A CARICATURIST AND HIS SUBJECTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 184, 4 August 1900, Page 4 (Supplement)

A CARICATURIST AND HIS SUBJECTS.

Mr Leslie Ward, the distinguished carl-r ■, caturist of "Vanity Fair," whose pictures / appear over the pseudonym of "Spy,"' tells in "M.A.P.," some anecdotes of his, work. He says:— On the occasion of ray visit to Oxford to make a caricature of Professor Jowett, I ; had to don a wig and-gown and asume ; the part of an "undergrad" during lee* ■ tures in order to get him. Needless* to say I sat/on tenterhooks lest I should be questioned on abstruse subjects and by' ignorance display my identity. Once, whilst staying at Clarictge's' Hotel, in order to secure a famous RUs* i sian general, I met with a curious experience. Mr Claridge, over hearing my con- •■, versation with a waiter, In which I made some very pointed inquiries as to th»«' movements of the gentleman in question, immediately suspected me of some sinister,;' desagn, and politely requested me to leave the hotel, and stated that my-port- ■ manteau was being packed with that view. I used my best endeavours to . ASSUAGE MR CLARIDGB'S FEARS, but he was obdurate. Nevertheless, he was good enough to put me on the track , of my subject by informing me that I ' should see him at the, railway station; the next morning, which I did, and SO/?;1 managed, in spite of all the before named;' difficulties, to gain my object. , > Yetagain, whilst in pursuit of Dean Liddell at Oxford, I ascertained from ,\ the latter's servant that he always took' his daily-"constitutional" after lunch, so a friend and I followed him on one o£ . these occasions on the opposite side of; the road for a considerable distance, always keeping just on a level with him, until his suspicions were aroused, whereupon he suddenly turned and politely raised his hat to me, an<? taking this/as it was doubtless meant,.for a hint to dis- ' continue dogging his footsteps, I returned his salutation and made my way back: to my hotel, there to produce the result, of ■ my interrupted "stalking," which never- V theless was not a failure, being in fact* I;, was told, quite the reverse. •'■

Vanity is again depicted in the follow- ' ing story of a certain noble, lord (WIWS-, must be nameless) who, called upon jne »t",'my studio with a view to my putting,him-j" in "Vanity Pair.". Being very busy at the , ( time*. I had to suggest his postponing. M* . \ appointment till later on, whereupon he .'■ took great offence, ana rerused to, coin?? again. So, determined he should not ? escape me, I took the opportunity at ;.«#>" evening party of studying him thorough:;:; ly. He was so chagrined when his car* | toon appeared that he dyed his hair from., white to a ruddy brown, possibly that he} should not be recognised. *:-, .>■;?■■■■ On another occasion Bradlaugh' ealle£,, , upon me at the request of "Vanity Fal't,"^ and quickly came to the point regarding "tj.,,-.. the attitude he should assume for ftfli'*,; ting by asking me "If he should stand «9c t " his bead or his heelß?'* is?