'A Great Marrier' — The Rev. Edgar Sheppard

Ward's chromolithograph presents the Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal in full clerical dress: white surplice over black cassock trimmed with royal cipher embroideries, a red chimere collar, and a cluster of medals and orders on his chest — visible marks of court favour accumulated over decades of service to the Royal Household. He holds a black hat with quiet self-possession. The caption 'a great Marrier' is a pun: Sheppard officiated at numerous royal and aristocratic weddings, making him less a satirical target than a genial institution. The caricature softens rather than cuts — Ward gives him a placid, well-fed dignity, the portrait of a churchman whose influence was ceremonial and socially indispensable rather than theological or controversial.