It seems to be a law of nature that no man, unless he has some obvious physical deformity, ever is loth to sit for his portrait.

Beerbohm’s wry “law of nature” satirizes vanity as a near-universal human trait: most people, he suggests, are pleased to have their likeness fixed and admired, and will readily cooperate with the artist. The lone exception he grants—an “obvious physical deformity”—underscores how social judgments about appearance can override the desire for self-display. The humor depends on exaggeration and on Beerbohm’s characteristic Edwardian skepticism about self-knowledge: even those who profess modesty often welcome opportunities for flattering representation. Read more broadly, the line comments on portraiture as a social ritual, where sitter and artist collude in producing an image that confirms status and identity.