Caricature of William Ramsay
Date
1908
Sitter
William Ramsay (1852 - 1916, British) , Physical chemist
Creator
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851 - 1922, British) , Artist
Creator - Organisation
Hentschel-Colourtype, Printer
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 380mm
width (print): 263mm
width (print): 263mm
Subject
Description
Caricature of William Ramsay at full length, shown inclined slightly to the left as viewed, in a lecture room, pointing to the chemical ‘symbol A’ [Argon, now ‘Ar’] on a diagram of the periodic table with one hand and holding a cigarette in the other.
Inscribed in the bottom corner of the print: ‘Spy’
Inscribed above: ‘VANITY FAIR Supplement.’
Inscribed below: ‘Hentschel-Colourtype, London./ "Chemistry"/ (Sit William Ramsay)'
This caricature is titled ‘Chemistry’ and was published in Vanity Fair’s ‘Men of the Day’ series.
Sir William Ramsay (1853-1916), British physical chemist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1888. He was awarded the Society’s Davy Medal in 1895 and was recipient of the Nobel Prize (Chemistry) in 1904 ‘in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air, and his determination of their place in the periodic system’.
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 in the bottom corner of the print: ‘Spy’
Inscribed above: ‘VANITY FAIR Supplement.’
Inscribed below: ‘Hentschel-Colourtype, London./ "Chemistry"/ (Sit William Ramsay)'
This caricature is titled ‘Chemistry’ and was published in Vanity Fair’s ‘Men of the Day’ series.
Sir William Ramsay (1853-1916), British physical chemist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1888. He was awarded the Society’s Davy Medal in 1895 and was recipient of the Nobel Prize (Chemistry) in 1904 ‘in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air, and his determination of their place in the periodic system’.
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 donated to the Royal Society by former PRS Charles Scott Sherrington (1857–1952), as part of a bound volume featuring caricatures, photographs and signature facsimiles of the individuals.
This print was donated to the Royal Society by former PRS Charles Scott Sherrington (1857–1952), as part of a bound volume featuring caricatures, photographs and signature facsimiles of the individuals.