Vanity Fair Caricatures. A group of nine original full-page chromolithographic caricatures from Vanity Fair, focusing exclusively on prominent Victorian artists and art-world figures. Published between 1878 and 1892.

COLOUR LITHOGRAPHS OF VICTORIAN ARTISTS · FULL-PAGE PLATES

Physical Description

• Number: 9 original full-colour plates, versoS blank as issued.
• Artists: 4 by "Spy" (Sir Leslie Ward), 3 by "Go" (James Tissot), 1 by "Ape" (Carlo Pellegrini), 1 unsigned (François Verheyden).
• Size: Each approx. 39 × 25 cm (one slightly wider).
• Captions: Title and date at top; printed caption at foot of each image.

Condition Report - Good Overall

• Image Area: Generally clean and vibrant; light handling only.
• Margins: Manuscript captions at head of four sheets, just touching top of printed area in two cases. Some with minor closed tears or smudging to outer blank margins; 2 plates show tiny stitch-holes to left edge; occasional surface spotting or foxing.

Subjects & Captions

• Carl Haag (1884): “the glorious East”
• William Holman Hunt (1879): “the Pre-Raphaelite of the World”
• Laurence Alma Tadema (1879): “Ancient Painting”
• Charles Bennet Lawes (1883): “Athlete and Sculptor”
• John Tenniel (1878): “Punch”
• Count Gleichen (1884): “the Queen's nephew”
• Joseph Edgar Boehm (1881): “the Queen's sculptor”
• Hubert Herkomer (1884): “Painter, Sculptor, Blacksmith &c”
• Luke Fildes (1892): “He painted ‘the Doctor’”

Why Collect This Set?

• Examples of Vanity Fair’s caricature style—witty, observant, and beautifully produced.
• Includes four works by Spy, the most famous of the magazine's contributors.
• Strong focus on Victorian painters and sculptors—many of whom shaped 19th-century British art.
• Excellent for framing, exhibition, or reference—rare to find in thematic group.

A visually engaging suite of satirical portraits capturing the personalities and poses of Victorian Britain’s most celebrated artists—originally published in Vanity Fair, and now prized for their humour, detail, and collectible appeal.