Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, 'Spy' for Vanity Fair, 1903

Leslie Ward ('Spy') renders Sir Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, Conservative Chief Whip and MP for Wellington, in the sober uniform of the professional parliamentary operator: black frock coat, dark waistcoat, stiff white cuffs, and a small notebook clutched in one hand—the whip's tool of trade, tracking votes and loyalties. The caricature's exaggerations are subtle rather than grotesque: a broad, ruddy face, swept-back blond hair, and an aggressive walrus moustache lend him the air of a country squire turned party enforcer. The understated composition suits its subject—Hood was celebrated less for oratory than for the quiet, efficient management of the Conservative benches during Balfour's embattled ministry.