Dueling Pistols for the Hero of Waterloo (1862)

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) was a British novelist and satirist best known for his novel "Vanity Fair," a pointed critique of Victorian society. Born in Calcutta, India, to parents of Anglo-Indian descent, Thackeray was sent to England at the age of five after his father's death. He attended Charterhouse School and later Trinity College, Cambridge, but left without a degree. Before achieving literary success, Thackeray worked as a freelance journalist, publishing literary and art criticism. His works often featured a sharp wit and an eye for the follies of human nature, and he became one of the most prominent writers of the 19th century. Thackeray's legacy includes a vast collection of art, letters, essays, and novels that continue to be studied and appreciated for their minimal essence, literary merit and social commentary.