William Christopher Leng, 'The Sheffield Daily Telegraph'

Leslie Ward ('Spy') renders Sir William Christopher Leng — editor and driving force of the Sheffield Daily Telegraph — as a portly, self-satisfied press magnate in a double-breasted frock coat, cigarette smouldering between his fingers. The exaggerated bulk of his torso against diminutive legs is classic Ward: power made physical, ambition rendered comic. Leng's voluminous white walrus moustache and florid complexion anchor the likeness. The caption, 'The Sheffield Daily Telegraph,' identifies him by his instrument of influence rather than his name — a Vanity Fair convention that flattered proprietors by conflating man and institution. Leng had made the Telegraph a Conservative regional powerhouse; the portrait carries no satirical sting, reading instead as affectionate tribute from a magazine that shared his politics.