Print of the Day: The National Punch and Judy Show, 1882

The National Punch & Judy Show
From "Truth," December, 1882
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the George Speaight Punch & Judy Archive at the V&A, we see a double-sided cutting from the periodical “Truth.” In fact, it’s the “Christmas Number,” which was entitled “The National Punch and Judy Show.” The magazine was published on December 25, 1882.

Both sides of the cutting depict illustrations which are intended to “reproduce a series of the incidents which figured in the scenes profuse” of a Punch and Judy Show which the publication states was prepared at the wish of (Prime Minister) Mr. Gladstone.

The scenes feature caricatures of various contemporary political figures in the role of Punch, including Mr. William Gladstone himself. It uses these satirical scenes to comment on issues of the day such as the demand for Irish Home Rule, the fight for Civic Reform, the consequences of the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, and the negotiations between the Russian Count Schouvaloff and the Marquis of Salisbury (then Conservative leader in the House of Lords and previously Foreign Secretary). Many political figures are depicted including: William Gladstone (1809-1898), the Marquis of Salisbury, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, (1830 -1903) and Sir Stafford H. Northcote (1818 -1887).

A short verse accompanies each illustration, referring to the events depicted, and written in a form which parodies the style of operetta which was famously popularized by Gilbert and Sullivan. 

Drawing of the Day: Punch & Judy from "The Studio," 1905

"Punch and Judy"
Margaret Lloyd
"The Studio," 1905
The George Speaight Archive
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From Britain’s “The Studio” magazine, in 1905, we see this color print depicting a Punch and Judy performance in front of a crowd of children.
Physical description

The image is circular at the top of page, and the credits are written at the bottom of the page. A sheet of tissue paper folds over to cover the page and protect the image.  The original drawing was the work of Margaret Lloyd. 

Object of the Day: A Punch Magazine from the 1937 Coronation

A new addition to my growing collection of Punch Magazines, we see here the Coronation Number from 1937 and the unexpected coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) following the Abdication Kerfuffle (TM). Filled with beautiful images—both color and black and white—Mr. Punch guides us through the Coronation celebrations with his usual style. Aided by Dog Toby, we get Punch’s take on the new king and the dawn of a new era.

Of course, in many ways, the advertisements take center stage and give us a glimpse into the fashion and technology of London in 1937. I’ll let it speak for itself.

Object of the Day: A Punch Magazine from the 1937 Coronation

A new addition to my growing collection of Punch Magazines, we see here the Coronation Number from 1937 and the unexpected coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) following the Abdication Kerfuffle (TM). Filled with beautiful images—both color and black and white—Mr. Punch guides us through the Coronation celebrations with his usual style. Aided by Dog Toby, we get Punch’s take on the new king and the dawn of a new era.

Of course, in many ways, the advertisements take center stage and give us a glimpse into the fashion and technology of London in 1937. I’ll let it speak for itself.

Drawing of the Day: Punch & Judy from "The Studio," 1905

"Punch and Judy"
Margaret Lloyd
"The Studio," 1905
The George Speaight Archive
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From Britain’s “The Studio” magazine, in 1905, we see this color print depicting a Punch and Judy performance in front of a crowd of children.
Physical description

The image is circular at the top of page, and the credits are written at the bottom of the page. A sheet of tissue paper folds over to cover the page and protect the image.  The original drawing was the work of Margaret Lloyd. 

 

Print of the Day: The Punch & Judy Show at Covent Garden, 2004

An Early Performance in Covent Garden"The Swazzle," 2004
Unknown Artist
The George Speaight Punch & Judy Archive
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Created recently for “The Swazzle,” the publication of The Punch and Judy Fellowship, this print reproduces a drawing depicting an early Punch and Judy performance in Covent Garden.  It was printed as a supplement to “The Swazzle,” No. 113, Vol. 7, Issue 10, 2004.

History's Runway: Christmas and New Year's Party Fashion Plate, 1875

Fashion Plate
The Young Ladies' Journal, 1875
Drawn in France
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Fashion plates such as this one often formed the centerpiece of publications for women—rather, they still do.  This landscape format plate from 1875 is set in a ballroom draped with garlands, and depicts twelve women and 8 small children.  Nine of the women are in party dresses with one small boy in a brown suit.

Two women in the background wear the long-sleeved day dresses which were fashionable at the time, and a third woman wears a formal reception gown with elbow-length sleeves. The others, in their party dresses, show the elaborately bustled and embellished evening gowns with low necklines and short sleeves that dominated the fashions of the 1870s.

One female child in the centre foreground holds a fashionably dressed doll, and another to the far left holds a doll dressed as a Polichinelle (the French version of Mr. Punch).

While the artwork was created in Paris, the piece was published in London, in December 1875, in “The Young Ladies' Journal.”  A descriptive line states:  “Christmas and New Year's Party Fashion Plate December 1875. The Young Ladies' Journal.”

Object of the Day: The Sketch

Hello, all.  Happy May Day.  As we enter this new month, I thought I’d share with you a gift my mom and dad recently gave me.  It’s another edition of “The Sketch.”  This one dates to February 3, 1909—the tail end of the reign of King Edward VII.

The Sketch was a British illustrated newspaper weekly.  The periodical’s main focus was which on high society and the aristocracy. The magazine ran for 2,989 issues between 1 February 1893 and 17 June 1959 and was produced by the Illustrated London News Company. 

If you’ll recall a few weeks ago when I shared with you the first copy of The Sketch that I received, the article of most interest to me was one about the evolution of Mr. Punch.  The Sketch was primarily a society magazine and boasted regular features on royalty and the aristocracy, theatre, cinema and art studies.

The periodical had a high photographic content with many studies of society ladies and their children and events of interest, especially those involving the Royal family who were featured in a special section each week.  In fact, it’s for that reason that my parents gave this magazine.  There’s a nifty article about the Royals with photos showing the female members of the Royal Family giving piggy-back rides to their children, most notably, for me, Mary of Teck who would, in just a year after this was published, become Queen Mary.

Let’s take a look inside...