Jump to navigation

V&A logo

THE SHEEPSHANKS COLLECTION & THE ACADEMY

A Jack in Office, Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873), about 1833, Great Britain, probably, Oil on panel, 50.2 x 66.1 cm, Museum no. FA.94. Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857. The title is a slang expression for a pompous government official. It is a pun on the principal character: a Jack Russell terrier. A critic described how 'the well-fed and much caressed dog…keeps others from testing the food of which it has had too much'.

A Jack in Office, Edwin Henry Landseer

A Jack in Office
Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873)
about 1833
Great Britain, probably
Oil on panel
50.2 x 66.1 cm
Museum no. FA.94
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857

The title is a slang expression for a pompous government official. It is a pun on the principal character: a Jack Russell terrier. A critic described how 'the well-fed and much caressed dog…keeps others from testing the food of which it has had too much'.