A Commissioner, Statesmen, No.92. Vanity Fair caricature c1871.

$85.00

Antique print, The Right Honourable Russell Gurney, M.P. who "does not pretend to be a great orator, or even a great proficient in the arts and machinery of partisan politics. But he is recognised as an expert in the practical admïnistration of the Common Law of England.."

Vanity Fair lithograph from the caricature by Coïdé (artist James Tissot, 1836-1902). Established by Thomas Gibson Bowles (1841-1922), Vanity Fair was a weekly magazine of social comment, published in London from 1868 to 1914. With eight to ten pages each issue, Vanity Fair magazine's popularity was assured each week by the inclusion of an amusing caricature parodying someone newsworthy. It was the first time lithography had been used for caricatures, and they were printed by the eminent lithographer, Vincent Brooks (1814-1885), who produced over 2,300 different caricatures for Vanity Fair.

Over the years of publication it became a mark of honour to be the 'victim' of one of the magazine's caricaturists. Bowles accompanied each with a witty text, full of personal insights and innuendoes, written under his nickname of 'Jehu Junior' (after the biblical prophet who effected the downfall of his enemies). Bowles considered the images to be “grim faces made more grim, grotesque figures made more grotesque, and dull people made duller by the genius of our talented collaborator ‘Ape’" (Carlo Pellegrini, 1839-1889) who had arrived from Naples in 1864 and was the first artist Bowles employed. (Pellegrini had been popular among Neapolitan society, and had repaid the favour with good-natured caricatures.) The other major caricaturist for Vanity Fair (and perhaps the better known, was ‘Spy’ (Leslie Ward, 1851-1922). 

Page size 355 x 230 (14 x 9 inches).