Print of the Day: The Comedy of the Cat, c. 1850

The Comedy of the Cat:
Behind the Curtain
1850
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This print, also from the George Speaight Archive at the V&A, depicts the inside of a Punch and Judy fit-up as a performance is taking place. The Professor holds Mr. Punch in his right hand, as is proper, and Judy in his left. On the floor, by his side, a woman is breast-feeding.   That’s not a standard feature of most fit-ups these days.  Meanwhile, a young crying child sits at her side and another child is holding a couple of puppets, waiting to hand them to the puppeteer, who is most likely her father.

The engraving is entitled “The Comedy of the Cat - Behind the Curtain.”  Cats were sometimes employed in Punch & Judy Shows when a terrier was not available to play Dog Toby.  This was, of course, before the animals took a puppet form, too. 

The engraving is from an original painting, “La Comédie du Chat. Derrière” by Jules David (1808-1892), (see below).  The print dates to 1850.