William Maynard Gomm, 'The Constable of the Tower'

Leslie Ward ('Spy') renders Field Marshal Sir William Maynard Gomm GCB as a stout, white-haired elder statesman posed hands-on-hips with a slightly combative self-satisfaction. The exaggerated head—ruddy, heavy-jowled, large-nosed—sits atop a trim dark frock coat, white waistcoat, and pale trousers: the uniform of Victorian respectability rather than military glory. The caption, 'The Constable of the Tower,' signals Gomm's ceremonial peak as Constable of the Tower of London, a sinecure awarded to aged field marshals of distinction. The caricature's comedy lies in the pomposity of an old soldier who has outlived his campaigns and now guards a tourist landmark. Plate No. 252 in the 'Men of the Day' series.