Two studies of Prime Minister W. E. Gladstone. by Sir Leslie Ward ('Spy'), 1851-1922, source: Ward, facing p. 238; and 'Singe.' Chromolithographs. Published in Vanity Fair, 1887. 35.9 cm by 24.2 cm (14 ⅛ by 9 ½ inches), framed. [Click on the images to enlarge them; mouse over links.]
Passage Complemented: Spy's Reminiscences about Gladstone's fascinating face
Man's dress is very much more commonplace than it used to be, and nowadays clothes seldom help out the artist, but in the days of which I write the exaggerated styles or idiosyncrasies in some apparently trivial detail of male attire made all the difference in the world to the caricaturist, and many of the older peers, country squires and occasional eccentric gentlemen retained the old-fashioned habits of dress in spite of the wisdom or folly of fashion. Gladstone, of course, was the making of many caricaturists, the lion-like striking face in the setting of the high collar was a picture in ten thousand. I drew the "Grand Old Man" over and over again from sheer interest, his face had the strongest fascination for me. I watched it change with the years; and year by year the unusual collar grew less in dimensions and in importance to the caricaturist, as the character pencilled itself about the features of the wonderful old face. ["The Grand Old Man," 241]
Caricatures of Other Political Figures in Vanity Fair
- Sir Benjamin Disraeli (Statesmen, No. 1) 30 January 1869
- Dizzy and Monty (The Earl Beaconsfield and Mr. Montagu Corry)
- Alfred Scott-Gatty, C.V.O. (Garter King-at-Arms) 1905
- Lord Haldon 1882
Bibliography
Spy [Sir Leslie Ward]. Forty Years of Spy. London: Methuen, 1915.
Created 19 July 2023