Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Tail Piece from “Points of Humour”

Tail Piece from "Points of Humour"
George Cruikshank, 1824
The British Museum

Good morning, all! I’m a bit under-the-weather again today, so, I’m all the happier that it’s a “Punch” Friday. I thought we would begin our puppet-fest with a look at piece that I’ve not seen before. It’s been tucked away in the British Museum for quite some time, and I find it quite charming.

Another of Cruikshank’s drawings for the 1824 publication of “Points of Humour,” we see here a very simple, but dynamic image of Londoners watching a Punch & Judy show. Gathered around the fit-up, we see a guardsman, a butcher boy and several children.