Chapter 2


Photograph

“Little Ned Torre” from Thackeray’s manuscript of “Simple Melodies,” MS Eng 951.9

Thackeray’s series of “Simple Melodies”

After quitting law school, Thackeray travelled to Paris, where he could live cheaply and spend his time reading, attending plays, and gambling. In 1832, he created this set of drawings and corresponding nonsense rhymes for Edward Torre, the young son of friends. The amusing storytelling displayed here is representative of the type of work Thackeray would continue his entire life. “Little Ned” Torre treasured the book so much that he published it 60 years later.

MS Eng 951.9. Gift of Herbert Carlebach, 1946.