George Errington, 'the Vatican'

Chromolithograph caricature of George Errington (1839–1920), Liberal MP for Longford and future 1st Baronet, shown in three-quarter profile: dark frock coat, grey trousers, one hand tucked behind his back, a cigarette held aloft with studied nonchalance. Smoke curls upward past a sharply rendered moustache and slightly bulbous nose — Chartran's characteristic economy of line making the face at once recognisable and arch. The caption, 'the Vatican,' pins the politics: Gladstone had dispatched Errington on an unofficial, diplomatically awkward mission to Rome to cultivate Vatican influence over Irish Catholic bishops, hoping to soften clerical support for Irish nationalism. The mission was widely criticised as secretive and constitutionally improper, making Errington a figure of controversy rather than mere society interest.