Prince of India: A Colored Vanity Fair Caricature of the "Gaekwar of Baroda", 1901

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A hand-colored caricature entitled the "Gaekwar of Baroda" (Prince of India), from Vanity Fair, Plate 23 , published July 3, … Read more A hand-colored caricature entitled the "Gaekwar of Baroda" (Prince of India), from Vanity Fair, Plate 23 , published July 3, 1901. Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863-1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State in India from 1875 to 1939. He is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gaekwad dynasty of the Marathas which ruled parts of present-day Gujarat province. The prince is depicted in a stately pose, dressed in an ornate bejeweled gold and white ethnic costume. He is holding a cane in his right hand and he holds his left hand behind him. The lithographic caricature's artist's initials MR are found in the lower right. Vanity Fair artists were usually identified by a short pseudonym, for example Spy was Sir Leslie Ward. However the artist's name is often not known, as is the case with MR.

The print and Vanity Fair biographical text is presented in a gold wood museum style corner-less wood frame, with a double mat with two openings displaying the caricature on the left and the text on the right. The outer mat is cream-colored and the inner trim is black. The print is in excellent condition.

Vanity Fair was a weekly magazine of social, literary and political content which was published in London from 1868 until February 5, 1914. It was favorite of Victorian and later, Edwardian England. Most popular of its features were the wonderful full page caricatures of famous men and women of the day. These lithographs remain Vanity Fair’s greatest legacy. The two most famous artists who worked for Vanity Fair were “Ape” (Carlo Pellegrini) and “Spy” (Sir Leslie Ward), but many other artists provided images for this long running series of delightful caricatures. See less