Statesmen, No. 6

Pellegrini's chromolithograph, plate 236 of *Vanity Fair*'s celebrated 'Men of the Day' series, presents its subject in three-quarter stance, hands loosely clasped, wearing a dark frock coat and bow tie against a sketched garden wall. The head is enlarged in classic caricature proportion—heavy-jowled, wide-eyed, hair swept back—emphasising cerebral bulk over physical dignity. The caption reads: *'The ablest professor in the cabinet of the tact by which power is kept: it is his mission to counteract the talk by which it is won and lost.'* The legend identifies him as Statesmen No. 6, situating him early in the series. The epigram cuts gently but pointedly: praising tactical silence over oratorical brilliance, a backhanded compliment aimed at a figure valued more for behind-scenes management than platform eloquence.