Thackeray's Predilections for Art -- A Student in Paris -- First
Steps in the Career -- An Art Critic -- Introduction to Marvy's
English Landscape Painters -- Early Connection with Literature --
Michael Angelo Titmarsh, a contributor to 'Fraser's Magazine' --
French Caricature under Louis Philippe -- Political Satires -- A
Young Artist's life in Paris -- Growing Sympathy with Literature.
The Weimar reminiscences show how early Thackeray's passion for art
had developed itself. One who knew him well affirms that he was
originally intended for the Bar; but he had, indeed, already
determined to be an artist, and for a considerable period he
diligently followed his bent. He visited Rome, where he stayed some
time, and subsequently, as we shall see, settled for some time in
Paris, 'where,' says a writer in the 'Edinburgh Review' for January
1848, 'we well remember, ten or twelve years ago, finding him, day
after day, engaged in copying pictures in the Louvre, in order to
qualify himself for his intended profession. It may be doubted,
however,' adds this writer, 'whether any degree of assiduity would
have enabled him to excel in the money-making branches, for his talent
was altogether of the Hogarth kind, and was principally remarkable in
the pen-and-ink sketches of character and situation which he dashed
off for the amusement of his friends.' This is just criticism; but
Thackeray, though caring little himself for the graces of good drawing
or correct anatomy, had a keen appreciation of the beauties of
contemporary artists. Years after--in 1848--when, as he says, the
revolutionary storm which raged in France 'drove many peaceful
artists, as well as kings, ministers, tribunes, and socialists of
state for refuge to our country,' an artist friend of his early Paris
life found his way to Thackeray's home in London. This was Monsieur
Louis Marvy, in whose _atelier_ the former had passed many happy
hours with the family of the French artist--in that constant
cheerfulness and sunshine, as his English friend expressed it, which
the Parisian was now obliged to exchange for a dingy parlour and the
fog and solitude of London. A fine and skilful landscape-painter
himself, M. Marvy, while here, as a means of earning a living, made a
series of engravings after the works of our English landscape-painters.
For some of these his friend obtained for M. Marvy permission to take
copies in the valuable private collection of Mr. Thomas Baring. The
publishers, however, would not undertake the work without a series of
letter-press notices of each picture from Mr. Thackeray; and the
latter accordingly added some criticisms which are interesting as
developing his theory of this kind of art. The artists whose works are
engraved are Calcott, Turner, Holland, Danby, Creswick, Collins,
Redgrave, Lee, Cattermole, W. J. Müller, Harding, Nasmyth, Wilson, E.
W. Cooke, Constable, De Wint, and Gainsborough.
[Illustration]
It was, we believe, in 1834, and while residing for a short period in
Albion Street, Hyde Park, the residence of his mother and her second
husband, Major Carmichael Smyth, that Mr. Thackeray began his literary
career as a contributor to 'Fraser's Magazine.' The pseudonyms of
'Michael Angelo Titmarsh,' 'Fitz Boodle,' 'Yellowplush,' or 'Lancelot
Wagstaff,' under which he afterwards amused the readers of the
periodicals, had not then been thought of. His early papers related
chiefly to the Fine Arts; but most of them had some reference to his
French experiences. He seems to have had a peculiar fancy for Paris,
where he resided, with brief intervals, for some years after coming of
age, and where most of his magazine papers were written.
[Illustration: The Two-penny Post-bag]
[Illustration: LE DECES POIRE]
The drawing on p. 117 represents the despair (_désespoir_) of the
Orleans family at the threatened political decease (_décès_) of Louis
Philippe, familiar to Parisians as the 'Pear' (_Poire_), from the
well-known resemblance established by the caricaturists between the
shape and appearance of the king's head and a Burgundy pear. Thackeray
resided in Paris during the contests of the king with the
caricaturists (under the banner of Phillipon), and he was much
impressed by their wit and artistic power. If the reader will turn to
the 'Paris Sketch Book,' he will see Mr. Thackeray's own words upon
the subject.
[Illustration: Under the Second Empire]
We may state, for the assistance of the reader unacquainted with the
French caricatures of that period, that the figure to the right with
an elongated nose is M. d'Argout; the gentleman at the foot of the
bed, astride a huge squirt (the supposed favourite implement with
every French physician), is Marshal Lobau. Queen Marie Amélie, the Duc
d'Orléans, and other members of the royal family, are in the
background.
[Illustration]
One of Thackeray's literary associates has given some amusing
particulars of his Paris life, and his subsequent interest in the
city, where he had many friends and was known to a wide circle of
readers. 'He lived,' says this writer, 'in Paris "over the water," and
it is not long since, in strolling about the Latin Quarter with the
best of companions, that we visited his lodgings, Thackeray inquiring
after those who were already forgotten--unknown. Those who may wish to
learn his early Parisian life and associations should turn to the
story of "Philip on his Way through the World." Many incidents in that
narrative are reminiscences of his own youthful literary struggles
whilst living modestly in this city. Latterly, fortune and fame
enabled the author of "Vanity Fair" to visit imperial Paris in
imperial style, and Mr. Thackeray put up generally at the Hôtel de
Bristol, in the Place Vendôme. Never was increase of fortune more
gracefully worn or more generously employed. The struggling artist and
small man of letters, whom he was sure to find at home or abroad, was
pretty safe to be assisted if he learned their wants. I know of many
a kind act. One morning, on entering Mr. Thackeray's bedroom in Paris,
I found him placing some napoleons in a pill-box, on the lid of which
was written, "One to be taken occasionally." "What are you doing?"
said I. "Well," he replied, "there is an old person here who says she
is very ill and in distress, and I strongly suspect that this is the
sort of medicine she wants. Dr. Thackeray intends to leave it with her
himself. Let us walk out together."[4] Thackeray used to say that he
came to Paris for a holiday and to revive his recollections of French
cooking. But he generally worked here, especially when editing the
"Cornhill Magazine."'[5]
[Illustration: The political Morgiana]
[Illustration: One of the ornaments of Paris]
Thackeray's affection for Paris, however, appears to have been founded
upon no relish for the gaieties of the French metropolis, and
certainly not upon any liking for French institutions. His papers on
this subject are generally criticisms upon political, social, and
literary failings of the French, written in a severe spirit which
savours more of the confident judgment of youth than of the calm
spirit of the citizen of the world. The reactionary rule of Louis
Philippe, the Government of July, and the boasted Charter of 1830,
were the objects of his especial dislike; nor was he less unsparing in
his views of French morals as exemplified in their law courts, and in
the novels of such writers as Madame Dudevant. The truth is, that at
this Period Paris was, in the eyes of the art-student, simply the
Paradise of young painters. Possessed of a good fortune--said to have
amounted, on his coming of age in 1832, to 20,000_l._--the young
Englishman passed his days in the Louvre, his evenings with his French
artist acquaintances, of whom his preface to Louis Marvy's sketches
gives so pleasant a glimpse; or sometimes in his quiet lodgings in the
Quartier Latin in dashing off for some English or foreign paper his
enthusiastic notices of the Paris Exhibition, or a criticism on French
writers, or a story of French artist life, or an account of some great
_cause célèbre_ then stirring the Parisian world. This was doubtless
the happiest period of his life. In one of these papers he describes
minutely the life of the art student in Paris, and records his
impressions of it at the time.
[Illustration: A decorated artist]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Back to the past]
The painter's trade in France, he discovers, is a good one; it is more
appreciated, respected, and even more liberally patronised than with
us. While in England there is no school but the 'Academy' open to the
young student--in those days South Kensington did not exist, and our
artists are not accustomed to grant young beginners admission to their
studios at pleasure, as has long been the practice abroad--in France
excellent schools abound, where, under the eye of a practised master,
a young man can learn the rudiments of his art for about ten pounds a
year, including all kinds of accessory instruction, models, &c.; while
he can, out of doors, obtain all sorts of incentives to study for
'just nothing at all.'
The life of the young artist in France, we are told, is the merriest,
most slovenly existence possible. He comes to Paris with some forty
pounds a year settled on him to keep him and pay all his expenses. He
lives in a quarter where all his surroundings are of the same
order--art and artists; from morning till night, he is in an
atmosphere of painting; he arrives at his _atelier_ very early, and
often gains a good day's study before the doors of our Academy are
unbolted. He labours, without a sense of drudgery, among a score of
companions as merry and poor as himself.
[Illustration]
It is certain that Thackeray had developed a talent for writing long
before he had abandoned his intention of becoming a painter, and that
he became a contributor to magazines at a time when there was at least
no necessity for his earning a livelihood by his pen. It is probable,
therefore, that it was his success in the literary art, rather than
his failure, as has been assumed, in acquiring skill as a painter,
which gradually drew him into that career of authorship, the pecuniary
profits of which became afterwards more important to him.
FOOTNOTES:
[4] A similar story has been told of Goldsmith, which, indeed, may
have suggested the pill-box remedy in the instance in the text.
[5] Paris correspondent, _Morning Post_.