'Bernard' — Bernard Dillon, Jockey
Leslie Ward · Leslie Ward ('Spy'), published in Vanity Fair, 12 September 1906
Ward's chromolithograph presents Dillon full-length against a pale ground, dressed in the sky-blue and black hooped silks of a racing jockey: breeches, brown-topped boots, and a pale cap. He carries a saddle and bridle in one hand and a crop in the other, posed with easy confidence. The caption reads simply 'Bernard.' with the parenthetical (B. Dillon.) below — Vanity Fair's standard formula of nickname plus identity. Ward's signature SPY anchors the lower centre. The portrait is notably straightforward in its caricature; Dillon, an Irish-born champion jockey who rode several Classic winners in the Edwardian era, is treated as a professional sportsman worthy of sober respect rather than satirical deflation.
About this artifact
- Creator
- Leslie Ward
- Date
- Leslie Ward ('Spy'), published in Vanity Fair, 12 September 1906
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by ComicBooks.com.
Part of our mission to preserve and restore the public-domain heritage of the medium.