Education and Arbitration. Anthony John Mundella caricature c1871

by James Tissot (Coïdé)

Vanity Fair chromolithograph of Mr. Anthony John Mundella, M.P., Statesmen No. 99, - after the caricature by Coïdé (artist James Tissot, 1836-1902). "In the House of Commons... as elsewhere, a pair of excellent lungs, a nervously energetic manner, and impressive gestures, do him good service.." The son of an Italian refugee who married an Englishwoman, Mr Anthony John Mundella was imbued with the fire of the Southern Italians and the practical genius of the Norther Italians. He made his own way with remarkable success. From a subordinate position in the manufacturing industry he rose by his own quickness of intelligence to be the head of a business, then to become Sheriff of Nottingham, and, finally, to become the representative in Parliament of the town with which his fortunes have been identified.

Established by Thomas Gibson Bowles (1841-1922), Vanity Fair was a weekly magazine of social commentary, published in London between 1868 and 1914. With eight to ten pages each issue, Vanity Fair magazine's popularity was assured each week by the inclusion of an amusing caricature parodying any noteworthy personage who had been mentioned in the news, and thereby was fair game for ridicule. It was the first time lithography had been used for caricatures, and they were printed by the eminent lithographer, Vincent Brooks (1814-1885), who produced over 2,300 different caricatures for Vanity Fair.

Over the years of publication it became a mark of honour to be the 'victim' of one of the magazine's caricaturists. Bowles accompanied each with a witty text, full of personal insights and innuendoes, written under his nickname of 'Jehu Junior' (after the biblical prophet who effected the downfall of his enemies). Bowles considered the images to be “grim faces made more grim, grotesque figures made more grotesque, and dull people made duller by the genius of our talented collaborator ‘Ape’" (Carlo Pellegrini, 1839-1889) who had arrived from Naples in 1864 and was the first artist Bowles employed. (Pellegrini had been popular among Neapolitan society, and had repaid the favour with good-natured caricatures.) The other major caricaturist for Vanity Fair (and perhaps the better known, was ‘Spy’ (Leslie Ward, 1851-1922). 

Page size 355 x 230 (14 x 9 inches).