Caricature of William Thomson
Date
1897
Sitter
William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs (1824 - 1907, British) , Physicist
Creator
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851 - 1922, British) , Artist
Creator - Organisation
Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, Lithographer
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 380mm
width (print): 263mm
width (print): 263mm
Subject
Description
Caricature of William Thomson at full length, inclined to the left as viewed, dressed in a long jacket with a fur collar.
Inscribed in the bottom right corner: ‘Spy’
This caricature is titled ‘Natural Philosophy’ and was number 684 of the ‘Statesmen’ series published in Vanity Fair between 1868-1913.
William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), British physicist and mathematician, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851 and served as its President between 1890-1895. He was awarded the Society’s Bakerian Award, 1856, Royal Medal, 1856, and Copley Medal, 1883.
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 right corner: ‘Spy’
This caricature is titled ‘Natural Philosophy’ and was number 684 of the ‘Statesmen’ series published in Vanity Fair between 1868-1913.
William Thomson, Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), British physicist and mathematician, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851 and served as its President between 1890-1895. He was awarded the Society’s Bakerian Award, 1856, Royal Medal, 1856, and Copley Medal, 1883.
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.