Admiral Sir Compton Edward Domvile, G.C.B. (Knight Grand Cross of the Bath), created 1904; K.C.B. (Knight Commander of the Bath), created 1898; G.C.V.O. (Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order) 1903; born Worcestershire, 10 October 1842, entered the Navy, 1856; appointed to Royal yacht, 1862; Lieutenant 1862; promoted Commander for service against pirates, 1868; Captain, 1876; Captain of the "Dido," 1879-88; West Africa and Cape during the Boer War; Acting Commodore, Jamaica, 1882; Captain of "Temeraire," 1884-86; Captain H.M.S. "Excellent" - Gunnery School, Portsmouth, 1886-90; Ordnance Committee, 1890-91; Director of Naval Ordnance, 1891-94; second in command Mediterranean, 1894-96; Admiral 1902; Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves, 1897-1902; Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Station, 1902-05. Died 19 Nov. 1924.
The print above was published in Vanity Fair magazine, 10 October 1906. The signature on the print, 'Spy', was the pseudonym of Sir Leslie Ward (1851-1922).
The tittle on the print refers to Domvile's diminutive stature and his boundless energy.
Vanity Fair displayed its political, social and literary wares weekly from1868 to 1914. The publication, through its original format, prose and coloured caricatures, became the envy and model of other Society magazines. The most successful Society magazine in the history of English journalism was the result of the guiding genius of its founder and editor, Thomas Gibson Bowles (1842-1922) at the height of the British Empire. Written by and for the Victorian and Edwardian establishment, Vanity Fair was the magazine for those "in the know." Members of the Smart Set delighted in finding themselves caricatured in prose and picture. For them, Vanity Fair summarized each week the importanty events of their world. It reviewed the newest opening in the West End and the latest novel in the club's library; it aroused their curiosity and envy; it angered and amused them.
The news and society columns, the book and play reviews, the serialized novels and word games and the colour lithograph caricatures give us a glimpse into the lives and reputations of men and women who achieved either lasting or fleeting fame and fortune during the heyday of the British Empire. The caricatures, which have become the magazine's chief legacy, fascinate the scholar, the lay person and the collector for their historical and biographical value and their satirical and artistic quality.
Coloured process print.
400 x 270 mm. (15 5/8 x 10 5/8 inches). Paper size.
Good condition.