'Lay Episcopacy' — Lord Crewe

Spy (Leslie Ward) presents Lord Crewe in three-quarter profile, turned slightly leftward, dressed for a formal occasion in a dark brown frock coat, grey trousers, white gloves, and a red boutonnière. He holds a top hat and walking cane with the self-conscious ease of a man accustomed to being observed. The caption 'Lay Episcopacy' neatly skewers his position: a layman of high social standing who wielded influence in Church of England affairs normally reserved for clergy. Ward's chromolithograph exaggerates his angular jaw and slightly stooped posture, the hallmarks of Spy's affectionate but pointed style. The image belongs to Vanity Fair's broader project of mapping Victorian power — showing who governed Britain not merely through Parliament but through drawing rooms and cathedral chapters.