How did William Makepeace Thackeray’s wife’s illness affect his family life?

The mental illness of William Makepeace Thackeray’s wife, Isabella, which began in 1840 following the birth of their third child, profoundly altered his family life. Because she never recovered and required long-term care with friends in the country, Thackeray was effectively rendered a widower.1

This domestic tragedy left his life without an emotional center, leading him to rely heavily on club life for companionship. Over time, he shifted his focus toward his two surviving daughters, eventually establishing a stable home for them in London by 1846. His struggle to cope with this loss was further highlighted by his later, intense platonic friendship with Jane Brookfield, the wife of a friend; when that relationship was curtailed in 1851, Thackeray described the resulting grief as being even greater than the pain he experienced during his wife’s initial descent into insanity.1