James Rochfort Maguire, 'West Clare'

Leslie Ward ('Spy') presents Maguire full-length, hands thrust into the pockets of loose tan trousers, wearing a dark three-piece suit and black cravat — the relaxed, proprietorial pose Ward favored for Irish MPs. The caption 'West Clare' identifies his constituency rather than his name, a Vanity Fair convention that assumed readers already knew the face. Maguire was both a Liberal MP and a close associate of Cecil Rhodes, serving as his agent in securing the Bechuanaland concession. Ward's likeness is broadly naturalistic, depicting Maguire as a respectable imperialist figure rather than a Home Rule agitator.