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Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (aka Spy)
1851-1922 | British
Caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII
Charcoal on paper
These satirical caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII offer an amusing glimpse into the mind of famed British cartoonist Sir Leslie Matthew Ward, who frequently published his drawings in Vanity Fair under the pseudonym "Spy." Ward established his moniker through secretly observing his subjects and capturing them from a distance with varying degrees of flattery or uncouthness. Ward drew 1,325 cartoons for Vanity Fair between 1873 and 1911. While some critics found Ward’s depictions of royalty and other high-ranking society members to be overly flattering and sympathetic, these rare sketches reveal a more critical yet playful point of view. Here, Ward abstractly sketches his subjects, Queen Victoria and Edward VII, in profile, rendered not as monarchs but rather as mice. Spy utilized spare lines to draw identifiable attributes, like the queen’s veiled crown, but emphasizes the two figures’ anthropomorphic qualities including raised paws and long tails.
While Spy eventually became a member of the society circles immortalized in his cartoons, moving from satirical caricature to what he termed "characteristic portraits," these rare sketches reveal that the artist’s irreverent humor remained. These two sketches are perfectly preserved and framed together with an identification plaque.
Circa 1900
Drawings:
Queen Victoria: 4 3/4" high x 5 1/2" wide
Edward VII: 5 5/8" high x 4 3/4" wide
Framed: 15 1/8" high x 10 1/4" wide
Caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII by Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (Spy)
$4,450.00
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1851-1922 | British
Caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII
Charcoal on paper
These satirical caricatures of Queen Victoria and Edward VII offer an amusing glimpse into the mind of famed British cartoonist Sir Leslie Matthew Ward, who frequently published his drawings in Vanity Fair under the pseudonym "Spy." Ward established his moniker through secretly observing his subjects and capturing them from a distance with varying degrees of flattery or uncouthness. Ward drew 1,325 cartoons for Vanity Fair between 1873 and 1911. While some critics found Ward’s depictions of royalty and other high-ranking society members to be overly flattering and sympathetic, these rare sketches reveal a more critical yet playful point of view. Here, Ward abstractly sketches his subjects, Queen Victoria and Edward VII, in profile, rendered not as monarchs but rather as mice. Spy utilized spare lines to draw identifiable attributes, like the queen’s veiled crown, but emphasizes the two figures’ anthropomorphic qualities including raised paws and long tails.
While Spy eventually became a member of the society circles immortalized in his cartoons, moving from satirical caricature to what he termed "characteristic portraits," these rare sketches reveal that the artist’s irreverent humor remained. These two sketches are perfectly preserved and framed together with an identification plaque.
Circa 1900
Drawings:
Queen Victoria: 4 3/4" high x 5 1/2" wide
Edward VII: 5 5/8" high x 4 3/4" wide
Framed: 15 1/8" high x 10 1/4" wide
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