he appeared at Willis’s Rooms

see page 21

The first number of “Pendennis” appeared in November 1848, but the author’s severe illness at the end of 1849 interrupted its publication, which was not concluded until 1850. “Pendennis” was followed by “Esmond” in 1852. Whilst residing in Young Street Thackeray delivered his famous lectures on the English humorists at Willis’s Rooms. On page 21 an admirable caricature by John Leech is reproduced fromThe Monthrepresenting Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh as he appeared in these rooms in his celebrated character of Mr. Thackeray:

Mr. Thackeray, of Vanity Fair, announced a simple course of lectures on a purely literary subject; and for the reason that Mr. Thackeray, living entirely by his pen, was still recognised as a fine gentleman by all—and they were many—who knew him in private, so accordingly his room was filled by an audience as brilliant and fashionable, as intelligent and judicious—in fact, after the lecturer, the agreeable sight of the excellent set of people who gathered about him with such thoughtful attention was really an attraction.

Château de Brequerecque, Boulogne-sur-Mersee page 20

Château de Brequerecque, Boulogne-sur-Mer

see page 20

No. 36, Onslow Square, Bromptonsee page 19

No. 36, Onslow Square, Brompton

see page 19

On October 30th, 1852, Thackeray set sail for the United States, where he remained until the spring of 1853. He lectured in various towns—New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, and Richmond amongst others. Upon his return to Europe he made a very short stay in London, and then proceeded to Switzerland, where the story of “The Newcomes” was, according to his own statement, “revealed to him somehow.” Much of the novel was written abroad while its author was travelling in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, or staying at the Château de Brequerecque at Boulogne, where he is said to have evolved the noble figure of Colonel Newcome. The Château de Brequerecque lies pleasantly nestled in trees and shrubberies on the outskirts of the town, and is surrounded by a high wall screening it from public gaze. “The Newcomes” was completed at No. 36, Onslow Square, where Thackeray moved from Young Street in 1857. “The result of my father’s furnishings,” wrote Mrs. Richmond Ritchie of this residence, “was a pleasant, bowery sort of home, with green curtains and carpets, looking out upon the elm trees of Onslow Square. We lived for seven years at No. 36, and it was there he wrote the ‘Lectures on the George’s,and the end of ‘The Newcomes,’ and ‘The Virginians,’ part of ‘Philip,’ and many of the ‘Roundabout Papers.’ His study was over the drawing-room, and looked out upon the elm trees.”

Thackeray stood for Parliament in the Oxford City division in July of 1857, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1860 he undertook the editorship of theCornhill Magazine, of which Messrs. Smith & Elder had commenced publication in the January of that year. Though continuing to contribute to this magazine until the last, he retired from the editorship in April 1862, doubtless finding the work too exacting for his now failing health.

No. 2, Palace Green, Kensington, where Thackeray diedsee page 32

No. 2, Palace Green, Kensington, where Thackeray died

see page 32

The M.S. of “Denis Duval.”see page 31

The M.S. of “Denis Duval.”

see page 31

Thackeray’s Grave at Kensal Green Cemeterysee page 33

Thackeray’s Grave at Kensal Green Cemetery

see page 33

In the year 1861 the firm of Jackson & Graham built for Thackeray the beautiful house at No. 2, Palace Green, Kensington, which alone of all his homes has the Society of Arts oval commemorative tablet inserted in its wall. An old house stood on the site at the time of purchase, but after careful consideration Thackeray wisely gave up the idea of repairing and adding to it, and erected in its place a fine mansion of red brick with stone facings in the style of Queen Anne. At this period, besides working for theCornhill, Thackeray was writing “Denis Duval,” his last book, which remained unfinished. After several severe attacks of illness, the novelist died at his residence in Palace Green on December 23rd, 1863, and was interred at Kensal Green Cemetery on the 30th of the month. The Middle Temple, of which he was a member, requested that they might be allowed to bury him in the Temple, near the grave of Goldsmith. The offer was, however, declined. A bust of Thackeray by his friend, Baron Marochetti, was placed in Westminster Abbey.

Thackeray was striking in appearance, being over six feet in height and broad in proportion. He was erect in his gait and stalwart in bearing. His countenance was very expressive and capable of much dignity, and his peculiarly sweet smile, combined with a great gentleness of voice and manner, particularly endeared him to children. “Grand and stern and silent,” wrote Jerrold of him in later years, “a mighty form crowned with a massive, snow-haired head.”

W. M. Thackeray, from a painting by Frank Stonesee page 9

W. M. Thackeray, from a painting by Frank Stone

see page 9

Among the portraits of Thackeray in early manhood is the painting by Frank Stone, executed in 1836 about the time of his marriage with Miss Shawe. This picture has never been engraved.

W. M. Thackeray from a drawing by Daniel Maclise about 1840see page 1

W. M. Thackeray from a drawing by Daniel Maclise about 1840

see page 1

In 1832 and 1833 Maclise made two beautiful drawings of Thackeray from life, depicting him as a fashionably dressed young man, seated in anégligeattitude, displaying a massive eyeglass. These are now in the Garrick Club. Some years later the same artist made another delicately pencilled sketch, which Thackeray himself very skilfully copied.

Of the various portraits by Samuel Laurence, the one of greatest interest is perhaps the chalk drawing executed in 1853 and here reproduced as a frontispiece.

W. M. Thackeray, from the painting by Samuel Laurence in the National Portrait Gallerysee page 24

W. M. Thackeray, from the painting by Samuel Laurence in the National Portrait Gallery

see page 24

Charlotte Brontë, when she first saw this portrait, exclaimed, “And there came up a lion out of Judah.” Later she wrote: “My father stood for a quarter of an hour this morning examining the great man’s picture. The conclusion of his survey was that he thought it a puzzling head; if he had known nothing previously of the original’s character, he could not have read it in his features. I wonder at this. To me the broad brow seems to express intellect. Certain lines about the nose and cheek betray the satirist and cynic; the mouth indicates a child-like simplicity, perhaps even a degree of irresoluteness, inconsistency—weakness, in short, but a weakness not unamiable.”

A replica of the painting by the same artist in the National Portrait Gallery was presented by Thackeray to Sir Frederick Pollock, and remained for many years in the possession of the Dowager Lady Pollock.

W. M. Thackeray, from a copy of the bust by Joseph Durham, A.R.A.see page 14

W. M. Thackeray, from a copy of the bust by Joseph Durham, A.R.A.

see page 14

W. M. Thackeray, from the statuette by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A.see page 34

W. M. Thackeray, from the statuette by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A.

see page 34

W. M. Thackeray, from a sketch by Sir John E. Millais, P.R.A.see page 23

W. M. Thackeray, from a sketch by Sir John E. Millais, P.R.A.

see page 23

In the National Portrait Gallery is also a bust modelled in terra-cotta by Sir Edgar Boehm from the original plaster mould by Joseph Durham, A.R.A., which was presented to the Garrick Club. And the same sculptor executed in 1860 a statuette for which Thackeray when in Paris gave only two short sittings of half an hour’s duration. “The eminent sculptor,” writes Mr. F. G. Kitton in theMagazine of Art, “even in that space of time succeeded in all but completing one of the most successful portraits of his subject ever attempted.” “The work of Sir John Millais possesses exceptional interest,” continues the same writer, “and especially may this be said of a full-length delineation by that master-hand of his famous literary contemporary. Although but a slight memory-sketch, it is very characteristic of the man, and the portraiture so very life-like and true that Sir Edgar Boehm derived from it considerable assistance when completing his excellent statuette of the novelist.”

Thackeray, from a painting by Sir John Gilbert, R.A.see page 29

Thackeray, from a painting by Sir John Gilbert, R.A.

see page 29

The posthumous portrait of Thackeray painted by Sir John Gilbert, R.A., was amongst those presented to the Garrick Club. It represents the novelist with long white hair and spectacles seated at a small table on which tea-things are displayed. In the background appears Stanfield’s picture of a Dutch vessel, which may still be seen in one of the Club apartments.

Thackeray, from a drawing by Richard Doylesee page 28

Thackeray, from a drawing by Richard Doyle

see page 28

The pencil drawing taken from the life by Richard Doyle, which is now in the British Museum, is an interesting and very characteristic sketch of the novelist.

He was a cynic; you might read it writIn that broad brow, crowned with its silver hair;In those blue eyes, with childlike candour lit,In the sweet smile his lips were wont to wear.A cynic? Yes—if ’tis the cynic’s partTo track the serpent’s trail, with saddened eye,To mark how good and ill divide the heart,How lives in chequered shade and sunshine lie.—Commemorative verses fromPunch.

He was a cynic; you might read it writIn that broad brow, crowned with its silver hair;In those blue eyes, with childlike candour lit,In the sweet smile his lips were wont to wear.

A cynic? Yes—if ’tis the cynic’s partTo track the serpent’s trail, with saddened eye,To mark how good and ill divide the heart,How lives in chequered shade and sunshine lie.—Commemorative verses fromPunch.

The portrait of Thackeray by Sir John E. Millais, P.R.A., which appears on page 23, is in the possession of Mrs. Richmond Ritchie, and is reproduced by her kind permission.

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