Anne Isabella, Lady Ritchie ( 1837 – 1919), the eldest daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray, was an English writer, whose several novels were highly regarded in their time and made her a central figure on the late Victorian literary scene. Anne's mother became unwell during the pregnancy of Anne's youngest sister, Harriet, and William's attempts to help his wife recover included a trip to Paris. Anne and Harriet lived with their grandparents for several years while their father returned to London. As an adult, Anne Thackeray recalled her time in Paris in two of her novels, The Story of Elizabeth, her first successful publication serialised in 1863, and The Village on the Cliff (1867). It was not until 1846, 4 years later, that the girls returned to live with their father in Kensington Square. William encouraged Anne’s ambitions to write and by the 1860s her literary career had taken off.