Caricature c. 1869 - 1876

Editor: This is William Rimmer's "Caricature," a pen and ink drawing. It’s giving me a strange blend of satire and sadness, especially with the figures in the background. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, Rimmer! He’s got such a quirky way of skewering the world. For me, that figure on horseback is the embodiment of self-importance, weighed down by… what *is* that on his back? A picnic basket? Editor: Looks like it! And he's carrying "Greek verbs" on a stick like a flag! Curator: Exactly! It is as if he's riding into oblivion, burdened by his own pretensions. The figures on the right are like shadows of humanity, observing his folly. It's darkly funny, don't you think? Editor: I do! It makes you wonder what Rimmer was satirizing. Maybe the pomposity of academia? Curator: Perhaps! Or maybe just the human tendency to take ourselves too seriously. A lesson we all could use, I suspect.