Men of the Day: The Vanity Fair Caricatures
'The Knight of Malta' — George Bowyer
Leslie Ward · Leslie Ward ('Spy'), Vanity Fair, 18 January 1879
Ward draws Bowyer in strict profile, arms folded tight across his chest, a pince-nez pinched to his nose beneath a glossy top hat — the pose of a man who has decided the world can wait for his opinion. The caption, 'the Knight of Malta,' nods to Bowyer's papal honour, the Grand Cross of the Order of Malta, worn by this Catholic barrister and constitutional writer in an England still edgy about Romish allegiances. Ward's comedy is purely social — the compact, self-satisfied silhouette of a Victorian clubman whose religion and politics made him a notable figure in Protestant legal London.
About this artifact
- Creator
- Leslie Ward
- Date
- Leslie Ward ('Spy'), Vanity Fair, 18 January 1879
- 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.