At first glance, this text from the August 14, 1847 issue of Punch seems to be making a basic point: that the Duke of Wellington remains so famous 30 years after the battle of Waterloo that people want to claim relation to him. More interestingly, I think, this article makes reference both to mustaches (much like the one that Jos grows before heading to Belgium) and to sales/business (a point that might be compared to the narrator's assessment of Englishmen as shopkeepers on p. 272). How do we read these seemingly small details? What are the connotations of facial hair? What about the idea of Englishmen as shopkeepers? Is Thackeray criticizing the English or praising them? How do you read the economic and financial language used in his article (coinage, Protectionist, tip, counterfeit, etc)?
