Unusual Artifacts: "I Don't Want a Nose Warmer" Magic Lantern Slide

Glass Magic Lantern Slide
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Ah, here’s another of the set of twelve magic lantern slides depicting Mr. Punch which were made by Theobald & Co. in the late Nineteenth Century.  This hand colored glass slide depicts the Dog Toby with Mr. Punch.  It is number four of twelve.

Here, Toby is biting Mr. Punch's nose.  Why?  Well, because it’s a long-standing part of the show.  But, also because Mr. Punch has just suggested that his canine friend might want to wear a muzzle—an idea which is met with disapproval from Toby.

The following text accompanies the slide during a magic lantern show:

Punch: Oh Toby, Toby! you’ve got 'old of my nose. I don’t want a nose warmer. Oh leave me, you’re hurting me. Toby, Toby! good dog, I didn’t mean it, it was the nasty policeman told me you would like it.


This slide immediately follows Punch's first encounter with Toby, his neighbor Scaramouche's Dog, which is depicted in the third slide in the series.  In the traditional narrative, Mr. Punch and Toby develop a close friendship and Punch takes Toby to be his own canine companion.

The third slide.