Vanity Fair, cariacture, the safe man, Top Hat, British Politician, APE, Antique, chromolithograph, Royal Society

George Sclater Booth, The Baron Basing (1829-1894): A conservative Politician serving as President of the Local Government Board under Benjamin Disraeli (1874-80). Previously he had served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury under Disraeli’s short-lived 1868 Government. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1876

Antique Chromolithograph after APE, Carlo Pelligrini (1839-1889)

Published in Vanity Fair, August 8, 1874

Image Size = 18.2 x 31cm (7.3 x 12.4 inch)

Condition = Fair, with evidence of folding, some light foxing at the base, and early ink hand writing recording his name under the title at the base.

Supplied with Certificate of Authenticity.

Carlo Pellegrini : Born in Capua, Italy, he traveled to London, Met Thomas Bowles, creator of Vanity Fair, and worked as the main caricaturist together with Stephen Ward (Spy) from 1869-1889. He was a flamboyant character, openly homosexual at a time when it was illegal in Britain, was fastidious about his appearance, and sued many times for his lampooning illustration, none being successful. Spy became famous after his death but Pellegrini, however many collectors consider APE to be technically superior. In his early years he signed his work as “Singe” changing it to APE, Italian for “bee”.