I have always considered one of my best early caricatures to be that
of the Rev. Dr. Goodford, Provost of Eton, whom I stalked in the High
Street. I had remembered him, of course, when a small boy at Eton as
Headmaster. When he saw the caricature he protested rather indignantly
against my having depicted him with his umbrella over his shoulder--on
the grounds that it was not his habit to walk in this way. A short
time after the publication of the cartoon he was passing down the High
Street with his wife when his reflection caught his eye in Ingleton
Drake's shop-window, and he stopped suddenly to gaze in astonishment
at what he saw therein. Running after Mrs. Goodford, who had walked
on oblivious of his distraction, he exclaimed, "My dear ... 'Spy' was
quite right after all--I do walk with my umbrella over my shoulder."
In later days when caricatures made way for characteristic portraiture
I frequently met, for the first time, men whom I had "stalked" in
earlier days. On one occasion I called upon a dignitary of the Church
who had arranged to give me sittings. As I commenced to work he gave
his opinions upon artists of the day, and he referred to a caricature
of himself that had appeared in _Vanity Fair_.
"I can't think who did it," he said distastefully, "but it was a
horrid thing. I'll show it to you."
Calling his secretary, he asked that the offending drawing should be
found. The search, however, proved unsuccessful, at which fact I need
not say that I was greatly relieved. I suggested to the reverend
gentleman that I would rather he did _not_ discover it at all! "But
why?" said he. "It is the best I ever saw." It had been intended for a
caricature, and the Bishop's friends had been unanimous in proclaiming
it to be in every way typical, and not over-caricatured.
* * * * *
Some of my subjects had fixed ideas as to their own characteristics. I
remember I was bent on doing Dr. Welldon, then Headmaster of Harrow,
in profile, but he suddenly wheeled round on his heel and remarked, as
if in explanation, "I always look my boys straight in the face." I
endeavoured to persuade him to return to his former position. "You
must imagine your boys over there," I explained, pointing to a
distant spot on a far horizon, and the plan worked well.
[Illustration: REV. J. L. JOYNES
(Lower Master, Eton.)
1887.]
[Illustration: DR WARRE CORNISH
(Vice Provost of Eton)
1901.]
[Illustration: DR GOODFORD
(Provost of Eton)
1876.]
I took the opportunity of informing him that I sketched him in 1874,
whilst studying the game of football at "the wall" at Eton, for a
full-page drawing which the _Graphic_ had commissioned me to execute.
Mr. Frank Tarver refreshed my memory on all the points to enable me to
be accurate, and afterwards at his request the team posed and Welldon
was one of the group. Mr. Frank Tarver also wrote the letterpress
which accompanied the picture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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