Henry Reginald Corbet, 'Born in the Scarlet'

Leslie Ward ('Spy') caricatures Henry Reginald Corbet of Adderley Hall, Shropshire — a country squire whose identity was inseparable from the hunting field. The caption 'Born in the Scarlet' alludes to the red coat of the foxhunter, signalling a man formed by the sport rather than by politics or profession. Ward renders him in a boldly checked tan suit, boutonnière at the lapel, cane tucked behind his back, and a low-brimmed brown hat cocked forward — the ensemble of a wealthy provincial gentleman at leisure rather than at the meet. The sideways pose, elongated nose, and compressed torso are Ward's standard comic vocabulary for the genial English squire: affable, self-satisfied, and entirely at home in a world where land and horses confer all necessary distinction.