The Jockeys and the Champions’ Record · The Jockeys
Mr George Thursby (Vanity Fair)
Leslie Ward ('Spy'), chromolithograph, Vanity Fair, 1907 · chromolithograph
What it is
Mr George Thursby, drawn by Spy in the loose tweeds of the gentleman rider rather than a professional's silks.
Why it matters
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.
What to notice
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.
Provenance
- Maker
- Leslie Ward ('Spy'), chromolithograph, Vanity Fair, 1907
- Era
- The Edwardian Turf (1901–1914)
- Chapter
- The Names on the Board
- Medium
- chromolithograph
- Made
- 1907
- Figure
- George Thursby
- Source
- Vanity Fair caricature
Publicity
Clear — the historic British turf (the Victorian jockeys, the Vanity Fair subjects): a long-deceased figure with no post-mortem right of publicity in play. Sold as history, freely and openly.
Rights: CLEAR. Public domain — U.S. 95-year rule (published 1930 or earlier). Gated by the work’s own year of publication. Cleared by registry on 2026-07-20.
Format
The full-resolution, color-managed file — restored honestly, yours to print and keep.
Sized to protect print quality — this scan's resolution doesn't clear our floor for a physical print, so this piece is offered as a digital download only.
Size
$29.00
More from the Stable Wall
The Jockey — Fred Archer
The Champion at Stride
Sam Loates (Vanity Fair)
Mr Arthur Coventry, 'The Baby' (Vanity Fair)
Elsewhere in the family
- The Links — the other morning religion.
- Painted Lineage — the bloodline, beside the family line.
- Painted Earth — home ground as a period map.