ABSTRACT
William Makepeace Thackeray's centenary year was marked by a number of events celebrating the birth of the writer whose reputation rested principally on the success of a work produced nearly 65 years earlier. The centenary had its principal public recognition in the form of a London exhibition organised by the 'Titmarsh' Club and hosted by the Charterhouse in Smithfield, (The Newcomes and Philip) of which the most ancient parts date from its origins as a Carthusian monastery. The Charterhouse exhibition ran for a fortnight from 30 June, which meant that it closed, oddly enough, before Thackeray's actual birthday. The Charterhouse exhibition was exceptionally comprehensive, assembling a wide range of manuscripts, books, portraits, sketches and other artefacts drawn from private and public collections. The success of the 1911 centenary celebrations certainly pleased Thackeray's daughter, but her anticipation of the events was not without its difficulties.
