'Tolerance' — Edgar Jacob, Bishop of St Albans
Leslie Ward · Published 26 September 1906
Spy's chromolithograph presents the Bishop of St Albans in strict profile, a pose that exaggerates his portly silhouette beneath a long black frock coat. A voluminous rust-orange scarf billows at his throat, matching his gloves; a silk top hat sits squarely on his head, and a cane props one hand at his side. The caption reads simply "Tolerance" — a pointed irony, since Jacob was known as a theological moderate navigating fierce Anglo-Catholic versus evangelical tensions within the Church of England. The caricature carries no ethnic distortion; Ward's mockery is purely physical, inflating the Bishop's girth and self-satisfaction into a figure of comfortable, well-upholstered ecclesiastical authority. The title quietly asks how much 'tolerance' a bishop genuinely practices versus performs.
About this artifact
- Creator
- Leslie Ward
- Date
- Published 26 September 1906
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by ComicBooks.com.
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