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From the exhibition

'One of the Presidents' — Stanley Duff Muttlebury

Leslie Ward · Vanity Fair, 22 March 1890

'One of the Presidents' — Stanley Duff Muttlebury
Leslie Ward ('Spy') depicts Cambridge rowing champion S. D. Muttlebury crouched mid-stroke in a racing shell, both hands gripping a gold oar, wearing the light-blue kit of Cambridge University — cap, singlet, socks all in club colours. A swan drifts on calm water behind him; tall poplars suggest the Thames at Henley. The caricature is affectionate rather than satirical: Ward exaggerates Muttlebury's broad shoulders, compact crouch, and determined squint to celebrate athletic power. As President of the Cambridge University Boat Club and a four-time Boat Race winner, Muttlebury embodied the era's cult of the gentleman-oarsman.

Leslie Ward Public domain