Caricature of Richard Owen
Date
1873
Sitter
Richard Owen (1804 - 1892, British) , Comparative anatomist
Creator
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851 - 1922, British) , Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 380mm
width (print): 263mm
width (print): 263mm
Subject
Description
Caricature of Richard Owen at full length, shown in left profile as viewed, wearing a top hat and holding a cane, his right leg crossed over his left.
Inscribed above: ‘VANITY FAIR. March 1, 1873.’
Inscribed below: ‘No. 226. MEN OF THE DAY, No. 57./ “Old Bones”’
This caricature is titled ‘Old Bones’ and was number 57 of the ‘Men of the Day’ series published in Vanity Fair between 1868-1913.
The associated text begins: ‘Among all the forms of human activity that would seem to be one of the least promising which deals with the relics of the past in an age so devoted as this to the present; and yet Richard Owen has succeeded in becoming one of the most prominent figures in England entirely through the study, practical and theoretical, of old Bones [….]’
Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892), British comparative anatomist and palaeontologist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1834 and was awarded its Bakerian Award, 1844, Royal Medal, 1846, and Copley Medal, 1851.
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851-1922), British artist who did much of his work under the pseudonym ‘Spy’ and served as a caricaturist for Vanity Fair between 1873-1911.
Inscribed above: ‘VANITY FAIR. March 1, 1873.’
Inscribed below: ‘No. 226. MEN OF THE DAY, No. 57./ “Old Bones”’
This caricature is titled ‘Old Bones’ and was number 57 of the ‘Men of the Day’ series published in Vanity Fair between 1868-1913.
The associated text begins: ‘Among all the forms of human activity that would seem to be one of the least promising which deals with the relics of the past in an age so devoted as this to the present; and yet Richard Owen has succeeded in becoming one of the most prominent figures in England entirely through the study, practical and theoretical, of old Bones [….]’
Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892), British comparative anatomist and palaeontologist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1834 and was awarded its Bakerian Award, 1844, Royal Medal, 1846, and Copley Medal, 1851.
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851-1922), British artist who did much of his work under the pseudonym ‘Spy’ and served as a caricaturist for Vanity Fair between 1873-1911.
Object history
Vanity Fair ’s ‘Men of the Day’ series, which featured a full page, colour caricature of a significant public figure and text commentary, largely written by "Jehu Junior", was a popular feature that ran between 1868 and 1913.
This print was purchased by the Royal Society in 1999.
This print was purchased by the Royal Society in 1999.