Forty Years of 'Spy'

CHAPTER XI

IN THE LOBBY

In the House.—Distinguished soldiers.—The main Lobby.—The Irish Party.—Isaac Butt.—Mr. Mitchell Henry.—Parnell and Dillon.—Gladstone and Disraeli.—Lord Arthur Hill.—Lord Alexander Paget.—Viscount Midleton.—Mr. Seely.—Lord Alington's cartoon.—Chaplains of the "House"—Rev. F. E. C. Byng.—Archdeacon Wilberforce.—The "Fourth Party."—Lord Northbrook and Col. Napier Sturt.—Lord Lytton.—The method of Millais.—Lord Londonderry.

Although from the year 1873, I had drawn all the cartoons in Vanity Fair, and Mr. Gibson Bowles had procured a privileged pass for me in the inner lobby of the House of Commons for the purpose of studying the characteristics of my parliamentary subjects, the same facilities were accorded me through Mr. Palgrave (Clerk of the Desk), where for the two following years I was making drawings and portraits for the Graphic.

In 1876 I returned to Vanity Fair, permanently and exclusively to work for that publication, when Pellegrini and I shared our labours pretty equally until his health gave way and he became a chronic invalid, so that for some years before his death I was responsible for most of the cartoons in the paper. Of course, actual sketching or the use of the pencil in both assemblies was prohibited (for the privilege of a pass was also accorded me in the House of Lords through the courtesy of the Black Rod) but after careful observation I was always able to go home and express on paper the result.

I must not forget that in 1903, after the bomb explosion in Westminster Hall, that the number of people admitted to the inner lobby was considerably reduced, in fact, from that time to the present the strangers are few and far between, but although my permit was limited to two days a week my name remained in the lobby-list until I retired from the paper in the latter part of 1909.

In "the House" I found that generally speaking members were very much occupied with the affairs of the moment, and usually quite unconscious of one's observance; but when it came to the point of special study of a subject for the purpose of caricature, it was by no means easy to find him or to watch him under such circumstances as enabled me to arrive at the knowledge necessary for my purpose and still leave him unaware. However, I found more than one "kind friend at court" do me good service. Amongst these Sir A. W. Clifford, Black Rod, was most courteous and helpful in the House of Lords, and always ready to find me a place—usually under the gallery. I came to know his face really well, and caricatured him with faithful directness and in full uniform. By great good fortune, Mr. Gibson Bowles was my editor, and he would occasionally inveigle a subject of rare promise to my lair. The Sergeant-at-Arms is always the man in power in the House of Commons. I have a most grateful remembrance of much courtesy received from the present occupant of that post of honour, Captain Erskine, but in the days of which I now write, Mr. Gosset—always depicted by Harry Furniss as a beetle—was in authority, and most kind in trying to place me at the best point for observation, usually under the Speaker's gallery. But quite the most desirable hunting-ground in the House just then was his own room. There he held quite a court, and among his intimates were many distinguished men whom nature and the circumstance of dress had designed for the caricaturist's art.

Among them was Isaac Butt, M.P. for Limerick, a pioneer of the Home Rule movement, and a most popular man, endowed with a charm of frankness and simple good fellowship which endeared him to all who knew him. He told most amusing stories, and as an advocate he defended O'Brien and almost every Irish political prisoner of note. He was described by "Jehu Junior" as the man who "invented Home Rule" … an attempt to dismember the Empire, and to found in Ireland a Commune of Paris on a larger scale. When I observed him first I was struck by the unusual formation of his ears which bulged in an extraordinary manner, and also by his habit of fidgeting with an open penknife which he always carried in his hand, and continuously opened and shut in the same absent-minded manner in which some people fidget with a watch-chain; the habit found its place in my caricature, and proved a great surprise to the subject.

Among the Irish members I caricatured Mr. Mitchell Henry who led the Home Rule Party in '79, but afterwards "ratted." He gave me three sittings, but was afterwards heard to say that he did not know "where the devil that fellow got hold of him!" I got to know him after extremely well, and accepted his hospitality on more than one occasion. He was very wealthy at one time, and up to the last collected every relic of Dr. Johnson he could lay hands on. My father had also taken a very great interest in anything connected with the great man and had painted several events in his life, of which I suppose the best known is "Dr. Johnson in the Anti-chamber of the Earl of Chesterfield," now in the Tate Gallery. At his death I sold to him a very interesting study from one of these pictures.

At the request of Mr. Bowles I went over to Dublin to make a special picture of Parnell and Dillon in Kilmainham Gaol. I had letters of introduction to both, and Parnell wrote to my hotel a very charming letter of acquiescence in answer to my request for an interview, which letter I greatly regret that I have had the misfortune to mislay. Then I received a second letter in which he informed me that he had heard that he would not be allowed to see me alone in prison, but that a warder would have to be present the whole time, and under the circumstance he was forced to decline my request. It was within the bond of my contract with Mr. Bowles that I should not be required to place the signature "Spy" on any drawing that was not the outcome of personal observation of the subject required, so I gave it up, and the Parnell-Dillon cartoon which appeared in Vanity Fair was from the clever imagination of Harry Furniss. I remember Parnell as a carelessly dressed man with good features, a fine head with a high forehead and eyes both striking and piercing, but not altogether pleasant in expression. I was in the law-courts when the Piggott case was on, and opposite to me was the celebrated Royal Academician, Philip Calderon, who was studying him with the intention of making a large picture of the court commissioned by the Graphic, but it was never finished or produced as a sketch.

When the Vanity Fair cartoons were put up for sale at Christie's the only one of my series (curiously enough) that failed to find a bidder was the drawing of Piggott, although it was one of my most successful studies, from a sketch as he stood in the witness-box.

Gladstone and Disraeli I drew in black and white, of course many years before, for the Graphic, and on subsequent occasions for Vanity Fair. As a careful observation of the movement of my subject is always necessary, one day in talking to Monty Corry I told him I was on the look-out for an opportunity to complete my study of his chief, whom I wished to observe at a distance sufficiently near and far to get his gait. He said that they would be leaving Downing Street for the House of Lords together at a certain hour, and he suggested that I should follow them or walk on the opposite side of the road. At the appointed time I was at my post and keenly watched them start, Disraeli leaning on Monty Corry's arm. As they strolled towards the House of Lords I followed along on the other side, mentally taking in their movements and completing my impression of the great leader and his secretary. Also at the request of Mr. Monty Corry, Disraeli's valet gave me an opportunity of inspecting the coat with the astrachan collar which seemed to hold a share in its owner's strong individuality, and from these observations I made the caricature "Power and Place" which appeared in due course in Vanity Fair, and was published in a special number.

That the character of the man may be seen in his walk I have frequently proved, though never more clearly than through the two most distinguished statesmen of their generation; Disraeli walked, or appeared to walk, on his heels as though he were avoiding hot ashes. In strongest contrast was the walk of Gladstone, who planted his feet with deliberate but most vigorous firmness as though with every step he would iron his strong opinion into the mind of the nation.

À propos of caricature and movement, Lord Arthur Hill presented some difficulty to the caricaturist because he was so charged with movement that he never appeared to pause for a moment. His leading feature was his stride which seemed, and was, of tremendous length. He also had a very long neck and a curiously flat head, and he always seemed to walk as though he saw a stout wall in front of him and was full of determination to get through it. My caricature is just one long stride.

Man's dress is very much more commonplace than it used to be, and nowadays clothes seldom help out the artist, but in the days of which I write the exaggerated styles or idiosyncrasies in some apparently trivial detail of male attire made all the difference in the world to the caricaturist, and many of the older peers, country squires and occasional eccentric gentlemen retained the old-fashioned habits of dress in spite of the wisdom or folly of fashion. Gladstone, of course, was the making of many caricaturists, the lion-like striking face in the setting of the high collar was a picture in ten thousand. I drew the "Grand Old Man" over and over again from sheer interest, his face had the strongest fascination for me. I watched it change with the years; and year by year the unusual collar grew less in dimensions and in importance to the caricaturist, as the character pencilled itself about the features of the wonderful old face.

Also among clothes-subjects was Mr. John Laird, member of Parliament, who was a superlative delight to the caricaturist, for his clothes were unique even among the remarkable, his usual costume consisting of a long-tailed frock-coat covered by a short pea-jacket which extended only a little beyond his waist.

Lord Alexander Paget—the father of the present Lord Anglesey—known to his friends as "Dandy Paget," was a very smart man of the best type. He wore a hat with a very curly brim, and dressed in very loud checks; but he could wear what he liked, for he always "looked right." I stayed a week-end with him in Cheshire, and while there he obliged me by showing me his wonderful wardrobe in which I never saw a more varied selection, and I soon hit on the suit which I thought the most effective for my purpose. This was the one with the biggest check of all, and with the peggiest of peg-top trousers.

Also for rare habilatory peculiarity, the uncle of "the Dasher" (the late Earl of Portarlington) was hard to beat. He was an old gentleman who usually, in walking costume, wore a decidedly blue frock-coat trimmed with deep braid, lavender-coloured trousers of a nautical cut and patent leather boots, showing but the tips, after the Bulwer-Lytton style. His hair was trimmed over his ears in the Buster-Brown manner, and his moustache and tip well cosmetiqued. His silk hat was of a build of its own, well curled. His tie of a brilliant hue, a fancifully arranged handkerchief emerging from his breast pocket, the gayest of button-holes, and grey kid gloves completed an ensemble wonderful to behold. One of the greatest treats I have ever had was watching him pirouette through the figures of a quadrille, in the good old-fashioned style, on the occasion of a ball at Stafford House.

One curious anomaly, a Puritan Beau, I remember in Mr. Sturge, the old Quaker, whom my eye always seemed to seek and find in the Lobby, leaning upon his stick, his face shaded by a silk hat with an extraordinary wide brim, and a white cravat tied carefully under his chin. Day after day he was to be seen there, but when the Lobby list was wiped out after the bomb scare, I missed my pet figure who came no more.

The names by which some of the members were known were not without significance. Mr. Tom Collins, M.P., had the reputation of being the noisiest and most slovenly man in the House of '73, and was commonly known as "Noisy Tom." Lord Vivian, whose caricature I believe to be among my happiest, was dubbed "Hook and Eye." He was a well-known racing man, and I frequently observed him on the race-course.

Then there was Mr. Edward Jenkins, M.P., known as "Ginx's Baby," after his well-known book of that name. Mr. Adams-Acton, the well-known sculptor, arranged a dinner in order that I might meet him, but I am ashamed to say that I entirely forgot the engagement until some days after. My father, being one of the guests, was extremely put out at my non-appearance. "We waited for you a quarter of an hour," he said, "I was so ashamed!" However, I made my excuses to Mr. Adams-Acton and took further opportunities of seeing the well-known M.P. in the Lobby of the House, where his intensely Shakesperian forehead marked him out from the rest.

The Earl of Powis, irreverently dubbed "Mouldy" by "Jehu Junior," was a delightful old peer of a period long past, and one of my favourite studies. Viscount Midleton I frequently saw in the Lobby; he was nearly blind, and his helplessness seemed peculiarly pathetic in "the House," as he used to run up against doors and pillars when unattended, but as a rule he was led by his secretary.

It was in '78 that I caricatured old Mr. Seely, M.P. for Lincoln, and a great breeder of pigs. He was the grandfather of Brigadier-General Seely, once Minister of War in the Asquith Government. It was "Jehu Junior" who described my subject as "an amiable and decent person … and there is no reason in the nature of things why he should not have lived and died happy and respectable. But he was returned to Parliament for Lincoln." Years after when I saw Colonel Seely in the House for the first time I recognized him at once because of the same characteristic attitude, although he is very much taller.

A number of well-known faces recur in my memory from the background of the House! There was Robert Dalgleish, M.P., another jovial and most popular member, who wore the longest finger nails I have ever seen excepting on a Chinaman: Lord Cottesloe, who was the son of one of Nelson's companions in arms, and whom I used to watch with great interest as he came down the steps of the House of Lords: Viscount Cole (now Lord Inniskillen), whom I knew as a boy at Eton: also Viscount Dupplin, known as "Duppy," who was always smartly dressed and wore white ducks in summer; he was celebrated for his knowledge of the Chinese language.

À propos of the caricature of the late Lord Alington, one of my earliest, a very old friend of mine who was something of a busybody to me, "There is something about Pellegrini's work that you ought to study." I said, "I don't want to study anybody's work, only my subjects." "Well," he replied, "don't be offended, old chap, it's only to your advantage that I am saying this. Go and look at Pellegrini's cartoon of Lord Alington in this week's Vanity Fair. There is something in that which you never get." My only answer was, "You old ass, go and look at it yourself and read the signature upon it," which happened to be my own.

Amongst strongly-marked and characteristic faces I well remember Lord Colonsay (Scotch law), who had a most beautiful mop of shining silver hair; also the Rev. Francis E. C. Byng, afterwards Lord Stafford, who was Chaplain to the House of Commons from '74 to '89. He was a little man with great natural dignity, glossy curly black hair and a very prominent chin. He was a perfect study for the caricaturist, and I believe anything but a stereotyped parson. The late Chaplain, the Rev. Basil Wilberforce, Archdeacon of Westminster Abbey, sat to me a few years ago for Vanity Fair; I had observed him in the House of Commons, and in his beautiful and most interesting home in Deans' Yard. His unrivalled stateliness of bearing was combined with unusual lightness of movement, and he was a most impressive figure, especially on occasions of state ceremonial. I remember watching him with great pleasure in his place in the Speaker's procession as it passed to the House for prayers. There was no man in London who had such a following in the pulpit. As a subject he was most interesting and very patient. His gown in the reproduction is the best sample of three-colour work I had had done, and he was so pleased with my drawing that he bought it.

Of course I did not confine my secret observations to the House, but made for my man anywhere that I could watch him. I caught Sir Henry Rawlinson at a Royal Academy Soirée and finished the study at another social evening at the Royal Geographical Society. In those days the Royal Academy social gatherings made good hunting-ground, and it was vastly entertaining to watch the orthodox social celebrities swarm round the "lions." Occasionally it was still possible to meet those who consider it a solemn misdemeanour if not a hideous crime to portray one's friends and acquaintance in the spirit, or with the pen of humour. I remember on one occasion just after I had published a caricature which probably caused a little surprise to the unconscious subject, I met a man who must have strongly objected to my observing eye so over-full was he of righteous indignation.

"Well," said he, on the note that conveys that magnificent sense of superiority which seems the mark of a limited intelligence, "have you been caricaturing any more of your friends?"

As a matter of fact the work of the leading modern caricaturists is peculiarly free from vulgar offence. The art of caricature as the art of any other form of portraiture is to portray the true leading features through the mirthful marking of the obvious. Occasionally the caricaturist draws on the extraordinary, for instance, Mr. Harry Furniss, has immortalized the late Sir William Harcourt's row of chins, but it is as guiltless of offence as Mr. Gladstone's collar or Mr. Chamberlain's orchid.

Not long after I had caricatured Sir Albert Rollit he introduced me to his pretty daughter in the Lobby. "Oh, I'm so pleased to know you, Mr. Ward," she said. "You made that splendid caricature of my father."

"It is good of you to take it in the spirit which it is drawn," I answered; "because it is a caricature."

One of the stoutest men I ever drew was Sir Cunliffe Owen, director of the Kensington Museum, and head of the English Commission of the International Exhibition at Paris in '72. When I dined with him there I was astonished to see that he drank no wine—although his guests were plentifully supplied—but under his doctor's orders he was limited to one small tumbler of water. While in Paris I stayed with Sir Cunliffe in the company of the members of the English Commission in Paris as their guest. They gave me an amazingly good time, and I made a sketch of my host for Vanity Fair.

It was towards the end of 1880, that I was asked by Mr. Bowles to obtain a cartoon of the "Fourth Party" for Vanity Fair, and later on it was claimed that the cartoon was proof positive of the existence of the "Fourth Party." It is certain that Lord Randolph Churchill, Mr. Balfour, Sir John Gorst, and Sir Henry Drummond Wolff came to my studio, and that we had great difficulty in finding a seat suitable for the accommodation of Mr. Balfour's sprawl.

I have naturally met many most distinguished soldiers, among them Field Marshal Sir William Gomm, whom I met by the introduction of Mr. Gibson Bowles. He had attained the age of ninety, looked years younger, and was, in fact, astonishingly sprightly—a tiny little dot of a man.

"What is the secret of your longevity?" inquired Mr. Bowles. "No doubt you lived a careful life."