IN THE LOBBY
In the House.--Distinguished soldiers.--The main Lobby.--The
Irish Party.--Isaac Butt.--Mr. Mitchell Henry.--Parnell and
Dillon.--Gladstone and Disraeli.--Lord Arthur Hill.--Lord
Alexander Paget.--Viscount Midleton.--Mr. Seely.--Lord
Alington's cartoon.--Chaplains of the "House"--Rev. F. E. C.
Byng.--Archdeacon Wilberforce.--The "Fourth Party."--Lord
Northbrook and Col. Napier Sturt.--Lord Lytton.--The method
of Millais.--Lord Londonderry.
Although from the year 1873, I had drawn all the cartoons in _Vanity
Fair_, and Mr. Gibson Bowles had procured a privileged pass for me in
the inner lobby of the House of Commons for the purpose of studying
the characteristics of my parliamentary subjects, the same facilities
were accorded me through Mr. Palgrave (Clerk of the Desk), where for
the two following years I was making drawings and portraits for the
_Graphic_.
In 1876 I returned to _Vanity Fair_, permanently and exclusively to
work for that publication, when Pellegrini and I shared our labours
pretty equally until his health gave way and he became a chronic
invalid, so that for some years before his death I was responsible for
most of the cartoons in the paper. Of course, actual sketching or the
use of the pencil in both assemblies was prohibited (for the privilege
of a pass was also accorded me in the House of Lords through the
courtesy of the Black Rod) but after careful observation I was always
able to go home and express on paper the result.
I must not forget that in 1903, after the bomb explosion in
Westminster Hall, that the number of people admitted to the inner
lobby was considerably reduced, in fact, from that time to the present
the strangers are few and far between, but although my permit was
limited to two days a week my name remained in the lobby-list until I
retired from the paper in the latter part of 1909.
In "the House" I found that generally speaking members were very much
occupied with the affairs of the moment, and usually quite unconscious
of one's observance; but when it came to the point of special study of
a subject for the purpose of caricature, it was by no means easy to
find him or to watch him under such circumstances as enabled me to
arrive at the knowledge necessary for my purpose and still leave him
unaware. However, I found more than one "kind friend at court" do me
good service. Amongst these Sir A. W. Clifford, Black Rod, was most
courteous and helpful in the House of Lords, and always ready to find
me a place--usually under the gallery. I came to know his face really
well, and caricatured him with faithful directness and in full
uniform. By great good fortune, Mr. Gibson Bowles was my editor, and
he would occasionally inveigle a subject of rare promise to my lair.
The Sergeant-at-Arms is always the man in power in the House of
Commons. I have a most grateful remembrance of much courtesy received
from the present occupant of that post of honour, Captain Erskine, but
in the days of which I now write, Mr. Gosset--always depicted by Harry
Furniss as a beetle--was in authority, and most kind in trying to
place me at the best point for observation, usually under the
Speaker's gallery. But quite the most desirable hunting-ground in the
House just then was his own room. There he held quite a court, and
among his intimates were many distinguished men whom nature and the
circumstance of dress had designed for the caricaturist's art.
Among them was Isaac Butt, M.P. for Limerick, a pioneer of the Home
Rule movement, and a most popular man, endowed with a charm of
frankness and simple good fellowship which endeared him to all who
knew him. He told most amusing stories, and as an advocate he defended
O'Brien and almost every Irish political prisoner of note. He was
described by "Jehu Junior" as the man who "invented Home Rule" ... an
attempt to dismember the Empire, and to found in Ireland a Commune of
Paris on a larger scale. When I observed him first I was struck by the
unusual formation of his ears which bulged in an extraordinary manner,
and also by his habit of fidgeting with an open penknife which he
always carried in his hand, and continuously opened and shut in the
same absent-minded manner in which some people fidget with a
watch-chain; the habit found its place in my caricature, and proved a
great surprise to the subject.
Among the Irish members I caricatured Mr. Mitchell Henry who led the
Home Rule Party in '79, but afterwards "ratted." He gave me three
sittings, but was afterwards heard to say that he did not know "where
the devil that fellow got hold of him!" I got to know him after
extremely well, and accepted his hospitality on more than one
occasion. He was very wealthy at one time, and up to the last
collected every relic of Dr. Johnson he could lay hands on. My father
had also taken a very great interest in anything connected with the
great man and had painted several events in his life, of which I
suppose the best known is "Dr. Johnson in the Anti-chamber of the Earl
of Chesterfield," now in the Tate Gallery. At his death I sold to him
a very interesting study from one of these pictures.
[Illustration: MR GLADSTONE. 1887.]
At the request of Mr. Bowles I went over to Dublin to make a special
picture of Parnell and Dillon in Kilmainham Gaol. I had letters of
introduction to both, and Parnell wrote to my hotel a very charming
letter of acquiescence in answer to my request for an interview, which
letter I greatly regret that I have had the misfortune to mislay. Then
I received a second letter in which he informed me that he had heard
that he would not be allowed to see me alone in prison, but that a
warder would have to be present the whole time, and under the
circumstance he was forced to decline my request. It was within the
bond of my contract with Mr. Bowles that I should not be required to
place the signature "Spy" on any drawing that was not the outcome of
personal observation of the subject required, so I gave it up, and the
Parnell-Dillon cartoon which appeared in _Vanity Fair_ was from the
clever imagination of Harry Furniss. I remember Parnell as a
carelessly dressed man with good features, a fine head with a high
forehead and eyes both striking and piercing, but not altogether
pleasant in expression. I was in the law-courts when the Piggott case
was on, and opposite to me was the celebrated Royal Academician,
Philip Calderon, who was studying him with the intention of making a
large picture of the court commissioned by the _Graphic_, but it was
never finished or produced as a sketch.
When the _Vanity Fair_ cartoons were put up for sale at Christie's the
only one of my series (curiously enough) that failed to find a bidder
was the drawing of Piggott, although it was one of my most successful
studies, from a sketch as he stood in the witness-box.
Gladstone and Disraeli I drew in black and white, of course many years
before, for the _Graphic_, and on subsequent occasions for _Vanity
Fair_. As a careful observation of the movement of my subject is
always necessary, one day in talking to Monty Corry I told him I was
on the look-out for an opportunity to complete my study of his chief,
whom I wished to observe at a distance sufficiently near and far to
get his gait. He said that they would be leaving Downing Street for
the House of Lords together at a certain hour, and he suggested that I
should follow them or walk on the opposite side of the road. At the
appointed time I was at my post and keenly watched them start,
Disraeli leaning on Monty Corry's arm. As they strolled towards the
House of Lords I followed along on the other side, mentally taking in
their movements and completing my impression of the great leader and
his secretary. Also at the request of Mr. Monty Corry, Disraeli's
valet gave me an opportunity of inspecting the coat with the astrachan
collar which seemed to hold a share in its owner's strong
individuality, and from these observations I made the caricature
"Power and Place" which appeared in due course in _Vanity Fair_, and
was published in a special number.
That the character of the man may be seen in his walk I have
frequently proved, though never more clearly than through the two most
distinguished statesmen of their generation; Disraeli walked, or
appeared to walk, on his heels as though he were avoiding hot ashes.
In strongest contrast was the walk of Gladstone, who planted his feet
with deliberate but most vigorous firmness as though with every step
he would iron his strong opinion into the mind of the nation.
[Illustration: "DIZZY" AND "MONTY" CORRY (LORD ROWTON).]
_A propos_ of caricature and movement, Lord Arthur Hill presented some
difficulty to the caricaturist because he was so charged with movement
that he never appeared to pause for a moment. His leading feature was
his stride which seemed, and was, of tremendous length. He also had a
very long neck and a curiously flat head, and he always seemed to walk
as though he saw a stout wall in front of him and was full of
determination to get through it. My caricature is just one long
stride.
Man's dress is very much more commonplace than it used to be, and
nowadays clothes seldom help out the artist, but in the days of which
I write the exaggerated styles or idiosyncrasies in some apparently
trivial detail of male attire made all the difference in the world to
the caricaturist, and many of the older peers, country squires and
occasional eccentric gentlemen retained the old-fashioned habits of
dress in spite of the wisdom or folly of fashion. Gladstone, of
course, was the making of many caricaturists, the lion-like striking
face in the setting of the high collar was a picture in ten thousand.
I drew the "Grand Old Man" over and over again from sheer interest,
his face had the strongest fascination for me. I watched it change
with the years; and year by year the unusual collar grew less in
dimensions and in importance to the caricaturist, as the character
pencilled itself about the features of the wonderful old face.
Also among clothes-subjects was Mr. John Laird, member of Parliament,
who was a superlative delight to the caricaturist, for his clothes
were unique even among the remarkable, his usual costume consisting of
a long-tailed frock-coat covered by a short pea-jacket which extended
only a little beyond his waist.
Lord Alexander Paget--the father of the present Lord Anglesey--known
to his friends as "Dandy Paget," was a very smart man of the best
type. He wore a hat with a very curly brim, and dressed in very loud
checks; but he could wear what he liked, for he always "looked right."
I stayed a week-end with him in Cheshire, and while there he obliged
me by showing me his wonderful wardrobe in which I never saw a more
varied selection, and I soon hit on the suit which I thought the most
effective for my purpose. This was the one with the biggest check of
all, and with the peggiest of peg-top trousers.
Also for rare habilatory peculiarity, the uncle of "the Dasher" (the
late Earl of Portarlington) was hard to beat. He was an old gentleman
who usually, in walking costume, wore a decidedly blue frock-coat
trimmed with deep braid, lavender-coloured trousers of a nautical cut
and patent leather boots, showing but the tips, after the
Bulwer-Lytton style. His hair was trimmed over his ears in the
Buster-Brown manner, and his moustache and tip well cosmetiqued. His
silk hat was of a build of its own, well curled. His tie of a
brilliant hue, a fancifully arranged handkerchief emerging from his
breast pocket, the gayest of button-holes, and grey kid gloves
completed an _ensemble_ wonderful to behold. One of the greatest
treats I have ever had was watching him pirouette through the figures
of a quadrille, in the good old-fashioned style, on the occasion of a
ball at Stafford House.
One curious anomaly, a Puritan Beau, I remember in Mr. Sturge, the old
Quaker, whom my eye always seemed to seek and find in the Lobby,
leaning upon his stick, his face shaded by a silk hat with an
extraordinary wide brim, and a white cravat tied carefully under his
chin. Day after day he was to be seen there, but when the Lobby list
was wiped out after the bomb scare, I missed my pet figure who came no
more.
The names by which some of the members were known were not without
significance. Mr. Tom Collins, M.P., had the reputation of being the
noisiest and most slovenly man in the House of '73, and was commonly
known as "Noisy Tom." Lord Vivian, whose caricature I believe to be
among my happiest, was dubbed "Hook and Eye." He was a well-known
racing man, and I frequently observed him on the race-course.
Then there was Mr. Edward Jenkins, M.P., known as "Ginx's Baby," after
his well-known book of that name. Mr. Adams-Acton, the well-known
sculptor, arranged a dinner in order that I might meet him, but I am
ashamed to say that I entirely forgot the engagement until some days
after. My father, being one of the guests, was extremely put out at my
non-appearance. "We waited for you a quarter of an hour," he said, "I
was so ashamed!" However, I made my excuses to Mr. Adams-Acton and
took further opportunities of seeing the well-known M.P. in the Lobby
of the House, where his intensely Shakesperian forehead marked him out
from the rest.
The Earl of Powis, irreverently dubbed "Mouldy" by "Jehu Junior," was
a delightful old peer of a period long past, and one of my favourite
studies. Viscount Midleton I frequently saw in the Lobby; he was
nearly blind, and his helplessness seemed peculiarly pathetic in "the
House," as he used to run up against doors and pillars when
unattended, but as a rule he was led by his secretary.
It was in '78 that I caricatured old Mr. Seely, M.P. for Lincoln, and
a great breeder of pigs. He was the grandfather of Brigadier-General
Seely, once Minister of War in the Asquith Government. It was "Jehu
Junior" who described my subject as "an amiable and decent person ...
and there is no reason in the nature of things why he should not have
lived and died happy and respectable. But he was returned to
Parliament for Lincoln." Years after when I saw Colonel Seely in the
House for the first time I recognized him at once because of the same
characteristic attitude, although he is very much taller.
A number of well-known faces recur in my memory from the background of
the House! There was Robert Dalgleish, M.P., another jovial and most
popular member, who wore the longest finger nails I have ever seen
excepting on a Chinaman: Lord Cottesloe, who was the son of one of
Nelson's companions in arms, and whom I used to watch with great
interest as he came down the steps of the House of Lords: Viscount
Cole (now Lord Inniskillen), whom I knew as a boy at Eton: also
Viscount Dupplin, known as "Duppy," who was always smartly dressed and
wore white ducks in summer; he was celebrated for his knowledge of the
Chinese language.
_A propos_ of the caricature of the late Lord Alington, one of my
earliest, a very old friend of mine who was something of a busybody to
me, "There is something about Pellegrini's work that you ought to
study." I said, "I don't want to study anybody's work, only my
subjects." "Well," he replied, "don't be offended, old chap, it's only
to your advantage that I am saying this. Go and look at Pellegrini's
cartoon of Lord Alington in this week's _Vanity Fair_. There is
something in that which you never get." My only answer was, "You old
ass, go and look at it yourself and read the signature upon it," which
happened to be my own.
Amongst strongly-marked and characteristic faces I well remember Lord
Colonsay (Scotch law), who had a most beautiful mop of shining silver
hair; also the Rev. Francis E. C. Byng, afterwards Lord Stafford, who
was Chaplain to the House of Commons from '74 to '89. He was a little
man with great natural dignity, glossy curly black hair and a very
prominent chin. He was a perfect study for the caricaturist, and I
believe anything but a stereotyped parson. The late Chaplain, the Rev.
Basil Wilberforce, Archdeacon of Westminster Abbey, sat to me a few
years ago for _Vanity Fair_; I had observed him in the House of
Commons, and in his beautiful and most interesting home in Deans'
Yard. His unrivalled stateliness of bearing was combined with unusual
lightness of movement, and he was a most impressive figure, especially
on occasions of state ceremonial. I remember watching him with great
pleasure in his place in the Speaker's procession as it passed to the
House for prayers. There was no man in London who had such a following
in the pulpit. As a subject he was most interesting and very patient.
His gown in the reproduction is the best sample of three-colour work I
had had done, and he was so pleased with my drawing that he bought it.
Of course I did not confine my secret observations to the House, but
made for my man anywhere that I could watch him. I caught Sir Henry
Rawlinson at a Royal Academy Soiree and finished the study at another
social evening at the Royal Geographical Society. In those days the
Royal Academy social gatherings made good hunting-ground, and it was
vastly entertaining to watch the orthodox social celebrities swarm
round the "lions." Occasionally it was still possible to meet those
who consider it a solemn misdemeanour if not a hideous crime to
portray one's friends and acquaintance in the spirit, or with the pen
of humour. I remember on one occasion just after I had published a
caricature which probably caused a little surprise to the unconscious
subject, I met a man who must have strongly objected to my observing
eye so over-full was he of righteous indignation.
"Well," said he, on the note that conveys that magnificent sense of
superiority which seems the mark of a limited intelligence, "have you
been caricaturing any _more_ of your friends?"
As a matter of fact the work of the leading modern caricaturists is
peculiarly free from vulgar offence. The art of caricature as the art
of any other form of portraiture is to portray the true leading
features through the mirthful marking of the obvious. Occasionally the
caricaturist draws on the extraordinary, for instance, Mr. Harry
Furniss, has immortalized the late Sir William Harcourt's row of
chins, but it is as guiltless of offence as Mr. Gladstone's collar
or Mr. Chamberlain's orchid.
[Illustration: "METHODICAL & METHODIST"
CAMPBELL BANNERMAN AND FOWLER.]
[Illustration: "BABBLE & BLUSTER"
GLADSTONE AND HARCOURT. 1892.]
[Illustration: "FAITHFUL & FADDIST"
LORDS SPENCER AND RIPON.]
Not long after I had caricatured Sir Albert Rollit he introduced me to
his pretty daughter in the Lobby. "Oh, I'm so pleased to know you, Mr.
Ward," she said. "You made that splendid caricature of my father."
"It is good of you to take it in the spirit which it is drawn," I
answered; "because it is a caricature."
One of the stoutest men I ever drew was Sir Cunliffe Owen, director of
the Kensington Museum, and head of the English Commission of the
International Exhibition at Paris in '72. When I dined with him there
I was astonished to see that he drank no wine--although his guests
were plentifully supplied--but under his doctor's orders he was
limited to one small tumbler of water. While in Paris I stayed with
Sir Cunliffe in the company of the members of the English Commission
in Paris as their guest. They gave me an amazingly good time, and I
made a sketch of my host for _Vanity Fair_.
It was towards the end of 1880, that I was asked by Mr. Bowles to
obtain a cartoon of the "Fourth Party" for _Vanity Fair_, and later on
it was claimed that the cartoon was proof positive of the existence of
the "Fourth Party." It is certain that Lord Randolph Churchill, Mr.
Balfour, Sir John Gorst, and Sir Henry Drummond Wolff came to my
studio, and that we had great difficulty in finding a seat suitable
for the accommodation of Mr. Balfour's sprawl.
I have naturally met many most distinguished soldiers, among them
Field Marshal Sir William Gomm, whom I met by the introduction of Mr.
Gibson Bowles. He had attained the age of ninety, looked years
younger, and was, in fact, astonishingly sprightly--a tiny little dot
of a man.
"What is the secret of your longevity?" inquired Mr. Bowles. "No doubt
you lived a careful life."
"Indeed, sir, nothing of the kind!" replied the old gentleman, who was
very much afraid of being mistaken for a prig. There was more than a
hint of the dandy about this vigorous nonogenarian. I was interested
to observe that he wore patent leather shoes of a decidedly dainty
shape, decorated with steel buckles holding enormous bows, and his
trousers were the most wonderful in shape I have ever seen.
Another great soldier I depicted was Sir Hastings Doyle, a remarkable
man in his day. He had the most charming manners, and is said to have
known no fear. His sitting-room was like a fashionable woman's
boudoir, and when the great general appeared I noticed his eyebrows
and moustache were darkened with cosmetic, and his cheeks slightly
touched with carmine as was frequently the custom then with many an
old beau.
Sir Bartle Frere I caricatured in the attitude which he frequently
adopted whilst lecturing at the Royal Geographical Society. He was a
man of remarkably mild appearance, and I was astonished to hear him
define the Zulu war as a celibate-man-slaying-machine.
[Illustration: SIR ALBERT ROLLIT, 1886.]
One day while I was at the Beefsteak Club, in conversation with
Colonel Napier Sturt, he suggested his friend, Lord Northbrook, as an
excellent subject for a caricature. I said that I had already observed
him in the House of Lords, and the Colonel responded that he was
sure that if I cared to see Lord Northbrook's pictures he would be
delighted to show them to me at any time, which would give me a
further opportunity of noticing him. Shortly after Colonel Sturt took
me to Lord Northbrook's to luncheon, and when we entered the house in
Park Lane, to my astonishment, Colonel Sturt said, "Let me introduce
my friend 'Spy' to my old friend 'Skull,'" his nickname for Lord
Northbrook.
This Colonel always posed as the poor younger son, being a brother of
the late Lord Alington. He affected a watch without a chain, the
old-fashioned key of which aggressively hung from his waistcoat
pocket.
My first cartoon of the Duke of Beaufort (for I drew him twice for
_Vanity Fair_) was anything but a complimentary caricature, and
represented him as I had seen him standing by his coach at Ascot. He
was the finest gentleman I ever came across.
I had never seen the second Lord Lytton before I walked into his room
at Claridge's Hotel. I knew a good many people who knew him, and I was
interested in seeing him, as I had heard so much of him years before
when visiting Knebworth. Although a much shorter and fairer man than
his father, he was not unlike him in feature, and had the same curious
light-blue eyes. He also affected the same cut of trouser. When I went
in it seemed to me that he was inclined to attitudinize in the
orthodox pose of a statesman, and I felt that he was not himself. When
I took my pencil out to make notes, I felt it wiser to drop it until
he was natural. He was very pleasant and affable, and when the time
came to leave I couldn't find my hat. "Oh," he said, "I think I
know--you left it in the other room--I'll get it for you." He was
going out and had put on an overcoat with an astrachan collar, and in
his walk I perceived at once the resemblance to his father; he had the
same stoop from the neck, and he took short steps. In this way I got
him into my head and went straight home and made my caricature.
I had satisfied myself with the caricature, but Millais, who was
painting his portrait at the time, said, "If you would like to have
another look at him he is coming to me to-morrow to give me a last
sitting, and I am sure he wouldn't mind you looking on."
This also gave me an interesting opportunity of seeing the manner in
which Millais painted a portrait, which to me was something quite
novel, for instead of placing his easel some little way from his
sitter he put it actually by the side of him, and instead of looking
straight at his model he walked to the cheval glass which was the
length of the room away, and looked most carefully at the model's
reflection in the mirror and making a dash for the canvas painted his
sitter from the reflection.
Old Lord Londonderry hearing that he was not to be allowed to escape
my eagle eye, sent me an invitation to visit him at Plas Machynlleth,
he promised that I should have every opportunity of making a
caricature, and at the same time he begged that I would not let him
off in any way. So in due course I went down to Wales, and well do I
remember the first morning of my visit. I came down a trifle earlier
than the hour announced for breakfast, and walked absent-mindedly down
the stairs and into the hall, and had said, "Good morning" before I
realized that I had stepped into the midst of family prayers. I felt
an awful fool. However, in spite of the episode I spent quite a long
and most enjoyable time at Plas Machynlleth. Lord Londonderry was a
most delightful host, he showed me his estate and took me to every
place of interest near, and both he and Lady Londonderry were so kind
that the pleasant time I spent there remains in my memory. While there
I made a drawing of Lady Eileen Vane Tempest, now Lady Allandale,
which was much appreciated by her mother. As Lord Londonderry had
expressed a wish that I should not spare him in any detail I drew him
taking snuff as was his habit, and even his gouty knuckles are
suggested in the caricature. His lack of self-consciousness and
refreshing sense of humour completed a personality that was for me at
any rate delightful.
[Illustration: THE FOURTH PARTY.
LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL. MR ARTHUR BALFOUR. SIR DRUMMOND WOLFE. SIR
JOHN GORST.]