Friday, July 29, 2011

Mr. Punch in the Arts: Heigh Ho! Come to the Fair! 1932

Print
British, 1932
The George Speaight Punch & Judy Collection
The Victoria & Albert Museum
This print published by Edmund Evans, Ltd. and drawn by Nina K Brisley in 1932 is entitled “Children at a Country Fair” and was produced for Child Education Publications as a fun way to encourage youngsters and their families to attend county and local fetes and fairs.
Such events are deeply entrenched in the English tradition. So, it’s only fitting that Mr. Punch—perhaps the most long-lived fictional figure in theatrical history—should act as ambassador of the gatherings which have long served as one of his most popular performing grounds. Here, we see a Punch & Judy show (featuring Mr. Punch and Toby) in mid-performance in the foreground of the print above the words, “Heigh Ho! Come to the Fair!”

A print like this depicted the innocent possibilities for entertainment available in Britain during a time when funds were limited and families were searching for low-cost fun.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello,i have had this print[original in the original frame for 2 years now,i have not been able to find any other references or images of it except on this site,i would appreciate any other information about this lovely print,ie how many were issued and if its valuable,kindest regards angela

Joseph Crisalli said...

I'm afraid I don't have much information beyond what I've written. You may contact the V&A to see what else they know. Here's a link to the print in their collection.

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1159897/george-speaight-punch-judy-collection-prints-brisley-nina-k/

Perhaps one of the readers here can add more. Good luck on your search!

Anonymous said...

thank you kindly,i shall contact the v,a,,its a hard picture to find information about but i shall try,kindest regards angela.