Caricature of the Duke of Wellington 

Curator: Here we have Lord William Pitt Lennox’s small pen and ink drawing, a caricature of the Duke of Wellington. It's held in the Tate collections. Editor: My first impression is one of biting satire. The rendering is so stark, so unsparing. It makes me wonder about the Duke's power in relation to those around him. Curator: The Duke was, of course, a towering figure in British history, both militarily and politically. I wonder what contemporary issues the artist was hoping to highlight. What power structures are being mocked here? Editor: Absolutely. It speaks to the tradition of caricature as a tool for social and political commentary, doesn’t it? That disembodied figure, the oversized hat… what might those symbols represent about the Duke's place in society? Curator: Perhaps a critique of his hubris, his perceived detachment? The artist uses caricature to challenge the established narrative around this figure of authority. Editor: This piece certainly gives us insight into how authority and power were viewed through the lens of artistic interpretation in Lennox’s time. Curator: Indeed, it makes you contemplate how we grapple with historical figures today, considering the social and political context of their time and our own.