This caricature shows Norman Griffin (b.1887) as Jim Cheese in The Earl and the Girl by Seymour Hicks, with music by Ivan Caryll, at the Brighton Theatre Royal in June 1932. It was drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976), a rehearsal pianist and orchestral violinist at the Brighton Theatre Royal from 1932 until 1936, and at the Oxford New Theatre from 1936 for over forty years. Sommerlad sketched the stars on stage when he wasn't needed in the orchestra pit, compiling the sketches in a series of albums.

The musical comedy The Earl and the Girl was originally produced in London at the Adelphi Theatre in 1903. In this 1932 tour Norman Griffin played the leading role of Jim Cheese, an impecunious dog trainer who impersonates an Earl. Born in Cardiff, Norman Griffin was a singer and an actor who started his career touring with concert parties as a humorous entertainer, and appearing in revue, pantomime and variety. He made his first London appearance in 1916, and in 1918 took over Leslie Henson's part in Yes, Uncle!, which he played over 600 times. He regularly appeared in musical comedy and revue.