Object of the Day, Museum Edition: “All Alone in Ramsgate,” 1864

The Victoria & Albert Museum
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Fridays are typically Punch & Judy days at Stalking the Belle Époque, so, let’s start with this engraving entitled “All Alone in Ramsgate and Broadstar” which dates to 1864.  This depiction of a Punch & Judy performance was drawn by one W. McConnell.  The title is written on the reverse in pencil.

This scene of a performance at the seaside would have been one to which most people in Britain could have related.  By 1864, seaside holidays were becoming increasingly popular, and by the end of the Nineteenth Century, railways made such trips accessible even to the lower classes.  

Clearly, the title is meant to be sarcastic as this crowded beach scene is anything but lonely.  Or, perhaps, the title refers to Mr. Punch himself  who, despite the many characters around him, is often alone in his Punch-ness.