Our third clue showed Mr. Thackeray famed writer of poetry and prose, and also author of a little witty ditty called "An Ode to Curry" - which you can read if you click that link. In fact it has several titles, and is a bit of a curry itself, some call it "Kitchen Melodies" (which is understandable, as that was the book in which it first appeared), and others just call it "Curry - a poem". Lots of people don`t seem to connect the Mr. Thackeray of the poem with the great author though, and that`s rather odd.
Now there is a couple of very important things that we need to mention here. The first is that Mr. Thackeray was actually born in India, in Calcutta - but the second turns out to be is an even better link to our theme, because his father, Richmond Thackeray, was actually employed by the British East India Company, as a secretary. However in 1815, when our man was but four years old, his father died, and, aged just four, little William was sent, alone, to school in England, to Charterhouse and to Trinity College.
And this verse is not his only mention of curry, either, for in his book "Vanity Fair", he writes a very amusing section about Becky Sharp, goaded, very inhumanely, to eat an inedibly hot curry by Joseph Sedley. Perhaps she did have something to do with his demise, later in the book, after all? And who could blame her.
Now I did originally say that she also got one over on him by appearing in John Player`s "Characters from Thackeray", as card 13/25 - whilst he did not. But it turns out he is there, as card 11, where it is also mentioned that he was "in the East India Company`s Civil Service" - just like William Thackeray's own father.
Thackeray fans will also be interested to know that the great author also appears as card 10 of Taddy`s "Autographs" (1912), and on two sets by John Player`s, their "Bookmarks" (1902), and "Famous Authors and Poets" (1900),
The full listing for this set in the original World Tobacco Issues Index is as follows :
CELEBRITIES AND THEIR AUTOGRAPHS. Small 70-72 x 41-43. Large 78 x 63. Brown gravures.
1. Nos 1/25 (25). Size (A) small (B) large
2. Nos 26-50 (25).
(A) Small size, back with numerals (a) 2 m/m (b) 2 1/2 m/m. high
(B). Large size, back with numerals (a) 2 1/2 m/m (b) 3 m/m. high
3. Nos.51-75 (25). Size (A) small (B) large
4. Nos.76-100 (25). Size (A) small (B) large
The only change to this listing in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index is that the entry for the first part reads : "1. Nos. 1/25 Inscribed "A Series of 25". (25). Size (A) small (B) large."