'The Duffer' — Mr Weedon Grossmith

Spy (Leslie Ward) renders Weedon Grossmith—actor, comedian, and co-author with his brother George of Diary of a Nobody (1892)—in full evening dress: black tailcoat, white waistcoat, white bow-tie, patent shoes. The figure tilts back slightly, chin raised, hands tucked behind and into a pocket, conveying the self-satisfied air of a man who considers himself rather grander than others do. The caption 'The Duffer' is the joke: it was Grossmith's celebrated stage type, the hapless social climber, not a genuine insult. The caricature exaggerates his slight build, large nose, and receding chin. The plate is a fond professional portrait of a West End favourite at the height of Edwardian theatrical life.