William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), and Sir William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (1827-1904): “Babble & Bluster”

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Leslie Ward was born into a family of painters. His mother and father were historical genre painters Edward Matthew Ward and Henrietta Ward. He was educated at Eton and then entered the studio of architect Sydney Smirke. However, he abandoned his architectural training to become apprenticed to W. P. Frith. In 1873 J. E. Millais sent some of his drawings to Thomas Gibson Bowles, founder and owner of ‘Vanity Fair’. Bowles immediately hired Ward, whose first ‘Vanity Fair’ caricature appeared in 1873 under the ‘nom de crayon’ Spy. Ward also painted portraits and made architectural drawings, exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy and Grosvenor Gallery. He was knighted in 1918. Ward died in 1922 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

People

William Ewart Gladstone (1809 - 1898), Sir William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (1827 - 1904)

Places

Subjects

male portrait, 19th century costume, frock coat, trousers, spats, wing collar, shoe, bench

Materials & Techniques

chromolithograph

Artist

Sir Leslie Matthew ("Spy") Ward (1851 - 1922)

Title

William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), and Sir William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (1827-1904): “Babble & Bluster”

Date

1892

Medium

Chromolithograph

Acquisition

Purchased 1992

Inscription

inside image: [bottom right] Spy

GAC number

15954