George Colborne Nugent, 'A Sub Editor'

Ward presents Captain George Colborne Nugent (1864–1915) in staff officer's dark frock coat with red sash and trouser stripes — the scarlet trimmings of a Horse Guards appointment signalling social rank as much as military function. The caption, 'A Sub Editor,' is a wry dig at the staff officer's role as a conduit and reviser of orders rather than a field commander. Ward's signature exaggeration fixes on Nugent's neat moustache and a slightly smug uprightness, the body language of a well-connected young officer who knows his position is secure. No ethnic caricature is present. Nugent later served in the Second Boer War and was killed in action in France in 1915.