Chapter 3

With a young family to support, Thackeray focused on producing material for periodicals. His stories for Fraser’s were well-received, and his work was steadily increasing.

Read More
- On July 12, 1838, he and Isabella welcomed a second daughter, Jane. Eight months later, Jane fell ill and died of an “inflammation of the chest,” leaving her parents devastated.
  
  A year later, on May 27, 1840, a third daughter was born, named Harriet Marian (called Minny). Mourning Jane, Isabella was depressed and ill during her pregnancy, and worsened following Minny’s birth. The family’s physician told Thackeray “that nothing was the matter with her, that a change of air wd cure her”. When a trip to Margate brought no improvement, Thackeray took his young family to Ireland, hoping that the familiarity of home and family would help his wife. On the second night of the crossing, Isabella jumped overboard. She was rescued, but tried again for several nights, until Thackeray had to resort to tying her to the bed. After an unsuccessful stay in Ireland, nearly broke, and at his wits’ end, Thackeray brought the family to his parents in Paris and sent Isabella to the prestigious sanatorium Maison de Santé at Ivry, hoping she might be cured.
  
  Leaving his daughters in the care of his parents, Thackeray returned to London and his writing. The 1840s were a time of intense productivity for him; he produced a number of works of serial fiction, as well as criticism and commentary. He was able to travel widely, which led to the publication of The Irish Sketch-book (1843)and The Paris Sketch Book (1840), published under Thackeray’s favorite pseudonym, Michael Angelo Titmarsh;under the guise of Punch’s “Fat Contributor,” he recorded his observations of Europe; he also journeyed to Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt, compiling a travel narrative that would become Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo (1846). Despite his many pseudonyms, his increased activity among the London literati and his recognizable style helped his work become more familiar to readers. A witty observer of people of all classes and their manners, Thackeray used these experiences to hone his unique voice and skill for creating characters.

In this section

	“The Common Lot” from Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond (London: Bradbury & Evans, 1849)	Catherine appears in Fraser’s.

	Thackeray satirizes publishing and authors in Reading a Poem (New York: Grolier Club, 1911) .	Thackeray to his aunt Charlotte Ritchie, on Isabella’s decline, 10 September 1840.

	Thackeray to Charlotte Ritchie, struggling to find a cure for his wife, 19 August 1841.	Thackeray writes for Punch.

	Thackeray’s first letter to his daughter Anny (undated).	Thackeray. Sketch of Anny and watercolor of himself and Anny, ca. 1840-41.

	Thackeray to Charlotte Ritchie, on Isabella’s lack of improvement, 12 June 1844	Thackeray’s first Christmas book, Mrs. Perkins’s Ball (London: Chapman & Hall, 1847).

	The Ballymulligan Polka, as danced at Mrs. Perkins’s Ball (London, Tolkien, undated.)	Thackeray, self portrait, ca. 1840.