James Macnaghten McGarel Hogg, 'Board of Works'

Plate No. 263 in the Statesmen series, this chromolithograph by Leslie Ward ('Spy') caricatures Colonel James Macnaghten McGarel Hogg, Conservative MP and First Commissioner of Works. The caption 'Board of Works' anchors his public role. Ward renders Hogg in profile, exaggerating his broad, balding cranium, extravagant side-whiskers, and slight forward lean — the posture of a bureaucrat in motion rather than a soldier. He carries a rolled document, the emblem of administrative authority. The salmon waistcoat and black frock coat signal respectable Tory propriety. Ward's genial treatment reflects Hogg's role as a capable but undistinguished functionary — competent, solid, unremarkable.