The Jockeys and the Champions’ Record · The Jockeys
John Reiff, 'Johnny' (Vanity Fair)
Leslie Ward ('Spy'), chromolithograph, Vanity Fair, 1900 · chromolithograph
What it is
John 'Johnny' Reiff, drawn by Spy while still young enough that the caption uses the diminutive rather than his given name.
Why it matters
The younger of the two Reiff brothers followed Lester across from America to build his own name riding for English stables, part of the same wave of American jockeys who changed how the sport was ridden, not merely who won it.
What to notice
the youth Spy leaves in the face, unusual for a rider already trusted with good mounts.
A nickname can outlast the boy it was given to.
Provenance
- Maker
- Leslie Ward ('Spy'), chromolithograph, Vanity Fair, 1900
- Era
- The Victorian Turf (1837–1901)
- Chapter
- The Names on the Board
- Medium
- chromolithograph
- Made
- 1900
- Figure
- John Reiff
- 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.