Mr George Thursby (Vanity Fair)

Mr George Thursby, drawn by Spy in the loose tweeds of the gentleman rider rather than a professional's silks. Amateur riders held their own against paid jockeys well into the Edwardian years, and Thursby's plate records that the line between gentleman and professional was a matter of standing, not of skill in the saddle. the relaxed hands, Spy's usual tell for a rider who came to the game by choice rather than by trade. Sport and profession can share a saddle without sharing a wage.

Maker

Leslie Ward ('Spy'), chromolithograph, Vanity Fair

Date

1907

Medium of the original

Chromolithograph

Original held by

Vanity Fair caricature

Credit

Vanity Fair caricature

Rights

Cleared for print

Catalogue number

PA-00129