William Henry Peregrine Carington, 'Bill' (1893)

Leslie Ward's chromolithograph, signed *Spy* at lower left, presents Colonel the Hon. William Henry Peregrine Carington, M.P., as 'Men of the Day No. 557.' The caption reads simply 'Bill' — the familiar register typical of Vanity Fair's insider tone, signalling a subject well-known enough to need no surname. Ward gives Carington an exaggerated walrus moustache in auburn-orange, a ruddy complexion, and an oversized head set atop a trim khaki-brown lounge suit with matching waistcoat. Both hands are pocketed, posture relaxed — the portrait of an Establishment insider at ease with his own consequence. Ward's distortions emphasise the military man turned parliamentary gentleman.