From the exhibition
Charles Manners, 6th Duke of Rutland
James Tissot · 16 September 1871

James Tissot's chromolithograph presents the Duke of Rutland full-length against a pale blue ground, one hand thrust into a coat pocket, the other raised holding what appears to be a small object — a characteristic gesture of patrician nonchalance. He wears a dark frock coat over a cream double-breasted waistcoat with orange-pip buttons, light trousers, and a bow tie. A coronet vignette floats top-right, marking his rank. The caption anchors the political sting: *'He was once offered the leadership of the Conservative Party'* — past tense doing all the work, implying a man of great station who declined or missed his moment. Tissot renders the bearded, heavy-browed Duke with affectionate but pointed exaggeration of his ruminative, slightly sullen bearing.
James Tissot Public domain