Horatio Alger Jr. was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States from 1868 through to his death in 1899.
Horatio Alger
Alger on Harvard Commencement Day, July 1852
Ragged Dick, serialized in Student and Schoolmate and later expanded into a full-length novel
Alger's gravestone at South Natick, Massachusetts
Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popular culture, such as the writings of Horatio Alger, Jr.
Poster for a "rags to riches" ball