THE HISTORY OF "PUNCH"
 
 The History of 
 
 Punch 
 
 BY 
 
 M. H. SPIELMANN 
 
 With Numerous Illustrations 
 
 THIRD THOUSAND 
 
 CASSELL AND COMPANY. Limited 
 
 LOXDOX, PARIS, &= MELBOURNE 
 
 1B95 
 
 Ali EIGHTS SSSEKVED
 
 TO MV SOX 
 PERCY EDWIN SPIELMANN
 
 "pa ST 
 
 {Drawn by George dit Maurier.) 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The prevailing idea of the origin and history of Punch has 
 hitherto rested mainly on three productions : the " ^Memories " 
 of George Hodder, " Mr, Punch's Origin and Career," and 
 Mr. Joseph Hatton's delightful but fragmentary papers, 
 entitled "The True Story of Punch." So far as the last- 
 named is based upon the others, it is untrustworthy in its 
 details ; but the statements founded on the writer's own 
 knowledge and on the documentary matter in his hands, 
 as well as upon his intimac}' with Mark Lemon, possess a 
 distinct and individual value, and I have not failed to 
 avail myself in the following pages of ]Mr. Hatton's courteous 
 permission to make such use of them as might be desirable. 
 
 During the four years in which I have been engaged 
 upon this book, ni}- correspondents have been numbered bv 
 hundreds. Hardly a man living whom I suspected of ha\'ing 
 worked for Punch, but I have communicated with him ; 
 scarce one but has afforded all the information within his 
 
 *^ 
 
 2:iO^*S7
 
 viii The History of ''Punch" 
 
 knowledge in response to my application. Editor and 
 members of the Punch Staff, past and present— " outsiders," 
 equally with those belonging to "the Table "—the rela- 
 tions and friends of such as are dead, all have given their 
 help, and have shown an interest in the work which I 
 hope the result may be thought to justify. All this mass 
 of material — all the evidence, published and unpublished, that 
 was adduced in order to establish certain points and refute 
 others-^ had to be carefully sifted and collated, contrary 
 testimony weighed, and the truth detemiined. Especially 
 was this the case in dealing with the valuable reminiscences 
 imparted by Punch's earliest collaborators, still or till lately 
 living. Of undoubted contributors and their work, it may 
 be stated, more than two hundred and fifty are here dealt 
 with. A further number cheerfully submitted to cross- 
 examination on one or other of the many subjects touched 
 upon ; and probably as many more were approached with 
 only negative results. 
 
 My special thanks are due to Mrs. Chaplin, the daughter 
 of the late Mr. Ebenezer Landells, who unreservedly placed 
 in my hands all the Punch documents, legal and otherwise, 
 accounts, and letters, concerning the origin and early editor- 
 ships of Punch, which have been preserved in the family ; 
 and to Messrs. Bradbury and Agnew, who have supple- 
 mented these with similar assistance, as well as with 
 books of the Firm establishing points of literary interest not 
 hitherto suspected, together with the letters of Thackeray 
 which illustrate his early connection with and final secession 
 from the Staff. Apart from their general interest, these 
 documents, taken together, establish the facts of such very 
 vexed questions as the origin and the early editorships 
 of Punch. This is the more satisfactory, perhaps, by reason 
 of the numerous unfounded claims— or founded chiefly on 
 family tradition or filial pride and affection— which are' still 
 being made on behalf of supposed originators of the Paper. 
 Even these partisan historians, it is believed, will hardly be able 
 to resist the proofs here set forth ; although attested fact does 
 not, with them, necessarily carry comdction. For such services,
 
 Preface. ix 
 
 and for their ready and S3'mpathetic acquiescence in the requests 
 I have made for permission to quote text or reproduce en- 
 graving, my hearty thanks to Messrs. Bradbury, Agnew and 
 Co. are due. To them and to all m}- numerous correspondents 
 I here repeat the assurance of gratitude for their courtesy 
 which I have privately expressed before. 
 
 I have reproduced no more pictures from Punch than were 
 rendered necessar}' by the topics under discussion. I would 
 rather send the reader, for Punch's pictures, to the ever-fresh 
 pages of Punch itself. Nor, I may add, did I seek informa- 
 tion and assistance from its Proprietors until this book was 
 well advanced, preferring to make independent research and 
 to test statements on my own account. 
 
 My primary inducement to the writing of this book has 
 been the interest surrounding Punch, the study of which has 
 not begotten in me the hero-worship that can see no fault. 
 How far I have succeeded, it rests with the readers of this 
 volume to decide. 
 
 September, 1895. 
 
 M. H. Spielmann.
 
 AN INTRODUCTION. 
 {Front ike First Sketch by Charles H. Bennett. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Introductory i 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PUNCH'S BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 
 
 The Mystery of His Birth— Previous Unsuccessful Attempts at Solution— Proposal 
 for a "London Charivari" — Ebenezer Landells and His Notion — Joseph Last 
 Consults with Henry Mayhew — Whose Imagination is Fired — Staff Formed — 
 Prospectus — Punch is Born and Christened — The First Number . . . .10 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PUXCH'S EARLY PROGRESS AND VICISSITUDES. 
 
 Reception of Punch— Y:a.r\y Struggles— Financial Help Invoked— The First Almanac 
 — Its Enormous Success — Transfer of Punch to Bradbury and Evans — Terms of 
 Settlement — The New Firm — Punch's Special Efforts — Succession of Covers — 
 "Valentines," "Holidays," "Records of the Great Exhibition," and "At the 
 Paris Exhibition " 29 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PU.XCH DINNER AND THE PUXCH CLUB. 
 
 Origin and Antiquity of the Meal — Place of Celebration — The "Crown" — In 
 Bouverie Street and Elsewhere — The Dining-Hall — The Table— And Plans — 
 Jokes and Amenities — ^Jerrold and his "Bark" — A Night at the Dinner — From 
 Mr. Henry Silver's Diary — Loyalty and Perseverance of Diners — Charles H. 
 Bennett and the Jeu d'' esprit — Keene Holds Aloof — Business — Evolution of the 
 Cartoon — Honours Divided — Guests — Special Dinners, "Jubilee," "Thackeray," 
 " Burnand," and " Tenniel" — Dinners to Punch — The Punch Club — Exit Albert 
 Smith — High Spirits— "The Whistling Oyster" — Baylis as a Prophet— " Two 
 Pins Club" S3
 
 Contents. xi 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PVXCH AS A POLITICIAN. PAGE 
 
 Punch's Attitude — His Whiggery — .\nd Sincerity — Catholics and Jews — Home Rule 
 — European Politics — Prince Napoleon — Punch's Mistakes — His Campaign 
 against Sir James Graham — His Relations with Foreign Powers — And Compre- 
 hensive Survey of Affairs. ........... 99 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 " CHAR t VARIETIES." 
 
 Punch's Influence on Dress and Fashion — His Records — As a Prophet — As an 
 Artist — As an Actor and Dramatist — Benefit Performances — Guild of Literattu-e 
 and Art 122 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PUXCfTS JOKES— THEIR ORIGIN, PEDIGREE, AND APPROPRIATION. 
 
 " The Unknown Man " — Jokes from Scotland — " Bang went Saxpence" — " .-^dNice 
 to Persons about to Marry"- — Claimants and True Authorship — Origin of some 
 of Punch's Jokes and Pictures — Contributors of Witty Things— A Grim Coinci- 
 dence — -"I Used Your Soap Two Years Ago" — Charles Keene Offended — The 
 Serjeant-at-Arms and Mr. Furniss's Beetle — Mr. Birket Foster and Mr. Andrew 
 Tuer — Plagiarism and Repetition — The Seamy Side of Joke-editing — Punch 
 Invokes the Law- Rape of Mrs. CanAXe— Sturm und Z3ra»^— Plagiarism or 
 Coincidence?— Anticipations of the " Puppet Show " and "The Arrow" — Of 
 Joe Miller— And Others— /"wwr/i-baiting — Impossibihty of Joke-identification — 
 Repetitions and Improvements 13^ 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CARTOONS — CARTOONISTS AND THEIR WORK. 
 
 The Cartoon takes Shape — "The Parish Councils Cockatoo "—Cartoonists and 
 their Relative Achievements— John Leech's First— Rapidity in Design— " General 
 Fcvrier turned Traitor" — "The United Service" — Sir John Tenniel's Animal 
 Types—" The British Lion Smells a Rat "—The Indian Mutiny— A Cartoon of . 
 
 Vengeance— /'z/wcA and Cousin Jonathan-" Ave Caesar!" — The Franco- \J 
 
 Prussian War— The Russo-Turkish War—" The PoUtical ' Mrs. Gummidge ' " - 
 " Dropping the Pilot," its Origin and Present Ownership— " Forlorn Hope"— 
 '■ The Old Crusaders "—Troubles of the Cartoonist— The Obituary Cartoon . 168 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CARTOONS .\ND THEIR EFFECT. 
 
 Origin and Growth of the Cartoon— And of its Name— Its Reflection of Popular 
 Opinion— Source of Punch s Power— Punch's Downrightness offends France— 
 Germanv— .\nd Russia— Lord Augustus Loftus's Fix — Lord John Russell and 
 "No Pbperv"— Mr. Gladstone and Professor Ruskin on Punch's Cartoons— 
 Their Effect on Mr. Disraeli— His .Advances and Magnanimity— Rough Handling 
 of Lord Brougham— Sir Robert Peel— Lord Palmerston's Straw— Mr. Bright's 
 Eye-glass— Difficulties of Portraiture— John Bull alias Mark Lemon— Sir John 
 Tenniel's Typ>es ....■•••■•••• •'°5 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PUXCH ON THE WAR-PATH : ATTACK. 
 
 Pwwf/^ lays about Him— Assaults the "Morning Post"— The Factitious "Jenkins" 
 — Thackerav's Farewell— Mrs. Gamp (the " Morning Herald ") and Mrs. Harris 
 (the "Standard ")- Lese MajesUI—TYie " Standard " Fulminates a Leader— The 
 Retort— His Loyalty- Banters the Prince Consort— Tribute on the Prmce's 
 Death— Punch's Butts : Lord William Lennox— JuUien— Sir Peter Laurie- 
 Harrison Ainsworth-Lvtton— Turner— A Fallacy of Hope — Bume-J ones- 
 Charles Kean— S. C. Hall as " Pecksniff "—James Silk Buckingham and_ the 
 " British and Foreign Destitute "—Alfred Bunn—Pt^nch's Waterioo : " A Word 
 with Punch "— Bunn, Hot and Cross— A Second " Word " Prepared, but never 
 Uttered— Other Points of Attack ^°9
 
 Xll 
 
 The History of ''Punch': 
 
 CHAPTER X. PAGE 
 
 PUNCH ON THE WAR-PATH : COUNTER-ATTACK. 
 
 Satire and Libel-Mrs. Ramsbotham Assaulted-Attacks of "The Man in the 
 Moon" and "The Pappet-Show "-H. S. Leigh's Banter-Malic.ous Wit- 
 Mr Vmco\.l-Ptoich-s Purity gives Offence-His Slips of Bact-guotation— And 
 Dialect are Resented— His Drunkards not Appreciated by the L.K.A. — ' t'uncii 
 -' is not as good as it was ! " ^34 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ENGRAVING AND PRINTING. 
 
 Mr Joseph Swain supersedes Ebenezer Landells— His Education as Engraver- 
 Head of His Department— Engraving the Big Cut : Then and Now— Printing 
 from the Wood-blocks— Leech's Fastidiousness— Impracticability of Keene— 
 Thackeray's Little Confidence- A Record of Half a Century . . • -247 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 184I. 
 
 Mark Lemon— As Others Saw Him— His Duties— His Industry— His Staff and their 
 Apportioned Work— Lemon as an Editor— And Diplomatist— A Testimonial— 
 And a Practical Joke— Henry Mayhew— His Great Powers and Little Weak- 
 nesses—Disappointment and' Retirement— S'irling Coyne— Gilbert Abbott ;\ 
 Beckett— His Early Career— Tremendous Industry— A Beckett and Robert 
 Seymour— Appointed Magistrate— Locked in— Agnus B. Reach . . . -254 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 184I. 
 
 H. P. Grattan— W. H. Wills— R. B. Postans— Bread-Tax and Tooth-Tax— 
 G. Hodder— G. H. B. Rodwell— Douglas Jerrold— His Caustic Wit— The "Q 
 Papers"— A Statesman /6i«;- r?;-<?— His Sympathy with the Poor and Oppressed- 
 Wins for Punch his Pohtical Influence— Ill-healtii—" PwwA'j Letters"— The 
 "Jenkins" and "Pecksniff" Papers— " Mrs. Caudle "—Jerrold's Love of 
 Children, common to the Staff— He Silences his Fellow-wits— And is Routed by 
 a Barmaid— He sends his Love to the Staff— And they prove theirs . . .282 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 184I-2. 
 
 Percival Leigh— His Medical Shrewdness— Unsuspected Wealth— His Ability and 
 
 Work— His Decay— Kindness of the Proprietors to the Old Pensioner— Albert 
 
 Smith— Inspires varied Sentiments— Jerrold's Hostility— " Lord Smith"— Parts 
 
 - ■ Company— H. A. Kennedy— Dr. Maginn— John Oxenford— W. M. Thackeray— 
 
 \ji "-' His First Contribution— " Miss Tickletoby " Fails to Please— He Withdraws— 
 
 aV And Resumes— Rivalry with Jerrold— As an Illustrator— A Mysterious Picture— 
 
 V Thackeray's Contributions— And Pseudonyms — Quaint Orthography— " The 
 
 Snobs of England '—He Tires of Punch— H\s Motives for Resignation— The 
 
 Letter— Death of " Dear Old Thack "-/"////cA'j Tribute to his Memory . . 299 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 1843-5I. 
 
 Horace Mayhew— " The Wicked Old Marquis"— A Birthday Ode— R. B. Peake— 
 Thomas Hood — "The Song of the Shirt "—Its Origin — Its Effect in the Country 
 — Its Authorship Claimed by Others — Translated throughout Europe — A Missing 
 Verse — Hood Compared with Jerrold — "Reflections on New Year's Day" — 
 Dr. E. V. Kenealy — J. W. Ferguson — Charles Lever — Laman Blanchard— Tom 
 Taylor — Passed over by Shirley Brooks — Taylor's Critics — Mr. Coventry Patmore 
 — "Jacob Omnium" — Tennyson v. Bulwer Lytton — Horace Smith — "Rob 
 Roy" Macgregor — Mr. Henry Silver — Introduces Charles Keene — His literary 
 Work — Service to Leech — Retirement — Mr. Sutherland Edwards — Charles 
 Dickens and Punch — Sothern Earns his Dinner — Reconciliation of Dickens 
 and Mark Lemon — J. L. Hannay — Cuthbert Bede ...... 327
 
 Contents. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 1852-78. PAGE 
 
 Shirley Brooks — His ^^'it and Humour— Training— Lays Siege to Punch — And 
 Carries him by Assault—" Essence of Parliament'"— William Brough — Mr. 
 Beatty Kingston— F. I. Sculamore- M. J. Barry— Dean Hole—Mr. Charles L. 
 Eastlake— Mr. Francis Cowley Burnand— His Little Joke with Cardinal Manning 
 — " Fun" — " Mokeanna " — Its Success — Thackeray's Congratulations to Punch 
 —"Happy Thoughts "—And Other Happy Thoughts— Mr. Burnand as a Ground- 
 Swell— Promoted to the Editorship — The Apotheosis of the Pan— Mr. J. Priest- 
 man Atkinson— Mr. John Hollingshead — Mr. R. F. Sketchley — " Artemus Ward " 
 — .\ Death-bed Ambition — H. Savile Clarke — Locker- Lampson and C. S. Calverley 
 — Miss Betham-Edwards — Mr. du Manner's "Vers Nonsensiques " — Mr. A. P. 
 Graves — Rev. Stainton Moses — Mr. Arthur W. 4 Beckett — "A. Briefless, Junior" 
 —Mortimer Collins— Mr. E. J. Milliken— " The 'Arry Papers "-Gilbert k Beckett 
 — " How we Advertise Now " — Mr. H. F. Lester — Mr. Burnand and the Corporal 356 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 PUSCH-S WRITERS : 1880-94. 
 
 "Robert" — Mr. Deputy Bedford — Mr. Ashby-Sterry — Reginald Shirley Brooks- 
 Mr. George Augustus Sala — Mr. Clement Scott — The " Times " Approves — Mr. 
 H. W. Lucy — "Toby, M.P. " — Martin Tupper and Edmund Yates — Mr. George 
 Grossmith — Mr. Weedon Grossmith — Mr. Andrew Lang's "Confessions of a 
 Duffer " — Miss May Kendall — Miss Burnand — Lady Humorists — Mr. Brandon 
 Thomas and Mr. Gladstone -Mr. Warham St. Leger — Mr. Anstey — "Modern 
 Music-hall .Songs " — "Voces Populi " — Mr. R. C. Lehmann — Mr. Barry Pain — 
 Mr. H. P. Stephens — Mr. Charles Geake — Mr. Gerald Campbell — R. F. Murray 
 —Mr. George Davis —Mr. Arthur A. Sykes — Rev. A. C. Deane — Mr. Owen Seaman 
 — Lady Campbell — Mr. James Payn — Mr. H. D. Traill — Mr. A. Armilage — Mr. 
 Hosack — "Arthur Sketchley "—Henry J. Byron — /^««c/i'5 Literature Considered 385 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 PUNCH'S ARTISTS : 184I. 
 
 /'itnch's Primitive Art — A. .S. Henning — Brine — A Strange Doctrine — John Phillips 
 — W. Newman — Pictorial Puns — H. G. Hine — John Leech — His Early Life — 
 Friendship w ith Albert Smith— Leech Helps Punch up the Social Ladder — His 
 Political Work — Leech Follows the "Movements" — " Servantgalism " — "The 
 Brook Green \'olunteer "— The Great Beard Movement — Sothern's Indebtedness 
 to Leech for Lord Dundreaiy — Crazes and Fancies — Leech's Types — "Mr. 
 Briggs " — Leech the Hunter — Leech as a Reformer — Leech as an Artist — His 
 "Legend" Writing — His Prejudices — His Death — And Funeral . . . 409 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 ruVCH'S ARTISTS: 1841-50. 
 
 William Harvey — Mr. Birket Foster — Kenny Meadows— His Joviality — Alfred 
 " Crowquill " — Sir John Gilbert — Exit "Rubens" — Hablot Knight Browne 
 ("Phiz") — Henry Heath — Mr. R. J. Hamerton — W. Brown— Richard Doyle — 
 Desires Pseudonymity — His Protest against Punch's "Papal Aggression" 
 Campaign — \\'ithdraws — His Art — Epitaph by Punch — Henry Doyle — T. 
 Onwhyn — "Rob Roy" Macgregor — William McConnell— Sir John Tenniel — 
 His Career — And I'echnique — His Early Work — Cartoons — His Art — His 
 Memory and its Lapses — ' ' Jackldes " — Knighthood 444 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 PUNCH'S ARTISTS : 1850-60. 
 
 Captain Howard— Receipt for Landscape Drawing— Earnings, Real and Ideal- 
 George H. Thomas — Charles Keene — His Training — Introduction to Punch— 
 Called to the Table— Uselessness in Council— A Strong Politician — Inherits 
 Leech's Position— Keene as an Artist— Where He Failed — His Joke-Primers — 
 Torturing the Bagpipes— Good Stories, Used, Spoiled, and Rejected — "Toby" 
 as a Dachshund — Death of " Frau " — Keene's Technique — His Inventions and 
 Creations— And what He Earned by Them— Charles Martin- Harry Hall- 
 Rev. Edward Bradley (" Cuthbert Bade") — "Verdant Green" or "Blanco
 
 XIV 
 
 The History of "Punch:' 
 
 PA-SB 
 
 ■nruf„"j n^nhlP Acrostics — George Cruikshank Defies Punch — 'Sir. T. 
 mr rn<^to7 wTson-M^^^ Weir-Mr. Ashby-Sterry- Alfred Thompson 
 
 "Sk BelleNV-Julian Portch-' ' Cham "-G. H. Haydon-J. M. Lasvless . 475 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 PUNCH'S ARTISTS : 1860-67. 
 
 vrr a du Mauriers First Drawing-The "Romantic Tenor "-Polite Satire— 
 Hi^Vvnpf/nd Creations-His Pretty Women-And Fair American-" ' Chang, 
 "do?'' Ld '^Puncr-M du Maurier as a Punch Writer-Mr. Gordon 
 Ti?ompson-Mr. Stacy Marks. R. A. -Paul Gray-Sir John Mil.ais^ Bart. R^ 
 -Mr. Fred Barnard-First Joke Refused as ''Painful -Mr. R. T. P"tchett- 
 InitiationbySirJohnTenniel-Fritz Eltze-H.s Amiable Joculanty-Mr A. R. 
 Fairfied-Colonel Seccombe-Fred Walker, A.R.A -Mr. J. Pr.estman Atkinson 
 rDumbCrambo")-C.H. Bennett-Mr. W. S Gilbert f' Bab )-H.s Classic 
 Joke-G. B. Goddard— Miss Georgina Bowers— Mr. Walter Crane . . .303 
 
 CHAPTER XXH. 
 
 ruxcus ARTISTS : 1867-82. 
 Mr Linley Sambourne -His Work-His Photographs-And Enterprise-Strasynski 
 _Mr Wilfrid Lawson-Mr. E. J. Ellis-Mr. Ernest Gnset-Mr A. Chasemore 
 —Mr Walter Browne-Mr. Briton Riviere, R.A.— An Lndergraduate Humorist 
 -A Punch Initial Converted into an Academy Picture -Mrs -J ophng Roxve-Mr. 
 Wallis Mackay-Mr. J. Sands-Mr. W. Ralston - Mr. \. Chantrey Corbould- 
 Charles Keene's Advice -Randolph CaldecGH-Major-General Robley-R. B. 
 Wallace— Colonel Ward Bennitt— Mr. Montagu Blatchford— Mr. Harry hurniss 
 — Orio-in of Mr. Gladstones Collars— A Favourite Ruse— How It s Done- 
 Mr F^urniss and the Irish Members -The Lobby Incident— Clever Retaliation- 
 Mr'. Furniss's Withdrawal— Mr. LiUie-Mr. Storey, A.R.A.— Mr. Alfred Bryan . 531 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 PUNCH'S ARTI.STS : 1882-95. 
 
 Mr. William Padgett-Mr. E. M. Co.x-Mr. J. P. Mellor-Sir F. Leigh ton Bart. 
 Y>R \ —Mr G. H. Jalland— Monsieur Darrc- Mr. E. T. Reed— His Original 
 Humour— "Contrasts" and "Prehistoric Peeps "— Approved by Sports 
 Committees and School Classes— Mr. Maud— .\ Useful Drain— Mr. Bernard 
 Partrid"-e— Fine QuaUties of his Art— Mr. Everard Hopkins— Mr. Reginald 
 Cleaver— Mr W. J. Hodgson— Excites the Countryside- Miss Sambourne— 
 Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C., M.P.— Mr. Arthur Hopkins— Mr. J. F. Sullivan- 
 Mr. J. .\. Shepherd— Mr. A. S. Boyd— Mr. Phil May— .\ Test of Drunkenness- 
 Mr. Stafford— " Caran d' Ache "—Conclusion 558 
 
 Appendix 573 
 
 Index 581 
 
 MR. PUNCH. 
 {Drawn by Harry Furttiss.)
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 "The ^Mahogany Tree." By Linley 
 Sambourne . . . Frontis. 
 
 Headpiece to Preface. By G. du 
 Maurier ...... vii 
 
 An Introduction. From First Sketch 
 by C. H . Bennett . . . . - x 
 
 Mr. Punch. By Harry Furniss . xiv 
 
 Mr. Punch portrayed by Different 
 Hands ...... 7 
 
 Ebenezer Landells .... 15 
 
 Prospectus of Punch, Facsimile of 
 Mark Lemon's MS. . . . 20-22 
 
 Preliminary Leaflet .... 23 
 
 .Signatures to the Original Agreement 25 
 First Cover of Pu?ich. By A. S. 
 Henning ..... 27 
 
 The Four Earlier Proprietors . . 37 
 The Five Later Proprietors . . 39 
 Second Cover. By "Phiz" . . 42 
 Third Proposed Cover. By H. G. 
 
 Hine 43 
 
 Third Cover. By W. Harvey . . 44 
 Fourth Cover. I3v Sir John Gilbert, 
 
 R.A. . . ' . . . .45 
 Fifth Cover. By Kenny Meadows . 46 
 Sixth Cover. First Design. By 
 
 Richard Doyle ... .47 
 Sixth Cover. Second Design. By 
 
 Richard Dovle .... 48 
 The First Piinck Table : ' ' Crown 
 
 Inn" 57 
 
 The Present Punch Table : Bouverie 
 
 Street 59 
 
 Twenty-six Initials Carved upon the 
 
 Table 60-75 
 
 The Dinner Card . . . . 69 
 "Peel's Dirty Boy": Leech's First 
 
 Sketch 112 
 
 " Peel's Dirty Boy " : The Cartoon . 113 
 The Anti-Graham Envelope . -115 
 Punch' s_Anii-Gra.ha\r\ Wafers . .117 
 The Draughtsman's Revenge . . 127 
 Bennett's Benefit — The Cast . . 133 
 
 Playbill of the Guild of Literature and 
 
 Art 137 
 
 Musical : First Sketch. By Henry 
 
 Walker 148 
 
 Musical : Drawing. By G. du 
 Maurier ...... 149 
 
 The Political " Pas de Quatre." By 
 A. S. Henning .... 154 
 
 The Political "Pas de Quatre." By 
 
 J. Leech 155 
 
 General Fcvrier. By J. Leech . . 175 
 The " Pas de Deux : "Original Draw- 
 ing. By Sir John Tenniel . . 178 
 
 ' ' The Political Mrs. Gummidge." By 
 
 Sir John Tenniel .... 181 
 Portraits of Beaconsfield. Re-drawn 
 
 by Harry Furniss .... 201 
 ' ' The Mrs. Caudle of the House of 
 
 Lords : " Original Sketch. By J. 
 
 Leech ...... 203 
 
 Portraits of Gladstone. Re-drawn by 
 
 Harry Furniss .... 207 
 
 Maternal Solicitude. By J. Leech . 212 
 
 " A Word with Punch " . . . 229 
 
 Joseph Swain ..... 247 
 
 Mark Lemon ..... 254 
 
 " Mr. Punch's Fancy Ball " . . 261 
 
 Portraits of Piaich Staff . . . 262 
 
 Lemon's Presentation Inkstand . . 264 
 
 Henr\' Mayhew 268 
 
 J. Stirling Coyne .... 271 
 
 Gilbert Abbott a Beckett . . . 272 
 
 Douglas Jerrold ..... 284 
 
 Albert Smith 303 
 
 lohn Oxenford ..... 308 
 
 W. M. Thackeray .... 309 
 Thackeray and Jerrold ("Authors' 
 
 Miseries") 3^^ 
 
 Thackeray's Presentation Inkstand . 321 
 Thackeray at Work. Bv E. M. Ward, 
 
 R.A 325 
 
 Horace Mayhew. .... 327 
 
 Thomas Hood 330 
 
 Tom Taylor 338 
 
 Leech, Tom Taylor, and part of 
 
 Horace Mayhew. By R. Doyle . 339 
 
 Henrj' Silver 347 
 
 Dickens' Sole (and Rejected) Con- 
 tribution 350 
 
 J. Hannay 354 
 
 Shirlev Brooks 356 
 
 F. C.'Bumand 363 
 
 R. F. Sketchley 369 
 
 ' ' Artemus Ward " . . . . 37° 
 H. Savile Clarke . . . -371 
 
 Arthur W. a Beckett .... 375 
 
 E. J. Milliken 378 
 
 Gilbert a Beckett . . . .381 
 
 Punch s Familv Trees . . . 382 
 
 John T. Bedford . . .385 
 
 J. Ashbv-Sterrv- 386 
 
 H. W. Lucy 390 
 
 F. Anstey 39^ 
 
 R. C. Lehmann 401 
 
 A. S. Henning . . . - -411 
 
 H. G. Hme 4^4 
 
 Punch s Seal. Bv H. G. Hine . . 415 
 John Leech. Bv Sir y. E. Millais, 
 
 Bart., R.A. .' . . . .418
 
 XVI 
 
 The History of "Punch" 
 
 "How long have you been gay f" By 
 
 T Leech • • * ' " 
 
 • ■ Leech's ' Prettv Girl '" : A Skit. By 
 
 Sir J. E. Millais, Bart., R.A. . 
 Leech's House in Kensington. By J. 
 
 Fullevlove, R.L . . • • 
 The Historical Ash-tree in Leech s 
 
 Garden. Bv J. FuUeylove, R.L . 
 " Two Roses": Sketch by John Leech 
 A Page from Leech's Sketch- Book : 
 
 My Lord Brougham 
 Kennv Meadows . 
 Alfred " Crowquill " . . . 
 HablotK. Browne ("Phiz ) . 
 
 R. J. Hamerton 
 
 W. McConnell . . • • • 
 
 Sir J. Tenniel. By Himself 
 
 Sketch for the Pocket-Book, "Arthur 
 
 and Guinevere." By Sir John 
 
 Tenniel . . • • ; .• 
 Sketch for the Cartoon^ " W ill it 
 
 Burst?" By Sir John lenniel 
 Sketch for the Pocket-Book : ' ' Thor." 
 
 By Sir John Tenniel 
 Sketch for the Cartoon " Humpty- 
 
 Dumpty." By Sir John Tenniel . 
 Captain H. R. Howard 
 Charles S. Keene. By J. D. Watson 
 Keene torturing the Bagpipes. By 
 
 Himself 
 
 From Keene to his Editor . 
 
 " Frau," n/ias " Toby "—Keene's last 
 
 Drawing. ..... 
 
 " Cuthbert Bede " . 
 
 T. Harrington Wilson. By T. Walter 
 
 Wilson ...••• 
 George du Maurier .... 
 "My Pretty Woman." By G. du 
 
 Maurier 
 
 PAGE PAGE 
 
 Pencil Study. By G. du Maurier . 509 
 
 428 "Chang." By G. du Maurier . . 514 
 
 "Don." By G. du Maurier . . 515 
 
 431 Pencil Study. By G. du Maurier . 516 
 
 Pencil Study. By G. du Maurier . 517 
 
 438 Fred Barnard. A Libel on Himself . 518 
 R. T. Pritchett 520 
 
 439 J. Priestman Atkinson . . ■ 5^4 
 
 440 In a Hansom with Mark Lemon. By 
 J. Priestman Atkinson . . . 524 
 
 441 C. H. Bennett. By Himself . . 525 
 447 Mrs. Bowers-Edwards (Miss G. 
 
 450 Bowers) 5^9 
 
 451 Linley Sambourne. By Himself . 531 
 453 Ernest Griset ..... 53^ 
 
 461 Mr. Griset introduces himself to Mark 
 
 462 Lemon 53^ 
 
 J. Movr Smith 54^ 
 
 T. Sands 542 
 
 464 W. Ralston 543 
 
 A. Chantrev Corbould . . . 544 
 
 465 jSI. Blatchford 548 
 
 E. J. Wheeler 549 
 
 468 Harry Furniss 549 
 
 Pjtnch as the Bishop of Lincoln. By 
 
 469 Harry Furniss .... 550 
 475 Mr. Gladstone Collared. By Harry 
 478 Furniss 55^ 
 
 Two Friends. By Harry Furniss . 554 
 
 485 "A Happv Release:" A Rejected 
 
 486 Trifle. By C. T- Lillie . . .556 
 E. T. Reed. By Himself . . . 560 
 
 488 J. Bernard Partridge. By Hirhself . 564 
 
 492 Phil May at Work. By Himself . 568 
 
 Phil May as Punch. By Himself . 570 
 
 497 The /'?<«f/i Staff at Table, 1895. . 571 
 
 503 "Finale." By Linley Sambourne . 572 
 
 j Index. Original Sketch. By Charles 
 
 508 1 Keene 581 
 
 The ent^ravings here borrowed from Punch are reproduced (in all cases in smaller 
 sizes) by special permission of the Proprietors, Messrs. Bradbur\-, Agnew & Co. The 
 Portrait of Charles Keene by J. D. Watson, and of Himself with the Bagpipes, were 
 first published in Black and White, through whose courtesy they appear here. To all 
 who have accorded the various permissions for reproductions, or who have lent drawings 
 for the better illustration of this volume, the acknowledgments of the writer are grate- 
 fully recorded. The Copyright of the illustrations is in every case strictly reserved.
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY OF "PUNCH." 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 "If humour only meant laughter," said Thackeray, in his 
 essav on the English humorists, " you would scarcely feel 
 more interest about humorous writers than the life of poor 
 Harlequin, who possesses with these the power of making 
 3^ou laugh. But the men regarding whose lives and stories 
 you have curiosity and sympathy appeal to a great number of 
 our other faculties, besides our mere sense of ridicule. The 
 humorous writer professes to awaken and direct your \o\e, 
 your pity, your kindness ; your scorn of untruth, pretension, 
 imposture ; your tenderness for the weak, the poor, the 
 oppressed, the unhappy. To the best of his means and 
 abilitv he comments on all the ordinary actions and passions 
 of life almost." 
 
 ~ It mav surely be claimed that these words, consecrated 
 to his mighty predecessors by the Great Humorist of Punch, 
 may be applied without undue exaggeration to his colleagues 
 on the paper. Though posing at first only as the puppet who 
 waded knee-deep in comic vice, Punch has worked as a 
 teacher as well as a jester— a leader, and a preacher of 
 kindness. Nor was it simple humour that was PnncK s 
 profession at the beginning ; he always had a more serious 
 and, so to say, a worthier object in view. This may be 
 gathered from the verv first article in the ^■erv first number. 
 
 B
 
 2 The History of "Punch:' 
 
 the manifesto of the band of men who started it, contributed 
 by Mark Lemon, under the title of— 
 
 "THE MORAL OF PUNCH:' 
 
 " As we hope, gentle public, to pass man}- happy hours in 
 your society, we think it right that you should know something 
 of our character and intentions. Our title, at a first glance, 
 may have misled you into a belief that we have no other inten- 
 tion than the amusement of a thoughtless crowd, and the collection 
 of pence. We have a higher object. Few of the admirers of our 
 prototype, merry Master Punch, have looked upon his vagaries 
 but as the practical outpourings of a rude and boisterous mirth. 
 We have considered him as a teacher of no mean pretensions, 
 and have, therefore, adopted him as the sponsor for our weekly 
 sheet of pleasant instruction. When we have seen him parading 
 in the glories of his motley, flourishing his baton in time with 
 his own unrivalled discord, by which he seeks to win the attention 
 and admiration of the crowd, what visions of graver puppetry 
 have passed before our eyes ! .... Our ears have rung with 
 the noisy frothiness of those who have bought their fellow-men 
 as beasts in the market-place, and found their reward in the 
 sycophancy of a degraded constituency, or the patronage of a 
 venal ministry — no matter of what creed, for party must destroy 
 patriotism. ... 
 
 " There is one portion of Punch's drama we wish was omitted, 
 for it always saddens us — we allude to the prison scene. Punch, 
 it is true, sings in durance, but we hear the ring of the bars 
 mingling with the song. We are advocates for the correction 
 of offenders ; but how many generous and kindly beings are there 
 pining within the walls of a prison whose onl}- crimes are poverty 
 and misfortune ! . . . 
 
 " We now come to the last great lesson of our motley teacher 
 — the gallows ; that accursed tree which has its root in injuries. 
 How clearly Punch exposes the fallacy of that dreadful law which 
 authorises the destruction of life ! Punch sometimes destroys the 
 hangman, and why not ? Where is the divine injunction against 
 the shedder of man's blood to rest ? None can answer ! To us 
 there is but One disposer of life. At other times Punch hangs 
 the devil : this is as it should be. Destroy the principle of evil 
 by increasing the means of cultivating the good, and the gallows • 
 will then become as much a wonder as it is now a jest. . . . 
 
 " As on the stage of Punch's theatre many characters appear
 
 ''Punch's'' Programme. 3 
 
 to till up the interstices of the more important story, so our pages 
 will be interspersed with trifles that have no other object than 
 the moment's approbation— an end which will never be sought 
 for at the expense of others, beyond the evanescent smile of a 
 harmless satire." 
 
 A portion of this programme was duly eliminated by 
 the abolition of the Fleet and the Marshalsea ; and it must 
 be admitted that Punch has long since forgotten his declared 
 crusade against capital punishment. But he has been other- 
 wise busy. His sympathy for the poor, the starving, the ill- 
 housed, and the oppressed ; for the ill-paid curate and the 
 worse- paid clerk ; for the sempstress, the governess, the 
 shop-girl, has been with him not only a religion, but a 
 passion. Professor Ruskin, judging only by Punch' s pictures, 
 and that a little narrowh', has thought otherwise. Punch " has 
 never in a single instance," says he in his " Art of England," 
 " endeavoured to represent the beauty of the poor. On the 
 contrary, his witness to their degradation, as inevitable con- 
 sequences of their London life, is constant and, for the most 
 part, contemptuous." 
 
 Truth to tell, Punch has been kindly from the first ; and 
 a man of mettle, too. None has been too exalted or too 
 powerful for attack ; withal, his assaults, in comparison with 
 those of his scurrilous contemporaries, have been moderate 
 and gentlemanly in tone. He has attacked abuses from the 
 highest to the lowest. Sham gentility, vulgar ostentation, 
 crazes and fads, linked ^estheticism long drawn out, foolish 
 costume, silly affectations of fashion in compliment and 
 language — all have been set up as targets for his shafts of 
 ridicule or scorn. He has been a moral refomier and a dis- 
 interested critic. A liberal-minded patriot, he has ever opposed 
 the advocacy of '' Little Peddhngton " in Imperial politics ; 
 and municipal maladministration is a perennial subject for his 
 denunciations. He has been a kindly cauteriser of social 
 sores ; caustic, but rarely vindictive. Spiritualism, Socialism, 
 Ibsenism, Walt Whitmania — all the movements and sensations 
 of the day, social, political, and artistic, in so tar as they 
 are follies— have been shot at as they rose. And having 
 
 B 2
 
 4 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 conquered his position, Punch has known how to retain it. 
 '' The clown," says Ohver Wendell Holmes, " knows his place 
 to be at the tail of the procession." It is to Punch's honour 
 that with conscious dignity— and, of course, with conscious 
 impudence— he took his place at its head. And there he has 
 stayed'; and transforming his pages into the Royal Academy 
 of pictorial satire, his alone among all the comic papers has 
 forced its way into the library and taken up its position in 
 the boudoir. His workers are the best available in the land ; 
 and when in course of time one contributor falls away, 
 another is ready to step quickly into his place — uno avulso 
 non deficit alter. 
 
 So Pmich — who for many years past has set up as the 
 incarnation of all that is best in wit and virtue — is a scholar 
 and a gentleman. He is, moreover, on his own showing, a 
 perfect combination of humour, wisdom, and honour ; and 
 yet, in spite of it all, not a bit of a prig. It is true that 
 when he donned the dress-coat, and ''Punch" and "Toby" 
 put on airs as " Mr. Punch " and " Toby, M.P.," he became 
 milder at the expense of some of his political influence. 
 Yet what he lost in power he gained in respectability, as well 
 as in the affection of his countrymen. He appealed to a 
 higher class, to the greater constituency of the whole nation ; 
 and remembering that a jest's prosperity lies in the ear that 
 hears it, he transferred some of his allegiance from pit to 
 stalls, and was content with the well-bred smile where before 
 he had been eager for noisy laughter and loud applause. 
 
 People say — among them Mr. du Maurier himself — that 
 there does not seem quite as much fun and jollity in the 
 world as when John Leech was alive ; but that surely is 
 only the wail of the middle-aged. Englishmen never 
 were uproarious in their mirth, as Froissart once reminded 
 us. But it is true that Punch does not indulge so much 
 as once he did in caricature — which after all, as Car- 
 lyle has pointed out, is not Humour at all, but Drollery. 
 Caricature, one must remember, has two mortal enemies — a 
 small and a great : artistic excellence of draughtsmanship, 
 and national prosperity with its consequent contentment.
 
 The Nature of Caricature. 5 
 
 Good harvests beget good-humour. They stifle all motive 
 for genuine caricature, for " satire thrives onh' on the wrath 
 of the multitude." A joke may be only a joke — or a 
 comedy, or a tragedy ; but the greatest caricature (which 
 need by no means display the greatest art) is necessarily that 
 which goes straightest to the heart and mind. Xo drawing 
 is true caricature which does not make the beholder think, 
 whether it springs simply from good-humour or has its source 
 in the passion of contempt, hatred, or revenge, of hope or 
 despair. Mere amusement, said Swift, '' is the happiness of 
 those who cannot think," while Humour, to quote Carlyle 
 again, " is properh- the exponent of low things ; that which 
 first renders them poetical to the mind." Through this truth 
 we may see how Punch has so continually dealt with vulgarity 
 without being vulgar ; while many of his so-called rivals, 
 touching the self-same subjects, have so tainted themselves as 
 to render them fitter for the kitchen than the drawing-room, 
 throudi lack of this saving grace. Fun mav have been in 
 their jokes, but not true humour. Punch thus became to 
 London much what the Old Comedy was to Athens ; and, 
 whatever individual critics may say, he is recognised as the 
 Nation's Jester, though he has always sought to do what 
 Swift declared was futile — to work upon the feelings of the 
 vulgar with fine sense, which '' is like endeavouring to hew 
 blocks with a razor." 
 
 If there is one thing more than another on which Punch 
 prides himself — on which, nevertheless, he is constantly 
 reproached bv those who would see his pages a remorse- 
 less mirror of human weakness and vice — it is his purity 
 and cleanness ; his abstention from the unsavoury subjects 
 which form the principal stock-in-trade of the French humor- 
 ist. This trait was Thackeray's delight. " As for your 
 morality, sir," he wrote to Mr. Punch, 'Mt does not become 
 me to compliment you on it before your venerable tace ; but 
 permit me to sa}- that there never was before published in 
 this world so many volumes that contained so much cause 
 for laughing, and so little for blushing; so many jokes, and so 
 little harm. Whv, sir, say even that your modest}-, which
 
 6 The History of "Punch." 
 
 astonishes me more and more every time I regard you, is 
 calculated, and not a virtue naturally inherent in you, that 
 ver)- fact would argue for the high sense of the public morahty 
 among us. We will laugh in the company of our \%ives and 
 children ; we will tolerate no indecorum ; we like that our 
 matrons and girls should be pure." 
 
 It was not till the great occasion of his Jubilee that the 
 Merrv Old Gentleman of Fleet Street, who 'Hiath no Party 
 save Mankind ; no Leader— but Himself," discovered the full 
 measure of his popularity. The day broke for him amid a 
 chorus of greeting— a perfect pEean of triumph, in which his 
 own trumpet was not the softest blown. It is not an exagger- 
 ation to sav that the Press of the world welcomed the fiftieth 
 anniversary of his birth, and that with a cordiality and 
 unanimitv never before accorded to any paper. Hardly a 
 journal in the English-speaking world but commented on the 
 event with kindly s\Tnpathy ; hardly one that marred the 
 celebration with an ill-humoured reflection. Pencil as well 
 as pen was put to it to do honour to the greatest comic 
 paper in the world, and demonstrate in touching friendliness 
 the confraternity of the Press. 
 
 For the public. Punch issued his "Jubilee number" and, 
 in accordance with the promise given in the first volume fifty 
 years before, he produced in his hundredth a brief histor\' of 
 his career and the names of the men who made it, modestly 
 ad\-ising his readers to secure a set of his back volumes as the 
 real " Hundred Best Books." For himself, he dined with the 
 Staff at the " Ship Hotel " at Greenwich, when the Editor, 
 who occupied the chair, was feted by the proprietors of the 
 paper and received a suitable memento of the glorious event. 
 
 And what may appear to some as the most curious cele- 
 bration of all was a solemn religious celebration — nothing less 
 than a Te Deum — in honour of the occasion. It sounds at 
 first, perhaps, a little like a joke — though not in good enough 
 taste to be one of Mr. Punch's own ; but the service was 
 held ; and when regarded in the light shed upon it by the 
 Rev. J. de Kewer Williams, the incongruity of it almost dis- 
 appears. " I led my people yesterday," he wrote, " in giving
 
 MR. PUNCH PORTRAYED BY DIFFERENT HANDS 
 
 [See p. 9.
 
 y The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 thanks on the occasion of your Jubilee, praying that you might 
 ever be as discreet and as kindly as you have always been. 
 The prayer spoken in the pulpit appropriately ended as follows : 
 " For it' is so easv to be witty and wicked, and so hard to be 
 witty and wise. "May its satire ever be. as good and genial, 
 and 'the other papers follow its excellent example!" 
 
 The public tribute was not less cordial and smcere, and 
 poetic effusions flowed in a gushing stream. But none of 
 these verses, doggerel and otherwise, expressed more felici- 
 tously the general' feeling than those which had been written 
 some years before by Henry J. Byron-(who had himself 
 attempted to establish a rival to Punch, but had been 
 crushed b\- the greater weight)— one of his verses running :— 
 
 " From 'Forty-one to present times 
 
 How much these pages speak, 
 And Punch still bids us look into 
 
 The middle of next week ; 
 And that's a Wednesday, as we kn( w, 
 
 When still our friend appears. 
 As honest, fearless, bright, and pure 
 
 As in the bygone years." 
 
 But greater far than the public esteem is the affection of the 
 Staff, who naturally enough regard the personality of Punch 
 with a good deal more than ordinary loyal sentiment and 
 esprit de corps. It is interesting to observe the different views 
 the artists have severally taken of it, for most of them in turn 
 have attempted his portrayal. Brine regarded him as a mere 
 buffoon, devoid of either dignity or breeding ; Crowquill, as 
 a grinning, drum-beating Showman ; Doyle, Thackeray, and 
 others adhered to the idea of the Merry, but certainly not 
 uproarious. Hunchback ; Sir John Tenniel showed him as a 
 yi\'ified puppet, all that was earnest, responsible, and wise, 
 laughing and high-minded ; Keene looked on him generally as 
 a youngish, bright-eyed, but apparently brainless gentleman, 
 afflicted with a pitiable deformity of chin, and sometimes 
 of spine; Sir John Gilbert as a rollicking Polichinelle, and 
 Kenny Meadows as Punchinello ; John Leech's conception,
 
 Portraits of "Punch." 9 
 
 originall}' inspired, no doubt, by George Criiikshank's cele- 
 brated etchings, was the embodiment of everything that was 
 jolly and all that was just, on occasion terribly severe, half 
 flesh, half wood — the father, manifestly, of Sir John Tenniel's 
 impro\'ed figure of more recent times. Ever}- artist — Mr. 
 du Maurier, Mr. Sambourne, ]Mr. Furniss, and the rest — has 
 had his own ideal ; and it is curious to observe that in his 
 realisation of it, each has illustrated or betrayed in just 
 measure the strength or weakness of his own imagination. 
 
 Some of these portraits, characteristic examples of Pimch's 
 leading artists, are reproduced on page 7, arranged according 
 to authorship, thus : — 
 
 W. Newman Kenny Meadows R. Doyle 
 
 W. M. Thackeray J. Leech (i) J. Tenniel (i) 
 
 C. Keene J. Leech (2) G. du Maurier 
 
 L. Sambourne (i) J. Tenniel (2) F. Eltze 
 
 L. Sambourne (2) J. Tenniel (3) H. Furniss
 
 lO 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PUNCH'S BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 
 
 The Mystery of His Birth— Previous Unsuccessful Attempts at Solution- 
 Proposal for a "London Charivari "—Ebenezer Landells and His Notion 
 —Joseph Last Consults with Henry Mayhew — Whose Imagination is 
 Fired— Staff Formed— Prospectus— P»«rA is Born and Christened— The 
 First Number. 
 
 It should be counted against neither the fair fame nor the 
 reputation of Picnch that the facts of his birth have never j^et 
 been definite!}^ and honourably established. It is not that his 
 parentage has been lost to history in a discreet and charitable 
 silence ; on the contrary, it is rather that that honour has been 
 claimed by over-many, covetous of the distinction. He seems 
 to come within the category of Defoe's true-bom English- 
 man, "whose parents were the Lord knows who," not 
 because there should be any doubt upon the subject, but 
 because none suspected at the time the latent importance of 
 the bantling and the circumstances of his birth until it seemed 
 too late to decide b}' demonstration or simple affirmation who 
 was father and who the sponsors. Had it then been known 
 that PuncJi was born for immortalit}', I should not now be 
 at the pains of setting forth, at greater length than would 
 otherwise be necessary or justifiable, the proofs of his parent- 
 age and of his natal place. 
 
 " Great Homer's birth seven rival cities claim, 
 Too mighty such monopoly of Fame." 
 
 Rubens was born both at Antwerp and Cologne. One 
 knows it to be so, when one has visited both houses. Hans 
 Memling, again, was native of Bruges and Momelingen too. 
 It is hardly surprising, then, that several roof-trees claim the 
 honour of having sheltered the new-born Punch, and that 
 many men have contended for his paternity.
 
 The Mystery of ''Punch's" Birth. ii 
 
 I say "his" paternity; for the absokite personahty of 
 Punch has long been recognised. It has been the usual custom 
 of comic papers to indulge in a similar fiction, mildly humorous 
 and conveniently anonymous — " Figaro in London," " Pasquin," 
 "The Puppet Show "-man, "The Man in the Moon," and the 
 rest. But Punch was not only a personality himself, but at 
 the outset began by introducing the rest of his family to the 
 public. Nowadays he ignores his wife, especially since a 
 contemporary has appropriated her name. But this was not 
 always so. In his prospectus he announces that his depart- 
 ment of "Fashion" will be conducted by Mrs. J. Punch, 
 whose portrait, drawn by Leech's pencil, appeared in 1844 
 (p. 19, Vol. VI.), and who was seen again, under the 
 name of Judina, in honourable companionship with her 
 husband, in the preface to Vol. XLVII., for 1864, and once 
 more in "Mrs. Punch's Letters to Her Daughter." His 
 daughter Julia, too, being then, in 1841, "in service," wrote 
 a letter to the journal in that style of damaged orthography 
 afterwards adopted by the immortal Jeames and his American 
 cousin, Artemus Ward. But it was not long before Punch 
 took a rise in the social scale, and many men of distinction 
 in literature have claimed him for their child with all the 
 emphasis of groundless assertion. 
 
 According to the "City Press" (June 27th, 1892), Mr. C. 
 Mitchell frequently declared that Punch originated with him, 
 Shirley Brooks, Henry Mayhew, and Ebenezer Landells, in 
 his office in Red Lion Court, the latter drawing the original 
 sketch of the pink monthly cover of Punch. But as Shirley 
 Brooks did not come on the scene till thirteen years later, and 
 as the cover in question is the one designed, and signed, by Sir 
 John Gilbert in 1842, the claim may be dismissed, except in so 
 far as it may support Landells' statement that he prepared the 
 scheme of such a paper and submitted it to several publishers 
 before he and his associates determined upon carrying it them- 
 selves into execution. And soon after it was started, as will be 
 seen, the services of a speculative printer were anxiously sought. 
 Mr. Hatton declares that Mark Lemon "always spoke of 
 it to me as a project of himself and Henry Mayhew," wherein
 
 12 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 he is followed by the "Dictionary of National Biography;" 
 and the Hon. T. T. a Beckett gives the exclusive honour to 
 Henrv ]\Iavhew (wherein he is followed by the same authority 
 in the notice of the latter wTiter), but admits the further 
 founder's claim of Stirling Coyne. 
 
 The writer of the well-knowm, but sadly inaccurate, 
 pamphlet entitled " Mr. Punch, His Origin and Career," which 
 was published in 1882 as a memorial of Mark Lemon, explains 
 circumstantially that it was Mr. Last, the printer, who proposed 
 the idea to Henry Mayhew, w^ho '' readih' accepted it." The 
 book is generally accredited to Sidney Blanchard ; but when 
 I explain that the printer of it, now deceased, informed me 
 that it was written and brought to him by Last's son, the 
 transfer of the central interest from Landells and Henry 
 Ma_vhew ' becomes intelligible. 
 
 The late Mr. R. B. Postans, the house-chum of Henry 
 Mayhew, " his companion from morning to night," and George 
 Hodder, in his oft-quoted " Memories of My Time," agree in 
 according undivided credit to Henry Mayhew ; but they 
 unfortunately disagree in essentials, and contradict each other, 
 and indirectly confirm my own conclusions. Hodder further 
 declares that Mayhew invented the paper and its name 
 simultaneously, which sprang Minerva-like, full-titled, from 
 his brain — which we know to be untrue, as the name was 
 not decided upon until a subsequent meeting. Indeed, on 
 the final prospectus, written with Mark Lemon's hand, as 
 may be seen on p. 20, the present title was only inserted as 
 an after-thought. 
 
 Then comes the version of Henry Mayhew^'s son, Mr. Athol 
 Mayhew, who claims everything for his father in a statement 
 of some length, in some respects authentic, but in many details 
 entirely erroneous. He carries back Mayhew's idea of a 
 "London Charivari" to the 5'ear 1835; but, as wull be seen 
 a little further on, On-in Smith, Jen-old, Thackeray, and several 
 more of the wags of the day afterwards combined in a still- 
 bom effort to start a similar paper based on the same model. 
 The writer bases his case far too much on Hodder's 
 " Memories," which, entertaining though they are, do not
 
 The Case for Henry Mayhew. 13 
 
 universally command the trust and respect with which ^Ir. 
 Athol Mayhew regards them. "A more sanguine man than 
 my father," he says, ''never breathed, and in his arrange- 
 ment with Hodder appears to ha^•e taken exerything for 
 granted, although the scheme had not as vet been even 
 breathed to Messrs. Landells and Last [the engi-aver and 
 printer] ; for when the latter gentleman agreed to enter 
 into the speculation, Mayhew had removed to Clement's 
 Inn." But the writer, who would appear to ha^"e inherited 
 the paternal characteristic of "taking everything for granted," 
 has not considered that Hodder declared that his visit to 
 Hemming's Row, by which occasion it is alleged that 
 the new Punch had sprung to ]\Iayhew's brain, was " //; 
 the summer." As Punch appeared in the middle of Julv, 
 and, according to the draft prospectus, was first arranged to 
 appear on June loth (though this may possibly have been 
 a lapsus calami), it requires more than ordinary sanguineness 
 to accept the statement that not a word had been breathed 
 to persons so paramount in such a newspaper enteii^rise as 
 the printer and engraver — especially when the paper was to 
 make its appearance in a few days' time. And }-et Mr. 
 Mayhew adds that matters did not progress even so rapidly 
 as his authority, George Hodder, narrates. 
 
 Yet although it was not, as will appear, Henry [Mayhew 
 who was the actual initiator of Punch, it was unquestionably 
 he to whom the whole credit belongs of having developed 
 Landells' specific idea of a " Charivari," and of its conception 
 in the form it took. Though not the absolute author of its 
 existence, he was certainly the author of its literary and artistic 
 being, and to that degree, as ; he was wont to claim, he was its 
 founder. 
 
 From all these versions (which, after all, \-^x\ hardly 
 more than the accounts of other incidents of Punch life*) it is 
 
 * An example of these amusing and confusing contentions is the popular — 
 I might almost say classic — witticism which is often resurrected at the expense 
 of Punch. Once in a company of choice spirits Somebody suggested, when 
 "our leading comic" was being discussed, that it would surely be an original 
 idea and a good speculation to "start a comic Punch." Douglas Jerrold, says 
 one writer, aimed the dart at Mark Lemon. Mr. W. S. Gilbert, according to
 
 14 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 not very easy at first sight to sift the truth. There is a story 
 of the tutor of an Heir-Apparent who asked his pupil, by 
 way of examination, what was the date of the battle of 
 Agincourt. " 1560," promptly replied the Prince. "The date 
 which your Royal Highness has mentioned," said the tutor, "is 
 perfectly correct, but I would venture to point out that it has 
 no application to the subject under discussion." A like criticism 
 might fairly be passed on each existing reading of the genesis 
 of Punch. It has been worth while, for the first time, and it 
 is to be hoped the last, to collate and compare these state- 
 ments, and ascertain the facts as far as possible. Claims have 
 been set up, variously and severally, for Henry Mayhew, Mark 
 Lemon, Joseph Last, Ebenezer Landells, and Stirling Coyne ; 
 even Douglas Jerrold and Gilbert a Beckett have been declared 
 originators, though no such pretentions came directl}' from 
 them. Otherwise than in the spirit of the Scottish minister 
 who exclaimed, "Brethren, let us look our difficulties boldly 
 and fairly in the face — and pass on," I propose to take those 
 portions of the stories which tally with the facts I have 
 ascertained and verified beyond all doubt, and, disentangling 
 the general confusion as briefly as may be, to present one 
 consistent version, which must stand untainted by claims of 
 friendship, by pride of kinship, or filial respect. 
 
 It had occurred to many of the wits, literary and artistic, 
 who well understood the cause of mortality in the so-called 
 comic press that had gone before, that a paper might succeed 
 which was decently and cleanly conducted. It might be as 
 slashing in its wit and as fearless in its opinions as it pleased, 
 
 a world-travelled newspaper paragraph, let off the gibe at his friend Mr. 
 Burnand. Laman Blanchard, says another journalist, surprised Jerrold into 
 silence with the taunt. Mark Lemon, declares another, threatened his pro- 
 prietors with it in a moment of anger ; while Mr. Walford told me that it 
 was certainly first spoken of by George Grossmith, senr., of humorous memory. 
 But Hodder and Vizetelly agree in fathering it on Blanchard's son, Sidney, 
 at the time when Gilbert a Beckett's " Comic Blackstone " and comic histories 
 were delighting all true connoisseurs of burlesque. Sidney Blanchard, Hodder 
 reminds us, was possessed of a quaint wit, which was wont to deliver itself in a 
 manner such as that in which he referred to a cashier who was never behind his 
 desk when money was to be paid out: "Compared with him," said he, "the 
 eel is an adhesive animal."
 
 Punch's " Progenitor. 
 
 15 
 
 so long as those opinions were honest and their expression 
 restrained. Their idea was founded rather on Phihpon's Paris 
 "Charivari" than on anything that had appeared in England; 
 but they plainly saw that to attract and hold the public the 
 paper which they imagined must be a weekly and not a daily 
 one. The Staff which was brought together consisted or 
 Douglas Jerrold, Thackeray, Laman Blanchard, Percival 
 Leigh, and Poole, author of ''Paul Pr}- " — authors; and 
 Kenny Meadows, Leech, and perhaps Crowquill — artists ; 
 with Orrin Smith as engraver. The whole scheme of this 
 new " London Charivari " was in a forward state of prepara- 
 tion, even to pages of text being set up, when it suddenl}' 
 collapsed through a mistaken notion of Thackera3^'s that 
 each co-partner — there being no " capitalist " thought of — 
 would be liable for the private debts of his colleagues. The 
 suggestion was too much for the faith of the schemers in 
 one another's discretion, and " The London Charivari " was 
 incontinently dropped ; yet unquestionably it had some in- 
 direct influence on the subsequent constitution and career of 
 Mr. Punch. 
 
 For some vears the success of the 
 Paris '' Charivari " had attracted the 
 attention of Mr. Ebenezer Landells, 
 wood - engraver, draughtsman, and 
 newspaper projector. He had been a 
 favourite pupil of the great Bewick 
 himself, and had come up to London, 
 where he soon made his mark as John 
 Jackson's and Harvey's chief heutenant, 
 and obtained an entrance into literary 
 and artistic circles. A man of great 
 originality and initiative ability, of 
 
 unflagging energy and industry, of considerable artistic taste, 
 and of great amiability, he also had the defect of the 
 creative quality of his mind, so that, owing to that lack 
 of business talent which the public generally associates with 
 the artistic temperament, he did not ultimately prove him- 
 self more than a moderate financial success. As Jerrold, 
 
 EBENEZER LANDELLS.
 
 1 6 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Thackeray, and the rest had done before hmi, he beheved 
 in a " Charivari " for England, and pondered how the Parisian 
 success might be emulated and achieved. In his house at 
 22, Bidborough Street, St. Pancras (where most of the early 
 Punch blocks were cut), he had a ready-made staff of 
 engravers that included some names destined to become 
 better known — Mr. Birket Foster ; Mr. Edmund Evans, best 
 known nowadays in connection with Miss Kate Greenaway's 
 delightful children's books ; J. Greenaway, her father, who 
 became a master engraver himself; and William Gaiter, who 
 afterwards took Orders ; while " outside " were Edward and 
 George Dalziel, T. Armstrong, and Charles Gorway. With 
 these young men the handsome, tall engraver was extremely 
 popular ; they called him " the Skipper," or '' Old Tooch-it- 
 oop " behind his back, in token of his Northumbrian accent, 
 but to his friends he was generally known as '' Daddy Long- 
 legs," or " Daddy Landells." 
 
 So Landells took the idea, which he determined upon 
 carrying out, to one or two well-established publishers, Wright 
 of Fleet Street amongst them, but none could see the germ 
 of a first-rate property in it. It was objected that the tem- 
 perament of the English people so differed from that of the 
 French that they certainly would neither appreciate nor en- 
 courage the requisite style of writing, even supposing— which 
 they did not believe — that the necessary talent were forth- 
 coming. Moreover, they would not credit that a comic paper 
 could succeed without the scurrility, and often enough the 
 indecencies, that had distinguished earlier satirical prints ; and 
 although the popularity of Hood's " Comic Annual " and 
 Cruikshank's "Comic Almanac" was pointed to, they would 
 have nothing to do with a weekly, however much it professed 
 to supersede previous ribaldr}- with clean wit and healthy 
 humour. 
 
 As it happened, early in 1841 Landells was concerned, with 
 his friend Joseph Last, printer, of 3, Crane Court, Fleet Street, 
 in projecting a periodical known as " The Cosmorama," an illus- 
 trated journal of life and manners of the day, and to him Lan- 
 dells imparted his conviction that such a journal as he imagined
 
 The Conception of ''Punch." 17 
 
 would certainly succeed. The enterprising printer lent a readier 
 ear than others had done (perhaps, in view of his limited 
 capital and still more limited ideas of speculation, altogether 
 too ready an ear), and agreed with Landells to take up so 
 excellent a notion. Xow, in the little world of comic writing 
 a brilliant humorist was at work — Henry Mayhew, one of 
 several brothers of ability, a man whose resource was equal to 
 his wit. He was alread}' known to Last as the son of the lead- 
 ing member of the firm of Mayhew, Johnston, and Mayhew, 
 of Carey Street, his legal advisers. He was residing at the time 
 at Hemming's Row, over a haberdasher's shop, and, with 
 F. W, X. Baylev and others, he had been secured as writer 
 on " The Cosmorama." Landells, introduced to him by Last, 
 approached him on the subject of the " Charivari." Mayhew 
 grasped the conception at once, and, as the sequel proved, 
 saw it more completely, and perhaps appreciated its literary 
 and artistic possibilities more clearly, than either its material 
 originator or his ambassador had done. He immediatelv ad- 
 vised dropping ''The Cosmorama," and directing on to the 
 new comic all the energy and resources that were to have 
 been put into the more commonplace publication. In due 
 course he imparted the new idea to his friend Postans, who 
 shared his room, and to other visitors ; but he forgot to 
 mention how the idea had been brought to him, so that his 
 friends not unnaturally counted it as another of Harry's many 
 happy, but usually impracticable, thoughts. But in this in- 
 stance Mayhew made his personalit}' felt, for the character 
 of the paper, instead of partaking of that acidulated, sardonic 
 satire which was distinctive of Philipon's journal, on which 
 it was to have been modelled, took its tone from Mayhew's 
 genial temperament, and from the first became, or aimed at 
 becoming, a budget of wit, fun, and kindly humour, and of 
 honest opposition based upon fairness and justice. 
 
 As for the Staff of such a paper as he imagined, Mayhew 
 urged that he could secure the services of Douglas Jerrold, 
 Gilbert a Beckett, Mark Lemon, Stirling Coyne, and others, 
 in addition to those already engaged ; and then adjournment 
 was proposed to rvLu'k Lemon's rooms in Newcastle Street, 
 G
 
 8 ' The History of "Punch!' 
 
 Strand. " The Shakespeare's Head, " in Wych Street, had 
 previously been Lemon's place of business. It was the meeting- 
 place of the little " quoting, quipping, quaffing " club of fellow- 
 workers in Bohemia ; and Lemon, it was explained, had dabbled 
 both in verse and the lighter drama, efforts which were "not 
 half bad." Little did the writer dream that his modest 
 Muse had marked him oirt for the editorship of the gi'eatest 
 comic journal the world has seen ! To the duties of tavern- 
 keeper Lemon, who was enamoured of literature and the 
 drama, had been condemned by a fate more than usually 
 unkind. He had found himself nearly penniless when 'Sh. 
 Very, his stepfather, offered him a clerical position in his 
 brewery in Kentish Town. But the brewerv failed, and with 
 it Lemon's livelihood, and he was only rescued by a jovial 
 tavern-keeper named Roper, one of his stepfather's customers, 
 and b}- him put into charge — disastrously for both — of the 
 Wych Street public-house. Then he married, having borrowed 
 five pounds to do it with, and by his wife's advice kept in 
 touch with his literary acquaintance ; and by the acceptance 
 of a five-act comedy by Charles ]\Iathews at Covent Garden 
 — which was to be played by a cast including the great 
 comedian's self, Mme. \'estris, and " Old" Farren — he received 
 a hundred pounds down, and was tided over his difficulties 
 until the starting of Punch gave him pemianent emplovment. 
 So to ]\Iark Lemon they went, and a full list was quicklv 
 drawn up. ]\Li\hew undertook to communicate with Douglas 
 Jerrold, who, then better known to the public as the successful 
 dramatist than as the great satirist, was staving at Boulogrne 
 for the sake of his voung familv's education ; and a charminsr 
 picture has been drawn by his son of how, on the visit of 
 a Beckett, Charles Dickens, and the rest, he would throw off~ 
 his clothes and swim with them in the sea, or challenge 
 them to a game of leap-frog on the sands — a curious contrast 
 to his own declaration that the only exercise he cared for 
 was cribbare.* 
 
 o 
 
 * This little conceit greatly pleased its author. He makes Mrs. Caudle 
 exclaim, when protesting against her spouse's lapse into billiards—" There's 
 the manly and athletic game of cribbage I "
 
 The Gathering of the Staff. 19 
 
 Stirling Coyne, Baily, W. H. Wills, H. P. Grattan 
 (H. Plunkett, othenvise " Fusbos "), Henning, Henry Baylis, 
 and ''Paul Prendergast" — whose "Comic Latin Grammar" had 
 been attracting much attention — were proposed, and Hodder 
 was told off to wait upon the latter. At the adjourned meet- 
 ing at the " Edinburgh Castle " tavern in the Strand, Somerset 
 House, Postans, William Newman, Baylis (afterwards president 
 of the "Punch Club"), Stirling Coyne, Henning, Mayhew, 
 Landells, and Hodder were present. The latter then ex- 
 plained that "Prendergast " was a young medical man, Percival 
 Leigh by name, who preferred to wait before giving his 
 adhesion until he was satisfied as to the character of the 
 publication; and "Phiz" had returned a similar reply to 
 Mark Lemon — though later on he was glad enough to 
 accept little commissions in the way of drawing initial 
 letters for the paper. 
 
 Henning was then nominated cartoonist ; Brine, Phillips, 
 and Newman, artists-in-ordinary ; and Lemon, Coyne, 
 Mayhew, a Beckett, and Wills, the literary Staff, until the 
 advent of the others, whose adhesion was anxiously awaited. 
 Henry ]\Iayhew, ]\Iark Lemon, and Stirling Coyne were to 
 be joint editors; Last, of course, was to be printer, and 
 Landells engraver ; and W. Bryant publisher. Several more 
 meetinsfs were held— at the "Crown" in Vinegar Yard, at 
 
 ^fe 
 
 Landells' house, and elsewhere— and in due course ]Mark 
 Lemon produced the draft prospectus, consisting of three folios 
 of blue paper, which probably contains a good deal more of 
 Mayhew and Coyne than of ^Nlark Lemon. Edmund Yates 
 estimated its chemical composition thus : — 
 
 Henry Mayhew 95 
 
 Stirling Covne 3 
 
 W. H. Wifls 1-5 
 
 Mark Lemon "5 
 
 100 
 
 And his estimate was probably correct. This interesting docu- 
 ment is here shown in reduced facsimile : — 
 
 C 2
 
 20 The History of ^' Punch.'" 
 
 draft' of the punch prospectus, in mark lemon's handwriting 
 
 (reduced). 
 
 C/ ^.^ /^ -^ ^^A^ 
 
 ^ ^ .tj:^-i!r-* / -^ ^-"^ ■ /"T^-'^T-^- 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 >^ 
 

 
 The Draft Prospectus. 
 
 21 
 
 
 l/f (Uru^iyi^ a-- 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 /^^^ 
 
 t^a. 
 
 J^ ^rt ^, 
 
 
 
 •^tt/-^ «-»•-. CoCiyi. a-^tx-y^ 
 
 Ctrv^C 4Jy C/3^-iXy (X-^l^r^r< <a.V^<W4 

 
 22 
 
 The History of Punch." 
 
 .a.^ 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 Or^^^^ ^^^^^^£^
 
 The Announcement. 
 
 23 
 
 WILZ. BE our 8K0R7X.V. 
 
 AND CONIINUF.n EVERY SATURDAY. 
 
 PRICE THREEPENCE, 
 A NEW WORK OF WIT AND WHIM, 
 
 EMBEXXI8HED WITH CVTB AND CARICATUa,ES, 
 
 TO et CALLEt 
 
 PUNCH; 
 
 Tiii» GttgmnjTu^ ia intended lo fomi n rtfupc fnr Ocslimic nit— nn «5>lum 
 for the tbousanda of orphko jokes — the supcrniiuuated Joe MiUen — ^tbe 
 
 PUyciI " will hftve the honoar of nwlring Wa fiwt sppeanDce io this 
 clmfiwter on Saturoav, Jul* 17, 1841 ; ami »tUI continue, from week to 
 week, to offer lo ihc norld hU llic fun lo be Tomid iu his owa nud the 
 followini; liends : — 
 
 POLITICS. "Pl'xck" has no p^rty prejudices — be 13 conservative 
 
 in his oppoaitioii to Fnutoccini and political puppets, hut n progressive 
 whig in his love of mo// tiirni^e, and a repeal of the union with public 
 
 FASRIOKS. — This department will be coadacted by Mrs. J. Punch, 
 whose extensive actiiiainiAnce with '-be el'ae of the areas will enable her to 
 rumish the earlieal information of the movements of the Fashionable 
 World. 
 
 POLICE. This portion of the work ttU] be under the direction of an 
 
 experienced nobleman — a regulnr .ittendiint at the various offlccs — who, 
 IVom a strong attachment to ■' Pbhch," will be in n position to supplj 
 cxclasivc reports. 
 
 REVIEWa — To render this branch of the iicn'>dio;il as pcrfecl as 
 poiisible, arrangements have been made lo secure the criiir.J nssislnnce of 
 Jiihn Ketch, Esq., who, fr«ni the mildness of the law, and the rongenittl 
 character of modem literature with hia early a*-)odaltoii&, has beuu iu- 
 daced to midertnkc its exceutioti 
 
 FINE ARTS. Anxious to do justice to native talent, the criticisms 
 
 Hpnn Fiiinting. Sculpture. &c., will be confided to one of the moat i>opiiliir 
 artists of ibc day—" Punch's " own imraorul scene-painter. 
 
 IvmSIC AKS THE DRAMA These wilt be amongst the most pro- 
 
 miitcnt fealiircs of tbu \*ork. The Musical Notices will be wnttea by the 
 jtntltnmii who plny.t tlie moulh-organ, assisted by Uie professors of the 
 drum iiml oymbaU. " I'lim-b," liii/uelf, will wo the Drama. 
 
 SPORTING.— .\ IV'iihet has beeu engaged! He will foreiel net 
 pr'y •'!«; Minuets of each race, but aUo the *' waies" and colours of the 
 xid«i». 
 
 tnillioiu) of perishing puns, which are now wiaderiag about without w 
 much as a shelf to rest upon ' It will also be dtvotcd to ihe emAncipotion 
 ol the Ji * iCtspriu mil uver the world, and the naturalisation of iho»c alien 
 JoNtTiiAK*, Mhoa« adherence to the truth bai forced them to emigrate 
 fnmi tlicir luative laud. 
 
 The pnqirictora frol that the "eyes of Europe" will be upon them— tb«t 
 every risible aoLmt), like our political patrioU, will look out for 
 
 THE PACBTIiB will be eonttibuted by (he memben of the fiiUowing 
 teamed toodiea - — 
 
 Tire COtniT op COMMON fOl'NClL AKU TUE ZOOUMJIC4L SOaBTV. 
 
 THP. TEMPEBA-NCE ASSOCI XTlOy KSTt TMK WATER PROOF I NO COMPA-NY. 
 
 THE COLLEGK OP PIIVfilClA.VS A.NP TlIE mQUGATE CEMETF.BV. 
 
 THE OEAMATIC AfTllonV AKD TIIE MENDICITV SOOETIES, 
 
 TBE bFEFSIEAK CtrB AND TOE ANTIDBlf ROT COMPANY. 
 Together with original humourous and satirical article inverse and prose. 
 Irom ttO the 
 
 7CS>t OOGS *"« 
 
 rrm.isHKP for the pitoi'RirTORs bv r, bryant. 
 
 A.T"PUKCHS OmCE. 3. WELIOKOTON-STREET. ETIlAJtD ; 
 
 Kitn ftU Cjmaiuoiaiooi IpnptU) fw the r -asi* ibcolJ U for.i»rd«* 
 
 THE PUNCH PROSPECTUS. 
 {Original size of page si x 3J inches.) 
 
 At the head of this [innouncement there was a woodcut ol 
 Lord Morpeth, Lord Melbourne (Prime :\Iinister), and Lord 
 John Russell, who were then in office, but were popularly, 
 and correctly, supposed to be in imminent danger of deteat. 
 The price originally proposed was twopence— the usual price 
 of similar papers of the day— but it was altered to " the iiTe- 
 sistibly comic charge of threepence ! ! " and the title was being
 
 24 The History of ''Puxch." 
 
 given as "The Fun ," when the \\Titer stopped short and 
 
 erased it. It is generally believed that the intention was to 
 call the paper "The Funny Dog— with Comic Tales," as 
 appears in the final hne of the prospectus ; a title, moreover, 
 that was employed in 1S57 for a book in which more than 
 one Punch man co-operated. A reduced copy of the now 
 rare leaflet as it was printed and circulated by tens of thou- 
 sands is given on the previous page. " Vates," it should be 
 explained, was the 710m dc plume of the notorious sporting 
 tipster then attached to " Bell's Life in London." 
 
 As to the origin of Punch's name, there are as many 
 versions as of the origin of Punch itself. Hodder declares 
 that it was Mayhew's sudden inspiration. Last asserted 
 that when "somebody" at the "Edinburgh Castle" meeting 
 spoke of the paper, like a good mixture of punch, being 
 nothinsr without Lemon, ^lavhew caught at the idea and 
 cried, "A capital idea! We'll call it Punch.'" Jovial Hal 
 Bavlis it was, sa}'S another, who, when refreshment time 
 came round (it was always coming round with him), gave 
 the hint so readily taken. INIrs. Brezzi, wife of the sculptor, 
 lavs the scene of the first meeting in the " Wrekin Tavern," 
 Broad Street, Longacre, and writes that the founders were only 
 prevented from calling the paper " Cupid," with Lord Brougham 
 in that character on the title-page [presumably a mistake for 
 Lord Palmerston, who subsequently was so shown in Punch 
 by Brine, picking his teeth with his arrow] by the sight from 
 Joseph Allen's window of a Punch and Judy show in the 
 north-eastern corner of Trafalgar Square. ]Mrs. Bacon, Mark 
 Lemon's niece, informs me that she distinctly remembers being 
 seated among the gentlemen who met at his rooms in New- 
 castle Street, and hearing Henry Mayhew suddenly exclaim, 
 "Let the name be 'Punch'!" — a fact engraven on her 
 memory through her childish passion for the reprobate old 
 puppet. Mr. E. Stirhng Coyne claims that it was his 
 father who suggested the title at the memorable meeting at 
 Allen's. This, at least, in Lemon's words, is certain : " It was 
 called Punch because it was short and sweet. And Punch 
 is an English institution. Ever}'one loves Punch, and will be
 
 The Christening. -5 
 
 drawn aside to listen to it. All our ideas connected with 
 Punch are happy ones." The decision was not set aside 
 when it was found that Jerrold had edited a '' Punch in 
 London" years before, proposed to him a few months earlier 
 by Mr. ^lills (of Mills, Jowett, and :\Iills). But the favour 
 with which the title was received was not universal. " I re- 
 member," ]\Ir. Birket Foster tells me, '' Landells coming into the 
 
 iMPtini'j'^ 
 
 
 SIGNATURES OX DOCUMENT BY WHICH PUXCH WAS FOUNDED. 
 
 {See Appendix i.) 
 
 workshop and saying, ' Well, boys, the title for the new work 
 is to be Punch.' When he was gone, we said it was a ^•ery 
 stupid one, little thinking what a great thing it was to become." 
 The business plan was to be a co-operative one. Mayhew, 
 Lemon, and Coyne, it was finally agreed, were to be co-editors 
 and own one-third share as pa^-ment.* Last was to find the 
 
 * So ignorant were their immediate successors of the events I am relating that 
 in a letter written in confutation of the assertion that Gilbert a Beckett had been 
 an editor of Fundi, Shirley Brooks said : " From the first the editorship was in 
 the hands of my predecessor, Mark Lemon ; the opening address was from 
 his pen, and he was sole editor from July 17th, 1S41 (the day of the birth of the 
 publication) until :May 23rd, 1S70, the day of his lamented death." In the 
 Jubilee number of Punch this misconception was confirmed upon the authority 
 of this statement of Shirley Brooks.
 
 26 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 printing and own one share, and Landells was to find drawings 
 and engraving, and own one share. The claims of outside con- 
 tributors (among whom were Jerrold and a Beckett) and the 
 paper-maker's bill were to be the first charge on the proceeds ; 
 and if these were not enough, Landells and Last were to make 
 up the deficiency. So, on the same plan as the first abortive 
 attempt of a " London Charivari," the new paper was em- 
 barked on, by men who with but little capital ("it was started 
 with ;^25 — which I found ! " says Landells) vet threw, them- 
 selves into it, and became their own publishers. Advertising 
 to the extent of £iii 12s. was ventured on, including "bill- 
 ing in 6 Mags.," " page in ' Master Humphrey's Clock ' twice," 
 100,000 of the prospectuses reproduced on p. 2},,'*' and 2,000 
 window-bills that bore the design which Henning drew for 
 PuncJi s cover, after a rough sketch bv Landells. 
 
 It was a busy fortnight ; and it mav well be doubted if 
 any other journal of such great eventual popularity has ever 
 been launched with so little preparation. Every technical detail 
 identical with what was emplo}'ed up to recent years was 
 settled ; Henning drew his ill-composed cartoon of " Parlia- 
 mentary Candidates under Different Heads," roughly done, 
 but not ill-cut ; and Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Henry 
 Grattan, Joseph Allen, F. G. Tomlins, Gilbert a Beckett, and 
 W. H. Wills (the biting epigram "To the Black-balled 01 
 the United Service Club," i.e. Lord Cardigan, was his), all 
 contributed to the first number. It is an axiom of newspaper 
 conductors that " the first number is always the worst number," 
 and Punch did nothing to disprove the rule. Nevertheless, 
 it was a great success. The tone and quality were far higher 
 in dignity and excellence than was common to an avowedlv 
 smart and comic paper — far different from what is suggested 
 by the word "Charivari;" and the public admitted that here 
 was a novel school of comic writing, by a motley moralist and 
 punning philosopher, and hailed with pleasure the advent of a 
 "Xew Humour." 
 
 "Out came the first number," wrote Landells. "I shall 
 
 * These prospectuses cost a penny for twenty ; they are now worth a guinea 
 each.
 
 The First Number. 
 
 27 
 
 s° 1.] 
 
 FOB THE WEEK ENDING JULV 17, 1841. 
 
 [Price Threepence. 
 
 PUBLISHED FOR THE PROPRIETORS, BY R. BRYANT, 
 
 AT PUNCH'S OFFICE. WBLUKOTON STREST. STRAND. 
 
 AND SOLD B^ ALL BOOK SKLLBRS 
 
 COVER OF THE FIRST VOLUME OF PUKCH. 
 {Designed by A. S. Henning.') 
 
 never fors^et the excitement of that first number ! It was so 
 great that Mr. Mayhew, ]\Ir. Lemon, and mj^self, sat up all 
 night at the printer's, waiting to see it printed." When " our 
 Mr. Bryant," as the pubhsher was called, opened the publishing
 
 28 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 office on that ' memorable 17th of July, at 13, Wellington 
 Street, Strand, the unexpected demand for the paper raised 
 the expectations and enthusiasm of the confederates to the 
 highest pitch. IMayhew, with Hodder and Landells, walked 
 up and down outside the office and in the neighbouring Strand, 
 discussing the paper and its prospects, and constantly caUing 
 to hear from Bryant how things were progressing. At news of 
 each fi-esh thousand sold, their spirits rose, and their anxiety 
 became satisfaction when the whole edition of five thousand 
 had been taken up by the trade, and another like edition 
 was called for, and, on the following day, was sold out. Ten 
 thousand copies ! Ten thousand proofs, they took it, of public 
 sympathy and encouragement. 
 
 Such is the outline of Punch's conception and birth, based 
 on many original documents and a mass of evidence, as well 
 as on the independent testimony collected from survivors. 
 In the words of Mr. Jabez Hogg, " Landells and Henry 
 Mayhew were certainly the founders " — the former conceiving 
 the idea of the paper which was presently established, and the 
 latter developing it, as set forth, according to his original views 
 — founding the tradition and personality of " Mr. Punch," and 
 converting him from a mere strolling puppet, an irresponsible 
 jester, into the laughing philosopher and man of letters, the 
 essence of all wit, the concentration of all wisdom, the soul 
 of honour, the fountain of goodness, and the paragon of every 
 virtue.
 
 29 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PUNCH'S EARLY PROGRESS AND VICISSITUDES. 
 
 Reception of Piiiicli— Early Struggles— Financial Help Invoked— The First 
 Almanac — Its Enormous Success — Transfer of Punch to Bradbury and 
 Evans — Terms of Settlement — The New Firm — Punch's Special Efforts- 
 Succession of Covers—" Valentines," " Holidays," " Records of the Great 
 Exhibition," and " At the Paris Exhibition." 
 
 The public reception of the first number oi Punch was varied 
 in character. y[x. Watts, R.A., once told me that the paper 
 was regarded with but httle encouragement by the occupants 
 of an omnibus in which he was riding, one gentleman, after 
 looking gravely through its pages, tossing it aside with the 
 remark, " One of those ephemeral things they bring out ; 
 won't last a fortnight ! " Dr. Thompson, Master of Trinity, 
 informed Professor Herkomer that he, too, was riding in an 
 omnibus on the famous 17th of July, when he bought a copy 
 from a paper-boy, and began to look at it with curiosit}'. 
 When he chuckled at the quaint wit of the thing, "Do you 
 find it amusing, sir ? " asked a lady, who was observing him 
 naiTowly. "Oh, yes." "I'm so glad," she rephed ; "my 
 husband has been appointed editor ; he gets twent}' pounds a 
 week ! " One may well wonder who was this sanguine and 
 trustful lad}-. Mr. Frith describes how, having overheard Joe 
 Allen tell a friend, in the gallery of the Society of British 
 Artists, to " look out for our first number ; we shall take the 
 town by stomi ! " he duh' looked out, but was disappointed 
 at finding nothing in it by Leech ; and how when he went 
 to a shop for the second number, to see if his idol had 
 drawn anything for it, the newsman replied, " ' What paper, 
 sir ? Oh, Punch ! Yes, I took a few of the first number ; 
 but it's no go. You see, they billed it about a good deal ' 
 (how well I recollect that expression !), ' so I wanted to see 
 what it was like. It won't do ; it's no go. ' "
 
 30 The History of "Punch." 
 
 The reception by the press was more encouraging — ^that 
 is to say, by the provincial press, for the London papers took 
 mighty httle notice of the newcomer. The " Morning Adver- 
 tiser," it is true, quaintly declared in praise of the "exquisite 
 woodcuts, serious and comic," that they were " executed in the 
 first style of art, at a price so low that we really blush to 
 name it;" while the " Sunday Times " and a number of pro- 
 vincial papers of some slight account in their day professed 
 astonishment at the absence of grossness, partisanship, profanity, 
 indelicac}", and malice from its pages. " It is the first comic 
 we ever saw," said the "Somerset County Gazette," "which was 
 not %ulgar. It will provoke many a hearty laugh, but never 
 call a blush to the most delicate cheek." They ^•ied with each 
 other in their vocabulary of praise ; and as to Punch's quips 
 and sallies, his puns, his propriety, his " pencillings," and his 
 cuts — they simply defied description ; \-ou just cracked your 
 sides with laughter at the jokes, and that was all about it. 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding all this praise, the paper did not 
 prosper ; but whether it was that the price did not suit the 
 public, although the " Advertiser " really blushed to name it, 
 or that Punch had not yet educated his Party, cannot be 
 decided. The support of the public did not lift it above a 
 circulation of from five to six thousand, and on the appearance 
 of the fifth number Jerrold muttered with a snort, " I wonder 
 if there will ever be a tenth ! " Everything that could be 
 done to command attention, with the limited funds at disposal, 
 was done. Xo sooner was Lord Melbourne's Administration 
 defeated and discredited (for the Premier was angrily denounced 
 for hanging on to office), than Punch displayed a huge placard 
 across the front of his offices inscribed, " Why is Punch like 
 the late Government ? Because it is Just Out ! ! " And no 
 dence of the sort, or other artifice that could be suggested 
 to the resourceful minds in Punch's cabinet, was left untried. 
 Things were against Punch. It was not only that the public 
 was neglectful, unappreciative. There was prejudice to live 
 down ; there were stamp duty, advertisement duty, and paper 
 duty to stand up to ; and there were no Smiths or Willings, 
 or other great distributing agencies, to assist.
 
 " Pu.ych" in Difficulties. 31 
 
 While Bryant was playing his uphill game, Punch, written 
 by educated men, was doing his best not only to attract poli- 
 ticians and lovers of humour and satire, but to enlist also the 
 support of scholars, to whom at that time no comic paper had 
 avowedly appealed ; and it is doubtless due to the assumption 
 that his readers, like his writers, were gentlemen of education, 
 that he quicklv gained the reputation of being entitled to a 
 place in the library and drawing-room, diffusing, so to speak, 
 an odour of culture even in those early days of his first 
 democratic fervour. We had a German " Punchlied," Greek 
 Anakreontics, and plenty of Latin — not merely Leigh's mock- 
 classic verses, but efforts of a higher humour and a purer kind, 
 such, among many more, as the " Petronius," and the clever 
 interlinear burlesque translations of Horace which came from 
 the pen of H. A. Kennedy. Then ''Answers to CoiTespond- 
 ents " were maintained for a while inside the wrapper, which 
 were witty enough to justify their existence. But it was felt 
 that something more was wanted to make the paper "move;" 
 and the first " Almanac " was decided upon. 
 
 The circulation meanwhile had not risen above six thousand, 
 and ten thousand were required to make the paper pay. 
 Stationer and contributors had all been paid, and "stock" was 
 now valued at £2^0. That there was a constant demand for 
 these back numbers (on September 27th, 1841, for example, 
 £1 3s. 4kl.-worth were sold "over the counter"), was held 
 to prove that the work was worth pushing ; but it seemed 
 that for want of capital it would go the way of many another 
 promising concern. The difficulties into which Punch had 
 fallen soon got noised abroad, and offers of assistance, not 
 bv any means disinterested, were not wanting to remind the 
 struggiers of their position. Helping hands were certainly put 
 out, but only that money might be dropped in. Then Last 
 declined to go on. He had neither the patience nor the 
 speculative courage of the Xorthumbrian engi-aver, and money 
 had, not without great difficulty and delay, been found to 
 pav him for his share— which had hitherto been a share 
 only of loss. The fimi of Bradbury and Evans had been 
 looked to as a deus ex machind to take over the printing,
 
 32 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 and lift Punch out of the quagmire by acquiring Last's share 
 and interest for /150. The offer was entertained, and an 
 agreement drafted on September 25th, when, on the very 
 same dav, Bradbury and Evans wrote to withdraw, on the 
 ground that they found the proposed acquisition "would in- 
 volve them in the probable loss of one of their most valuable 
 connections." Landells, who always regarded this action — with- 
 out any definite grounds that I can discover^as a diplomatic 
 move to involve him and his friends still more, so that more 
 advantageous salvage terms might be made, hurriedly cast about 
 for other succour, and alighted on one William Wood, printer, 
 who lent money, but whose agreement as a whole was not 
 executed, as it was considered "either usurious or exorbitant" 
 by their solicitors, who characteristicalh' concluded their bill 
 thus : — " Afterwards attending at the office in Wellington Street 
 to see as to making the tender, and to advise you on the 
 sufficienc}' thereof, but you were not there ; afterwards attend- 
 ing at ]\Ir. H. ^Mayhew's lodging, but he was out ; afterwards 
 attending at ]\Ir. Lemon's, and he was out ; and we were given 
 to understand you had all gone to Gravesend " — showing the 
 one touch of nature which made all Puuck-men kin. 
 
 In due course Landells acquired Last's share, and the 
 printing was executed successively by Mr. ]\Iitchell and by 
 Mills, Jowett, and Mills, until it slid b}' a sort of natural gra^^- 
 tation into the hands of Bradbury and Evans. Landells had 
 endeavoured to interest his friends in the paper, but soon 
 discovered the tatal truth that one's closest friends are never 
 so close as when it is a question of money. 
 
 Then came the Almanac, upon which were based man}' hopes 
 that were destined to be more than realised. It has hitherto 
 been considered as the work of Dr. Maginn, at that time, as at 
 many others, an unwilling sojourner in a debtor's prison. But 
 H. P. Grattan has since claimed the distinction of being, like 
 the doctor, an inmate of the retreat known as Her ^Majesty's 
 Fleet, where he was visited by Henry Mayhew. INIayhew, he 
 said, lived surreptitiously with him for a week, and during that 
 time, without any assistance from Dr. Maginn, they brought the 
 whole work to a brilliant termination. Thirt3'-five jokes a da)'
 
 Bradbury and Evans Assume Control. 33 
 
 to each man's credit for seven consecutive days in the melan- 
 choly privacy of a prison cell is certainly a \'ery remarkable 
 feat — hardlv less so than the alleged fact that Ma}'hew, who 
 proposed the Almanac, as he proposed so many other good 
 things for Punch, should have gone to the incarcerated 
 Grattan for sole assistance, when he and his co-editors 
 had so many capable colleagues at large. The claim does 
 not deserve full credence, especially in face of Landells' 
 declaration that " everyone engaged on it worked so admirabh' 
 together, and it was done so well, that the town was taken by 
 surprise, and the circulation went up in that one week from 
 6,000 to 90,000 — an increase, I believe, unprecedented in 
 the annals of publishing." The Almanac became at once the 
 talk of the day ; everybod}^ had read it, and a contemporary 
 critic declared that its cuts " would elicit laughter from tooth- 
 ache, and render gout oblivious of his toe." 
 
 Now, although Bradbur\' and E"\'ans had hesitated to 
 become proprietors, they had had no objection to act as 
 printers and publishers, and when the editors approached them 
 they lent a ready ear. '* It was Uncle ^Mark," said *' Pater" 
 Evans at the ''Gentleman's Magazine" dinner in 1868, "who 
 was the chief conspirator Avhen they brought Piincli to White- 
 friars ; it was his eloquence alone that induced us to buy 
 Punch. Jerrold did not say much, but he supported his friend, 
 vou may be sure. They talked us over very easily." They 
 bought the editors' share for ;^2oo, which they advanced on 
 the security of the whole. Into the circumstances of the 
 subsequent squabbles between Landells and the firm it is 
 not needful to enter. He bitterly complained that he could 
 obtain neither statements of accounts nor satisfactory aiTange- 
 ment, while the firm withheld their favourable consideration 
 of the agreements his solicitors sent them to sign. The nego- 
 tiations proceeded wearily from April, 1842, to December 
 24th, with rising wrath on the part of the good-hearted, im- 
 patient Northumbrian, who could neither understand nor brook 
 the repeated delays, and fairly boiled o\er with indignation, 
 suspicion, and wrath. In despair, so Landells recorded, that 
 his lawyers could get no satisfaction, and yet " not willing 
 
 D
 
 34 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 to put the whole thing into Chancery," he blurted out that he 
 should buy back Bradbury and Evans' share or they acquire 
 his. As cool business men they promptly asked his price. He 
 named ;^45o, ultimately reducing it to /"400, and further to 
 /350, on the understanding, he says, that he should continue to 
 act as engraver; and great were his anger and humiliation when- 
 he found after the second week of the new regime that the 
 engraving was taken from him. But it is only fair to say that 
 in his lawver's instructions there is evidence that Bradbury and 
 Evans persistentlv declined to gi^'e up their freedom in the 
 matter of the engraving. The transfer then took place.* On 
 December 23rd, 1842, the firm was already speaking with some 
 authoritv ; the voice was the voice ot the printers, but the 
 tone was the tone of proprietors. And that was the passing 
 of Punch. Earlier in the year Lnndells had made an effort 
 to save the paper h\ persuading those who worked for it to 
 take shares. With a few he was successful ; others were less 
 speculative, so the writer was infonned by the late H. G. Hine. 
 " Landells," he said, "asked me to take a share in the paper, 
 
 * When the purchase was completed, a curious making-up of accounts 
 proceeded between the parties as to the woodblocks which were to accompany 
 the paper. These accounts, referring to the titles of the engravings, read 
 curiously enough. Here is a specimen : — 
 
 £\2 6 o 
 
 12 12 o 
 
 Xo. 22. 
 
 
 ;^I2 10 6 
 
 
 
 
 Deduct Collared 1 
 
 3eef 
 
 46 
 
 
 
 
 No. 25. 
 
 
 
 Brown's wrapper (i.e. 
 
 Frontis- 
 
 
 
 
 piece drawn by 
 
 "Phiz"- 
 
 -Hablot 
 
 
 
 
 K. Browne) ... 
 
 
 15 12 6 
 
 Deduct 270 
 
 
 
 
 No. 32. 
 
 13 3 6 
 
 
 Deduct. 
 
 £ s.d. 
 
 Add. 
 
 £ 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 Bald Head 
 
 080 
 
 Concert-piece 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 Great Sale in Beer 
 
 040 
 
 Collared Beef 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 Highwayman 
 
 050 
 
 All round my hat 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 Leg of Mutton 
 
 050 
 
 Tall Lady 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 Turning over a Page 
 
 050 
 
 Adder-up 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 Betrayed 
 
 050 
 
 
 
 
 
 Letter P 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 
 14 i5 
 
 /2 7 O 
 
 These cuts were for the most part drawn by Brine, Hine, and Newman.
 
 Balancing Accounts. 
 
 35 
 
 but, not being a business man, I declined. When the paper 
 changed hands, Bradbury and Evans bought it for so small an 
 increase on the actual losses and debts, that each man, when 
 the profits were divided, received two-and-sixpence each." 
 Not long after Landells ceased his connection with Punch, 
 Douglas Jerrold met Vizetelly, and acquainted him with the 
 turn of the tide. ^^ Punch is getting on all right now," he 
 said ; and added, in his saturnine wa}', " It began to do so 
 immediatelv we threw that engraving Jonah overboard ! " Yet 
 Jerrold was glad enough to take advantage of the engraving 
 Jonah's influence the following year, when Landells, with 
 Herbert Ingram, X. Cooke, T. Roberts, W. Little, and R. 
 Palmer started the " Illuminated Magazine," and installed 
 him as editor at a handsome salary. 
 
 The following page from Landells' rather rough-and-ready 
 accounts will give some idea of how financial matters stood 
 between the parties at the time of the transfer :— 
 
 B. & E Cash Recd. 
 
 i s. d. 
 
 Accts. 1,278 6 9 
 
 Editors, Artists, paid 507 4 5 
 
 771 ■ 2 3 
 
 B. & E. Cash Paid. 
 
 £ s. d. 
 
 Cash paid to Artists, 
 
 Editors, etc. 
 B. & E. for ])rinting 605 10 6. 
 
 0^/ 
 
 B. & E. acct. 
 
 G05 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 Balance in hand 
 
 /105 
 
 II 
 
 9 
 
 
 E. Landells. 
 
 £ 
 
 To Engravings 315 
 Cash 25 
 Paid contributions at 
 £6. 0. per week 120 
 
 s. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 ° i 
 
 Lemon, Coyne, 
 
 To Editing 
 
 h debt 
 
 AND ;NLaVHE\V. 
 
 £ 5. d. 
 400 
 100 
 
 300 
 
 400 
 100 
 
 
 
 1 rloKt 
 
 460 
 
 4 
 
 i 
 
 rs i 
 
 
 
 
 Cash received 
 
 360 4 o 
 
 57 o o 
 
 /303 4 o 
 
 300 
 
 
 
 
 
 120 
 
 
 
 
 
 iSo 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 
 
 
 
 /I 
 
 00 
 
 \_Note. — The schedule of documents and legal papers connected with the 
 matters here dealt with, now in possession of Messrs. Bradbury, Agnew 
 
 D 2
 
 36 The History of "Punch." • 
 
 and Co., Ltd. (which confirm the particulars derived from Landells' papers) 
 are :■ — 
 
 1. The original Agreement between the original founders of Punch already 
 enumerated. This is dated July 14th, 1841 — only three days before the 
 appearance of the paper. It is printed at length as Appendix i to this 
 volume. 
 
 2. Agreement between Bradbury and Evans and " Punchites," whereby in 
 consideration of a loan of /150 the printing of the paper is assured to the firm. 
 This is dated Oct., 1841, the signatories being E. Landells, Mark Lemon, Henry 
 Mayhew, and Stirling Co}ne, with W. H. Wills and G. Windsor as witnesses. 
 
 3. The assignment to Landells of PuncJt and the stock-in-trade by Lemon, 
 Mayhew, and Stirling Coyne. Dated December 6th, 1841. 
 
 4. Assignment to Bradbury and Evans by Landells of his two-thirds share 
 of Punch. Dated, July 25th, 1842. 
 
 5. Assignment of his remaining one-third to Bradbury and Evans by 
 Landells, in consideration of /loo cash and their acceptance for /250 due 
 Jan. 31st, 1S43, their mortgage on this share to be cancelled. This deed is 
 dated Dec. 29th, 1842, and is in the terms of Landells' letter of agreement of 
 the pre\ious 24th.] 
 
 The new proprietors, when they acquired their interest in 
 Punch, were not then distinguished pubhshers such as they soon 
 became ; they were essentially printers, and had few connections 
 to assist them in making it into a paying propert}'. They had, 
 however, W. S. Orr & Co. (the London agents of Chambers, ot 
 Edinburgh), who had fallen into financial difficulties, and looked 
 to Bradbury and Evans to help them out ; and through their organ- 
 isation Punch was taken up by the trade " on sale or return." 
 To work up the sale of a threepenny publication was at that 
 time a formidable task; but Orr certainly accomplished it, and 
 for a time Punch undoubtedly owed more to his efforts than to 
 Jerrold's pen or Leech's pencil. The head of the firm, in both 
 senses, was William Bradbury, the keenest man of business 
 that ever trod the flags of Fleet Street, and the founder of a 
 dynastic line nearh" as long and eminent as that of John 
 Murray himself. His portrait may be seen in Punch more 
 than once — for example, in Tenniel's drawing of the Staff at 
 play at the^ beginning of Vol. XXVIL, 1854, where his tall, 
 imposing figure contrasts with that of his partner, Frederick 
 Mullett ("Pater") Evans, who appears with shining spec- 
 tacles, beaming countenance, and convex waistcoat. Jolly old 
 "Pater," who died in 1870, was the model of Leech's /rt/e-r- 
 familias ; and it is remembered to his credit that he never
 
 Bradbury and Evans." 
 
 37 
 
 WILLIAM BRADBURY. 
 F. M. ("pater") EVAN'S. 
 {From Photographs by A. Bassano Limited.')
 
 38 The History of " PuNCHy 
 
 resented the liberty taken with him b}' Thackeray in "The 
 Kickleburvs on the Rhine." It .has ahva3's been the graceful 
 and feeling practice of Punch, ever since the death of Dr. 
 Maginn, to whom a kindly obituary was devoted in 1842, to 
 do honour in his pages to each of his lieutenants as they drop 
 out of the ranks, recognising misfortune and death — both 
 "devil's inventions," as Ruskin calls them — as toll-gates on 
 the path of life, with sorrow as the tax; so that these more 
 solemn articles and mortuary elegies seem to mark the way, 
 like milestones set by loving hands. To Evans one of these 
 was raised, and we read in it that "they who inscribe these 
 lines to his memory will never lament a more kind, more 
 genial, or more loyal friend." 
 
 The next head of the firm was William Hardwick Bradbury, 
 who had been at school with Mr. Justice Romer, the husband 
 of Mark Lemon's daughter ; and the house then became 
 Bradburv, Evans & Co. He married the daughter of Mr. 
 Thomas Agnew; and when, .in 1872, Mr. F. M. Evans (the son 
 of "Pater") left the firm, after having attended the Dinner for 
 five vears as the son of his father, and sat for another seven 
 years at the tail of the Table by right of proprietorship, the 
 business was reinforced by the inclusion of the house of Agnew. 
 It then became Bradbury, Agnew & Co., and it has been 
 thought that Sir William Agnew's personality has tended to 
 colour Punch up to a certain point with just a shade of his own 
 Liberal political opinions. Messrs. W. H. Bradbury, William 
 Agnew, Thomas Agnew, and John Henrj^ Agnew were then the 
 members of the firm, which a few years since was converted 
 into a limited company ; and on the death of the first-named, 
 Mr. W. Lawrence Bradbury took his father's place as managing 
 head of the house, with Mr, Philip Agnew as colleague : young 
 men, surely, to succeed to the direction of a house which had 
 been the publishers of Thackeray and Dickens_, founders of 
 " The Field," " The Army and Navy Gazette," printers of the 
 " Family Herald" and " London Journal," of the " Daily 
 News," the " English Encyclopaedia," and other huge under- 
 takings. With the advent of the younger generation came 
 some of those technical alterations and improvements which
 
 Bradbury, Agnew and Co.' 
 
 39 
 
 SIR WILLIAM AGNEW, BAKT. 
 
 W. LAWREXCE BRADBURY. 
 
 PHILIP L. AGNEW. 
 
 {From Photographs by A. Bassuno, Limited.)
 
 40 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 have brought the production of Piuich abreast of the times ; 
 but the older traditions, in particular that great institution of 
 the Pujich Dinner, have been reverently and lovingly retained 
 in all their admirable features. 
 
 It is not surprising that after the striking success of the ex- 
 periment the Almanac became a permanent annual institution. 
 Into so important a publication did it develop, commercially 
 speaking, that a special " Almanac Dinner " has up to recent years 
 always been considered necessary, at which its chief contents 
 are arranged, just as at the ordinary weekly Dinner. Hine, 
 Kenny Meadows, and others assisted in the production of the 
 first two or three Almanacs ; but after that, and for many years, 
 practically the whole of the illustrative work usually fell on 
 the broad and entirely competent shoulders of John Leech, 
 especially after Doyle's secession. From time to time experi- 
 ments have been made in the direction of novelty. Thus in 
 184S, in consequence of the great popularity of the issue, a 
 luxurious edition was prepared, at the price of five shillings 
 for the coloured and half that sum for the uncoloured copies, 
 wherein, it was claimed, " full effect is given to the artists' 
 designs." It was certainh^ an imposing affair, with meadows 
 of margin, and printed on one side only of the thick paper ; 
 and it now commands a price in the bookshops of five or six 
 times its original cost. 
 
 Humour for private as well as for public consumption 
 has always been a rule in the Punch circle; and in 1865, a 
 3'ear in which influenza colds were extremely prevalent, this 
 pleasing faculty was given full scope. Most of the Staff that 
 Christmas were afllicted with severe colds ; so with amiable 
 consideration the copies of the Almanac provided for them 
 and for some of the chief contributors were printed upon linen 
 — lest their supph' of handkerchiefs should run short. They 
 were charming and cheerful in appearance, being handsomely 
 bound and stitched with red, and presented unusual ad^■antages 
 in the way of utility and entertainment. Of recent years the Al- 
 manacs have had admirably drawn wrappers, specially designed. 
 In 1882 Mr. Burnand tested the powers of our humorous painters 
 outside, in addition to Punch's own Staff, including Mr. Stacy
 
 "Punch" as Father Christmas. 41 
 
 Marks, R.A., Mr. G. A. Storey, A.R.A., and Sir John Gilbert, 
 R.A.; but the result was an argument in favour of Staff- work 
 over outside contribution. Among other experiments, colour 
 was tried with a view to rendering further homage to Sir John 
 Tenniel's cartoon, by printing it on a tinted background, in 
 the manner of Matt Morgan's famous designs in the " Toma- . 
 hawk." But the idea, which originated with the late Mr. 
 Bradburv, did not answer expectations, and the attempt was 
 abandoned. 
 
 The success that immediately attended the Almanac 
 naturallv attracted the attention of the pirates, and hatched 
 the brood of spurious and coarse imitations given forth by 
 such notorious printers and publishers as Goode, Lloyd, and 
 Lvle. But Punch had a short legal wa^' with him that 
 soon scared them off, and the merry Hunchback is now left 
 supreme in his own sphere. He not only, as the " Times " 
 said, " commences the winter season for us with the ' Almanac,' 
 but he continues the tradition of Charles Dickens by 
 retaining for Christmastide much of the fine heartv old 
 flavour which the great novelist imparted to it — that jo^•ial, 
 tender, charitable, roast-goose spirit that exhales from it, the 
 Spirits of Christmas Present and Christmas Past." " Christmas 
 without the Christmas number of Punch," exclaimed the 
 "Saturday Review" not long ago, "would be a Christmas 
 without plum-pudding, mince-pies, turkey, and children's 
 parties — it would not be Christmas at all ! " 
 
 Another result of the constant search for freshness was the 
 changing of the design on the cover of each consecutive volume. 
 Any change from that of Henning could only be a change 
 for the better, so a second application was made to HabhJt 
 Knight Browne (" Phiz ") for his collaboration. Well satisfied 
 by this time with the tone of the paper, he gladly responded. 
 The result was a refined and artistic page, crowded with 
 figures, rather gi-aceful and quaint than funny ; and although, 
 to Leech's horror, a barrel-organ figured in it, it served its 
 purpose admirably. 
 
 For the next volume a sketch was made by H. G. Hine, 
 based on a slighter one bv Landells. It was not used,
 
 42 The History of "Punchy 
 
 however, as intended, but adapted as the index-heading ; and 
 
 PUBLISHED EyrSY SATURDAY.— PRICE THREEPENCE. 
 
 
 
 OFFICE, 13, ^\■ELLINGTO^' STREET, STRAND. 
 
 <--i.»»-: 
 
 Cia-.:r. t:«*. 
 
 a C». Bd 7. 3(«i,c>, £4 
 
 ci^rxb 
 
 ; IS.! Joha 
 
 »'L*.rJ. 
 
 Arn> 
 
 tif««. GlaJKOW. lull's; W. Cirrr. Jna, 
 
 ■^ C 
 
 * Lirmwot. 
 
 Wtltut 
 
 W«bS. 
 
 Cut.c.nrH« 
 
 MutOIBT^ SiBB> A Diahui 
 
 
 
 . !.*» 
 
 > S=:i>i. S*i 
 
 ■a. E W.lUiB, & M-, pococfc I B> 
 
 
 C. Ib.-iiK-: 
 
 Br-.»^T, 
 
 Ji't. 
 
 Si.-^rtjo; S 
 
 uraK«A», WrijtuoQ a WtM. ; 
 
 Bccrw. J. Gidikr: 
 
 Bj«^. J 
 
 N**: 
 
 ; Sk^inu. 
 
 W i W. 8. B,l«. B>n>tv. C 
 
 ArA^ 
 
 ■m^tai tUacr 
 
 Kizx ; a*:inK, M n. BiMKu 
 
 B-iv. C. Tbajaca: Bmfi. ScT. LoiiUa: CuuKiW 
 
 C. Torah 
 
 
 tr. \rjlls>i: Cntram. Snaooe & i'c. 
 
 ccttArd: Cou, 
 
 B»di«iS & Co. 
 
 
 Dor^^uTB. Bink« A 
 
 AGENTS. 
 
 Co. i Onvsk, W. Bttdu^of; DvmKxa, Ktirtw ; Eisra, Carne ft }«•, m4 J. W^b> 
 ub: Puaacn, J. H- Ait. G-Likc: boieuvms, W. Desbcm: Hi-u., J. Psrin; 
 InwKB, J^a BorMa ; LuBi>>n«<. W. R««*« ; Lucdtik, J. C. Brows mad J. ASco ; 
 I^n^ Slsooaba k S^>. ud T. Buriwa : Virrsnis. J. Sokttli: Nivcuru, E. A 
 J. Bran: Nmvkb. JumU & S«t ; Nvrrmaiii, C. N. Wr^lit; OxMW, H. JUiuw 
 aail.UvaiMJl raKUsen.Oacrfai^: Pumo. G. BUMUa; Rzieo^ C. l.»t«ji j ; 
 R<nuT>, Bucan ft H«at; Sawvaia, J. Ci^iet, lod A. W&Iiukci: Sowvnoai, 
 SudGvd it Cfc : Socnuivn*. W. Sfcu-Uad; Tiorov, AJcz. Pile, WmvBia, Elicc- 
 
 Cndi^rr »:J d 
 
 Prlaun. WliittfrUrt. 
 
 ^DCCCXUl. 
 
 PUXCHS SECOND WRAPPER, DESIGNED BY "PHIZ." JANUARY, 1642. 
 
 William Han'ey, the Shakespearian ilhistrator, was requested 
 to undertake a design to replace it. This, though yet more
 
 William Harvey Desigxs a Wrapper. 
 
 43 
 
 graceful than Browne's, was less suitable than ever. Babes 
 like amonm to_ving with Punch's cap and baton, bells and 
 mask, were very pretty and charming, but a good deal too 
 
 
 »\ 
 
 PROPOSED WRAPPER FOR THIRD VOLUME. SKETCH BY H. G. HINE. NOT ADOPTED. 
 
 much in the style of Rubens or Stothard ; and what was 
 thought more unsuitable still was the price. Mr. Birket 
 Foster has borne witness to the consternation in the office
 
 44 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 when the charge of twelve guineas was sent in with the 
 
 ©■ The WEEKLY NUMBERS, as well as the Monthly Parts, tnsv be had of ail Booksellers & Newsmen. 
 
 FUBLlSnED EVERY SATURDAV.-PUICE THREEPENCE. 
 
 OFFICE, 13, WELLINGTON STREET, STRAND. 
 
 AGENTS. 
 
 Scotland: J. Mcniies. EJiiibut^li ; anil John .M-Lcod. Arsylc.&tr«t. 
 Glasgow. IiitXA-sn: W.Curry, Jim., i Co. LirsRroot.Wareios Welib. 
 Castle street ; Makchcster, ginuns tt Dinham. and Abel Deywood ; 
 
 ItrRMivGHAu, Wrigbts^m ti Webb; BniitTOU Mre. Bingbam ; BI'a^- 
 G. TI'Dinpson : NonwicH, JarTt>1d dtSons; P>;££n>s. G. Biitcm;.D . 
 WAKeriELi}, UlingM'ortb te Bicks 
 
 Bndbut, k Zya 
 
 MDCCCXLII. 
 
 PUNCIfS THIRD WRAPPER, DESIGNED BY WILLIAM HARVEV. JULY, IO42. 
 
 design — nearly half the total capital with which Landells a 
 •year before had begun the concern!
 
 S/A' John Gilbert's Design. 
 
 45 
 
 Six .months later Sir John Gilbert— then a voiith doine 
 
 ^ Ttie WEEKZtT NUBIBERS, ad «veU as the Monthly Parts, may be had of all Bookaellen dc NewtmeDj 
 and a STAMPED EDITION, Co send free by post, is also published, price 4d. 
 
 l.tMlt.K t.\f.n1 «A1UH 
 
 OFFICE, 13, WELLINGTON-STREET. STRAND. 
 
 AGENTS. 
 
 ScTTLAwo: J. Meniies, Edinbursb; and John M'Lwd, ArEvle-Bitcct, i Bi«>iiNon«»i. Wr:?h(?rn ft W»bb; BuisTflt, :<lr* Bingham; nr«t» 
 
 GIwpjw IsetAKO: W,Curry.Jun.,iCo, Lrv«Rj>ooL:Warei(is\Vebb, I G, Tliompjon : Nokwkm. JnrrouL A Gods : rnnTvi, O. U^brnua: 
 
 Caetle-strect : Uakchzstsr, Sinmis & IJiiiluua, imil At>cl liejrwooil; I WakckicU'. lUlngwoctL ik UiU:*. 
 
 MDCCCXLlil. 
 
 PUNCH S FOURTH WRAPPER, DESIGNED BY SIR JOHN GILBERT. JANUARY, 1S43. 
 
 great things for the ^' Ilhistrated London Xews " — was com- 
 missioned to draw another front page. This was subsequently
 
 46 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 used until recent years as the pink cover of Punch's monthly 
 
 jjj- .J.JJ5 WEEKLY NTTUfBERB, aa well &B the Monthly Parts, may be Had of all BooSsellerg & Newsmen, 
 and a STAMPED EDITION, to send free by post, is also published, pnce 4d 
 
 Pnblislied every Satnrdajr — Price Tbrcepence, 
 
 ^^ 
 
 OFFICE, 194, STRAND (Opposite St. Clement's Ciidiwb.) 
 
 SccTiA'*©- J. Hec«[«, E^fntareh: wi^ John M'trtd. ATgy'*******. I BtiiMi!»o««M. Wrishtioo Jh Webb: BwtroL. Mn. TMrtthvn: Tlc"y, 
 
 OUsaDW UEtA!«o: WCiifnr,Ji:n.,4CA, r,.»««p»«L: WareiogWtbb. I C T'i->iT>p«oo: P»i<»Tt.«. O n>i*tnaij : ruroM>. II gUt^er : Wmkpeud. 
 
 C»stle.«reel; 31*»cwx»i««. S:mn. i tiinhua.mad Attl llerino^; I ll'.laiWbttb fc IJkk*. U*r7«. Simrt* * Soo. 
 
 JlDCcr?;? III. 
 
 PUTSCH'S FIFTH WRAPPER, DESIGNED EV KENNY .MEADOWS. JUL'i, 1S43, 
 
 parts. A cover was produced by Kenny Meadows, and then 
 for January, 1844, Richard Doyle, the latest recruit, whose
 
 Richard Doyle's First Design. 
 
 47 
 
 merit had been quickly gauged, was employed to execute 
 the new one. This wrapper^ was far more in accord with 
 
 e* The WEEKLT mntlBBRS, as well as the Monthly Parts, may be ha.d of all Booksellers & Newsmen, 
 and a STAMPED EDITION, to send free by post, is also published, price 4d. 
 
 Jt5n £OLI> £T A2X 1 
 
 The Fifth Volome of Punch is just Published, price 8s. Punch's Almanarfr may be had of all 
 
 Booksellers and Newsmen. Price 3d, or Stamped 4d. 
 
 PUJVCH'S SIXTH WRAPPER, DESIGNED BY RICHARD DOYLE. FIRST DESIGN. 
 
 JAXLARY, 1S44. 
 
 the true spirit of Punch. ]More sportive and rollicking, and 
 with less attempt at grace, it threw over the style of the 
 " Newcastle School " — of which Landells was a member —
 
 48 
 
 The History of '' Puxch." 
 
 and gave the general idea of the latest of all covers. This 
 was not executed until January, 1849, when several changes 
 
 A MAK MADE OF MONEY. % doiglas jerrold. j THE EISIKG GEITEEATIOK. T»*k« oioured Dnmap. by 
 
 n-ii-.wte-i br JoH> Leich. Part IV, Pmc Li. IP-A..M \ JOHN I.EECH. U acli, or 10/. SJ. ih* Sei. ry««b>4-> 
 
 PENDZNNIS. B,'^ ^\- 51. THACKEBAV, wiili IIluitiatioM on Stc*I I PUNCH'S POCKET-BOOK niu«tn*.ti l>» JOHN LEECH mJ 
 
 ir.d Wgc'., tv tie AuOior. Put III., Price U. 
 
 RICHARD DOYLE. Price 2*. W. 
 
 AltD fOLD BT ALL BOOKSCLLCM A5D ;«CW$1IE5. 
 
 THE COMIC HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. BtG. a. i BECKETT, i MBS. CAUDLES CDETAIN LECTUEE8. 
 
 Is ] Ty<_ price 111.. lUaitratwl *ltb Two Haaa/«4 ir^odcou. «ad Taeoij I B; DOI'GLaS JEBRDLD. KckIj b<mo<3 la Fcap- Sv«. wai lUiutrawd bj 
 
 la-^e Coloured Swtl Ei>fr«»iBff». bj J0H5 LEZCa. I Joa* Lufi. Frlce Ji. M. 
 
 Bndbor; & E*JiM, Frlatcn* mutefrian. 
 
 rUXCHS SIXTH AND LAST WRAPPER, DESIGNED BY RICHARD DOYLE. SECOND 
 
 DESIGN. JANUARY, 1849. 
 
 of detail were made, including the substitution of the smug 
 lion's head for that of Judv in the canvas — the whole so
 
 A Bounding Circulation. 49 
 
 successful that it may safely be predicted that it will never 
 be superseded. 
 
 Such are the co\ers — comprising what ]\Ir. W. Bradbur}' 
 used to call "our wardrobe of old coats" — which, though 
 interesting enough in themselves, certainly included nothing 
 to equal the last design, by which Doyle's name is best 
 known throughout the artistic world. 
 
 Guided b}- the success of the first Almanac, the con- 
 ductors decided to work the same oracle by publishing *' extra 
 numbers" at everv promising opportunity. "Mr. Mayhew, 
 ]Mr. Jerrold, and I," says Landells, "happened to spend a 
 few days in the summer at Heme Bay, and there ' Piuich's 
 \'isit to the Watering Places ' was projected. These articles 
 gave Punch another gi-eat lift. ^Messrs. Mayhew, ]\Iark 
 Lemon, Douglas Jerrold, and I, did Heme Bay, Margate, 
 Broadstairs, and Ramsgate, and I never enjoyed myself more 
 than on this, to me, memorable occasion. Albert Smith did 
 Brighton. Punch thenceforth became an established favourite 
 with the public, and the weekly circulation averaged over 
 30,000." 
 
 Just before this lucky stroke, another not less fortunate 
 as a succes d'estime, if nothing more, was ''Punch's Valentines " 
 — -at that time considered a most remarkable production ; for 
 there were no fewer than twelve half-page engi-avings within 
 its full-page borders— a generous amount that puzzled the 
 public far more than ten times as much and as good would 
 do to-day. Kenny :\Ieadows, "Phiz,"* Leech, Crowquill, 
 Henning, and Xewman, contributed each two "valentines," 
 which were addressed to various sorts and conditions of 
 people, accompanied b\- verses of considerable humour and 
 more than average merit. Thus, to the lawyer— whom 
 " Phiz " has represented as a mixture, in equal parts, of 
 Squeers, Brass, and Ouilp— the lines begin in a manner 
 not unworthy of Hood himself: — 
 
 * It is a curious fact that the biographer of Hablot K. Browne is altogether 
 silent on his Punch work, although it lasted with intervals over a quaner of a 
 century. The particulars of this work are referred to further on, when runch's 
 artists are passed in review. 
 E
 
 50 The History of '' Pu.xch!' 
 
 " Lend me your ears, thou man of law, 
 While I my declaration draw, 
 
 Your heart in fee surrender ; 
 As plaintiff I my suit prefer, 
 'Twould be uncivil to demur, 
 
 Then let your plea be — tender.'' 
 
 The invocation which follows, to a gorgeous footman, by 
 some love-smitten serving-maid, ends — 
 
 "But now fare thee well! — with your ultimate breath, 
 When you answer the door to the knocking of Death, 
 On your conscience, believe me, 'twill terribly dwell. 
 If now you refuse to attend to the belle .' " 
 
 In August, 1850, in the extra number called " Punch's Holi- 
 days," that was done for the outskirts of London which eight 
 years before had been done for the watering-places. It was 
 illustrated b}^ Leech and Doyle, and, it may be added, the 
 Hampton Court section was written by Thackeray. Then 
 when the great Shakespeare Tercentenary was being cele- 
 brated, with singularly little ec/al so far as the Shakespeare 
 Committee itself was concerned, Punch produced his " Ter- 
 centenary Xumber." It was in all respects admirable, and 
 Tenniel's double-page cartoon was a striking success — as might 
 have been expected from a Staff so remarkably well versed in 
 Shakespeare. In that cartoon the poet's triumphal car, drawn 
 by twin Pegasi and dri^•en by Mr. Punch, is followed b}' a 
 motley procession, in which Mark Lemon, in the character 
 of John Bull, appears adapted as Prospero (one of the best 
 of the many portraits of the editor that have appeared in the 
 paper), while a t3'pically malignant organ-grinder is Caliban, 
 and all the leading statesmen and sovereigns are represented 
 in Shakespearian character appropriate to the circumstances ; 
 the "Standard" and "Morning Herald," two of Punch's pet 
 aversions and journalistic butts, bringing up the rear as the 
 Witches in " Macbeth," Mesdames Gamp and Harris. The 
 illustrators of this exceptionally happy number were — besides 
 Sir John Tenniel — Charles Keene, Mr. du Maurier, and Mr. 
 Fairfield.
 
 Special Numbers. 51 
 
 " Then came the unwieldy " Records of the Great Exhi- 
 bition, extracted from Punch," on October 4th, 1851. Punch 
 had made a dead-set against the exhibition in Hyde Park 
 (until his friend Paxton was appointed its architect, subse- 
 quently earning ^20,000 by the work), and, according to Mr. 
 Justin McCarthy, " was hardly ever weary of making fun of 
 it . . . and nothing short of complete success could save it 
 from falling under a mountain of ridicule. The Prince did 
 not despair, however, and the project went on." And when 
 it was a fait accompli, Punch, good man of business that 
 he was, at once put it to the best possible advantage, ])y 
 issuing his enormous " extra " of nine prexiously-published 
 cartoons by Tenniel and Leech, and many other cuts besides 
 — the whole, in point of its double-folio size, more suitable 
 for street display than library reading. The price was sixpence, 
 and with all the special matter it contained it was one of 
 the cheapest productions e^-er issued from that office. 
 
 With the special Paris Exhibition number, produced in 
 celebration of the Exhibition of 1889, the list of extra numbers 
 issued by Punch for general circulation comes to a close. 
 Nearly the whole of the Staff, including the proprietors, 
 travelled to Paris together — how luxuriously, Mr. Furniss's 
 drawing of their dining-saloon gives a good notion ; it contains 
 (with Sir John Tenniel and Mr. Luc}') portraits of all who were 
 present. Charles Keene had stayed at home ; he felt unequal 
 to the jaunt, and was, in fact, sickening for the mortal illness 
 which soon had him in its grip. The "Paris Sketches" in the 
 number that bear his signature were— like the '' war corre- 
 spondence from the front " concocted in Fleet Street— quieth' 
 drawn at home down at Chelsea. One thing primarily the 
 number showed : that Punch's national prejudices haAe mel- 
 lowed with time, and that a Frenchman may be accepted as a 
 cultivated gentleman and a genial companion— a ^•ery different 
 being to him whom Leech habitually drew as a llabby-faced 
 refugee in Leicester Square, "with cstaminct clearly written 
 across his features," while Thackeray applauded the conception 
 in his most righteous hatred and contempt for all things vile. 
 Tw^o other special means has Punch adopted with the \ie\v 
 E 2
 
 52 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 of pleasing his constituents and confounding his enemies, ex- 
 clusive of the mock Mulread}^ envelope known as the " Anti- 
 Graham Envelope" and the "Wafers," which are elsewhere 
 referred to. The first of these was the music occasionally 
 printed in his pages from the hand of his own particular 
 maestro, TuUy, the well-known member ot the Punch Club, 
 whose musical setting of " The Queen's Speech, as it is to be 
 sung by the Lord Chancellor," appeared in 1843 ; the polka, 
 at the time when that dance was a novel and a ■ national 
 craze, dedicated to the well-known dancing-master. Baron 
 Nathan; ''Punch's Mazurka," in Vol. VIII. (1845); and one 
 or two other pieces besides. The other was a coloured 
 picture representing a ''plate " — a satire on the poor and 
 inartistic "coloured plates" then being issued by S. C. Hall's 
 "Art Union." It was a clever lithographic copy of an ordinary 
 "willow pattern" plate; a homely piece of crockery, broken 
 and riveted, beneath which is inscribed : " To the Subscribers 
 to the Art Union this beautiful plate (from the original 
 in the possession of the Artist) is presented, as the finest 
 specimen of British Art, by Punch." It was designed by 
 Horace Mayhew ; but the edition was extremely limited — 
 not a hundred copies, it is understood — on account of the 
 expense, which it was thought was not justified by the 
 excellence or the likely popularity of the joke. 
 
 Such have been some of Punch's efforts outside the usual 
 routine, and the result has been the continual popularisation 
 of the pajier. Volume after volume, too, in various forms, 
 has been republished, culminating in the " Victorian Era," 
 "Pictures from Punch," and "Sir John Tenniel's Cartoons;" 
 and each one has but served to attract the favourable notice 
 of the public to the ordinary issue. So Punch has developed 
 his power and his resources. To him one might almost apply 
 what a Welshman said of his friend : " I knew him when 
 he wass a ferr}' poor man — quite a poor man walking about 
 in the village; and now he drives in his carriage and twice!"
 
 53 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 " Here let us sport, 
 Boys, as we sit ; 
 Laughter and wit 
 Flashing so free. 
 Life is but short — 
 When we are gone. 
 Let them sing on, 
 Round the old tree." 
 
 — Thackcray^s " Mahogany TrecP 
 
 THE PUNCH DINNER AND THE PUNCH CLUB. 
 
 Origin and Antiquity of the Meal — Place of Celebration — The " Crown " 
 — In Bouverie Street and Elsewhere — The Dining-Hall — The Table — And 
 Plans — Jokes and Amenities — Jerrold and his " Bark " — A Night at the 
 Dinner — From Mr. Henry Silver's Diary — Loyalty and Perseverance of 
 Diners — Charles H. Bennett and the Jeu d'esprit — Keene Holds Aloof — 
 Business — Evolution of the Cartoon — Honours Divided — Guests— Special 
 Dinners, "Jubilee," "Thackeray," "Burnand," and " Tenniel " — Dinners 
 to P;(;u-/i— The Punch Club— Exit Albert Smith— High Spirits— " The 
 Whistling Oyster" — Baylis as a Prophet— "Two Pins Club." 
 
 Among the Parliaments of Wits and the Conclaves of Humor- 
 ists the weekly convention known as "the Punch Dinner" 
 holds highest rank, if importance is to be judged by results and 
 pre-eminence by renown. For three-and-tifty years have these 
 illustrious functions been held, fifty to the year. And those 
 two thousand six hundred and fifty meals mark off, week by 
 week, the progress of English humour during the Victorian 
 era— not the humour of literature alone, but the humour, as 
 well as the technical excellence, of one of the noblest and 
 most vigorous and delightful of all the sections of English 
 art. 
 
 This solemn festivity, therefore, has a solid claim to being 
 included among the scenes of English artist -life. If it be 
 conceded, as I think it must, that Punch has been for lialf a
 
 54 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 century an eifective, even a glorious, school of art — of drawing 
 in black-and-white and of wood-cutting alike — it follows that 
 the weekly repast which has helped to bring these things 
 about claims attention and respect among the Diets of the 
 world, and demands a first place in virtue of public service 
 and by right of artistic performance. 
 
 But it is not in the spirit nor with the fashionable view 
 of the Royal Academicians and their imposing banquet that 
 the members of the Punch staff hold their weekly junket. 
 "We Enghsh," said Douglas Jerrold, "would dine to celebrate 
 the engulfing, of England." Yet if "the Punchites" share the 
 feeling of old Timon that " we must dine together," it is 
 neither for purposes of self-congi^atulation, nor yet of hospi- 
 tality. Though good-fellowship is near the genesis of the 
 institution, work and serious aim are at the root of it all, 
 and in the midst of all the merry-making are never for a 
 moment forgotten. 
 
 Nevertheless, conviviality, 3'ou may be sure, counted for 
 something in the arrangement when Queen Victoria's reign 
 was 3^oung. Clubs there were not a few about Fleet Street 
 and the Strand, where the men who founded Punch, and 
 their friends and enemies alike in similar walks of life, 
 would hob-nob together, and where the sharp concussions 
 of their diamond-cut-diamond wit would emit the sparks and 
 flashes that were remembered and straightway converted into 
 "copy." In those early days the flow of soul was closely 
 regulated by the flow of liquor, and the most modest of 
 Dinners was food at once to bodv and to mind. " What 
 things," wrote Beaumont in his Letter to Ben Jonson — 
 
 " What things have we seen 
 Done at the ' Mermaid ' ! Heard words that have been 
 So nimble and so full of subtile flame, 
 As if that every one from whom they came 
 Had meant to put his whole wit in a jest, 
 And resolved to live a fool the rest 
 Of his dull life." 
 
 As in Elizabethan times, so in the days of Victoria. The
 
 EVOLUTIOX OF THE "PuACH" D INNER. 55 
 
 PuncJi Dinners of the last few decades would, in their excel- 
 lence and refinement, have astonished the merry crew of old ; 
 but the entertainment is now but the prelude to business, and 
 not, as in the earlier struggling months, the powder that served 
 to fire off the great guns of humour. The weekly Dinner was 
 evolved from the gatherings that were held nearly every even- 
 ing, as well as Saturday-nightly, in the anxious days that pre- 
 ceded — and immediately succeeded, too — the laboured birth oi 
 Punch. The first of these — the very first " Punch Dinner," 
 strictly so-called — was held at "La Belle Sauvage," Ludgate 
 Hill, on the spot now occupied by the publishing firm of Cassell 
 and Company. Hine was one of those present at this his- 
 vloric feast, having been already impressed by Landells into 
 the service of the paper. I may add, as a matter of minor 
 histor}^ that Mr. Price, the owner of the hostelr}', advertised 
 his house in the early numbers of Punch : a fact which 
 suggests (perhaps unjusth^) a mysterious financial under- 
 standing on the score of his bill — especially as Mr. Price 
 was a brother-in-law of Bradbury the First. These tavern 
 repasts were soon divided up between those who wished 
 to work and those who wished to play ; and the Punch 
 Dinner and the ^' Punch Club" were in due course estab- 
 lished as separate institutions. For all that, the meetings of 
 both were held in the "Crown Inn" in Vinegar Yard, just 
 off Drury Lane, and the "Club" was not long after (1843) 
 celebrated in the pages of Punch itself by the " Professor," 
 Percival Leigh, in his choicest dog-Latin — his most elegant 
 latin de cuisine— or, as he himself called it, " Anglo-Graeco- 
 Canino-Latinum." The lines, a parody of Goldsmith's " Re- 
 taliation," begin thus : — 
 
 " Sunt quidam jolly dogs, Saturday qui nocte frequentant 
 Antiqui I^rifaroy qui stat prope moenia Druri, 
 BovX6f^el'ol saccos cum prog distendere rather, 
 Indulgere jocis, necnon Baccho atque tobacco . . ." 
 
 — lines which, with a few of the succeeding ones, I may 
 render thus, the spirit and the text being followed as closely 
 as may be : —
 
 56 The History of '' Pu-XChT 
 
 " Some jolly dogs on Saturdays at fall of night are fain 
 To haunt the ' Crown ' beside old Drury, hard by Drury Lane ; 
 Their object, to expand themselves with dainties of the feed 
 And give the hour to jest and wine, and smoke the fragrant 
 
 weed. 
 Such fellows, sure, ne'er graced before that jovial mundane 
 
 hole. 
 To them I sing this song of praise— those mighty men of soul. 
 Whose fame henceforth shall spread abroad, so long as time 
 
 shall roll. 
 
 " The ' Crown ' stands in a quiet yard, yet near the noisy street ; 
 'Tis their local habitation — in its dining-room they meet. 
 The massive table, brightly spread, groans with the mighty feast. 
 The viands change. To-day 'tis beef with Yorkshire pudding 
 
 dressed ; 
 Next week perchance the dish that Hodge will grinningly define 
 As ' leg o' mutton, boiled, with trimmings.' Heartily they dine. 
 Here flows the Double X, and flows the Barclay-Perkins brew ; 
 Nor is there lack of modern sack that best is known to you 
 When waiters call it ' off-n-off ' — which waiters mostly do." 
 
 Here it was that the wits of pen and pencil tirst laid their 
 heads together in the service of Mr. Punch ; and when they 
 left for more private, if not more venerable, quarters, the room 
 was occupied, first, by comrades of the same order of wit — 
 among whom Augustus Mayhew, James Hannay, Watts 
 Phillips, and others started a short-lived comic broad-sheet 
 called "The Journal for Laughter;" and then by "The 
 Reunion Club "—a coterie which, in 1857, was to become far 
 more widely known under the style and title of the " Savage 
 Club." It was situated next door to the "Whistling Oyster," 
 and faced a side entrance to Drury Lane Theatre — a fairly 
 large first-floor room, looking larger by reason of its low 
 ceiling, but well lighted by its three high windows. When 
 I visited it in 1893, ^^ wooden staircase had been replaced 
 by a steep stone-way ; but the approach and the ascent were 
 still steep enough to make one wonder how the portl}' 
 Lemon could, without difficulty or fear of accident, scale the 
 classic heights, and twist his body to the needful turns.
 
 ''From Lowly Huj- 
 
 0/ 
 
 O 
 U 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 O 
 u 
 
 O 
 O 
 
 ■J 
 
 t-l 
 en 

 
 58 Tin. History of ''Punch!' 
 
 Although, as I have said, conviviahty and convenience 
 were essentiahy identified with the Punch Dinner, especially 
 in its embr}-onic stage, when frequent interviews were neces- 
 sary and the dail}' occupations of many of the Staff precluded 
 an earlier attendance, it was quickly seen that the chief prac- 
 tical use and effect of the Dinner was to broaden the men's 
 view of things, to produce harmony of tone and singleness 
 of aim, to keep the Editor constantly in touch with his whole 
 Staff, and through them with the public ; and thus to secure the 
 fullest advantage which their combined wit and counsel could 
 afford. When the transfer of the paper was completed from 
 Ebenezer Landells to the house of Bradbury and Evans, the 
 regular Dinners were soon established at Xo. ii, Bouverie 
 Street, E.G., now given over to the Posts and Telegraphs. 
 The second floor was considered not too undignified for the 
 purpose ; but the descent to the first was made in good time, 
 Mark Lemon taking the vacated room for his editorial office ; 
 and when in 1867 a general removal was effected to No. 
 10, the present dining-room — or Banqueting-Hall, as it was 
 finely called — was specially constructed for its high purpose. 
 At first these repasts were held on Saturday night, when the 
 paper was made up and sent away to press. But when the 
 true value of the meetings became apparent, the day was 
 changed to Wednesday. The Dinner was established ostensibly 
 for the discussion and determining of the "big cut," and the 
 function became as exclusive and esoteric as a Masonic initia- 
 tion. From that day to this it has, with few exceptions, been 
 held januis clausis ; and beside it the Literarj' Ladies' Dinner 
 and Bluebeard's Chamber are as open to the world and free 
 from mystery as the public streets at noon. 
 
 The room in which it was held, so long the Temple of 
 the Comic Muse, had little in itself to command the attention 
 of the superficial observer. The stairs which Thackeray trod, 
 and which resounded to the quick light step of Jerrold and 
 to the heavier tread of Leech, exist no longer ; but the classic 
 shrine is practically as it was when the " Fat Contributor," 
 pushing roughl}- past the young 'prentice engraver who 
 opened the door to his ring, gave no thought to him who
 
 ■To Marble Halls. 
 
 59 
 
 en 
 < 
 
 'A 
 H 
 
 W 
 W 
 
 W 
 
 > 
 
 D 
 O 
 
 I 
 
 o 
 2 
 
 2^ 
 
 U 
 
 w 
 
 CI. 
 
 a: 
 o 
 
 (1,
 
 6o 
 
 The History of '■'Punch" 
 
 MARK LEMONS MONOGRAM, 
 CUT ON THE PUNCH 
 TABLE. 
 
 was soon to make the name of Birket Foster famous in the 
 
 land. 
 
 To-day a large — one might say an imposing — apartment on 
 the first floor looking upon the street is approached, as most 
 front offices in London City are approached, from a landing 
 leading through an open office. Upon the table are a water- 
 jug and a couple of goblets of cheap and distinctly unlovely 
 Bohemian glass. A tobacco-box, hardly less ugly (coeval, one 
 would say, with the room itself), a snuff-box, and long pipes 
 
 serve to recall that respect for the 
 past and for tradition which is one of 
 the most delightful, as it is one of the 
 most successful, elements in Punch's 
 composition. Here you may see Sir 
 John Tenniel's long churchwarden, 
 with his initials marked upon it, and 
 Charles Keene's little pipe — for these 
 two men would ever prefer a stem 
 between their teeth to a cigar-stump. Statuettes in plaster of 
 John Leech and of Thackeray, by Sir Edgar Boehm, as well 
 as a bust of Douglas Jerrold, decorate the mantelpiece or 
 the dwarf-cupboard; and on the walls are many frames of 
 abiding interest. 
 
 Here you have the portraits of the four editors — that of 
 Mark Lemon painted by Fred Chester, son 
 of his life-long friend George Chester, and 
 the likenesses of Shirley Brooks, Tom 
 Taylor, and IMr. Burnand in photogi-apliy. 
 The portraits of the Staff, taken by Bassano 
 in 1 89 1 at Mr. William Agnew's request, to 
 the number of fourteen or fifteen, hang 
 separatel}' in tlieir dark frames. The 
 original of one of Tenniel's. Almanac de- 
 signs ; a masterly drawing, two feet long, 
 by Keene, bought by the late Mr. Brad- 
 bury at a sale — the (unused) cartoon of Disraeli leading the 
 principal financiers of the day in hats and frock-coats across 
 the Red Sea ("Come along, it's getting shallower"); the 
 
 rERCIVAL LEIGH S 
 MONOGRAM.
 
 The " Punch " Dining-Hall. 
 
 6i 
 
 JOHN LEECH S INITIALS AND 
 CYPHER. 
 
 oris:inal of Leech's celebrated " Mr. Punch's Fancy Ball," 
 and a series of the enlarged coloured prints of his hunting 
 sketches ; a caricature of Mr. 
 Furniss by Mr. Sambourne, made 
 in Paris ; another of Mr. Sam- 
 bourne by Mr. Furniss ; and a 
 third of ]Mr. Sambourne by him- 
 self ; a caricature in pen-and-ink 
 and colour of the Punch Staff 
 marching along in Paris, b}' Mr. 
 Furniss ; a black-and-white sketch 
 bv the same artist of the same 
 distinguished company in the train 
 on the return journey ; and another souvenir of the Paris 
 trip bv Mr. du [Maurier, including the portraits of himself, 
 Mr. Burnand, Mr. Arthur a Beckett, and ^Ir. W. Bradbury. 
 The trophy-frame of specimen proofs of some of the finest ot 
 Swain's cuts of the artistic Staff's best work, gathered together 
 
 for show in one of the great exhibitions, 
 has been removed to make room for 
 photographs of Gilbert a Beckett, 
 "Ponny" (Horace) ^Vlayhew, Charles 
 Keene, Tom Taylor, Percival Leigh, 
 Charles H. Bennett, R. F. Sketchley, 
 John Henry Agnew, Thomas Agnew 
 and William Bradbury, Mr. Fred Evans 
 and Sir William Agnew ; while photo- 
 gi-aphic groups of the Staff and a fine 
 autotype of Thackeray complete the 
 wall decoration of one of the most in- 
 teresting apartments in London City. 
 
 And in the corner, on the locker 
 farthest from the street, besides a little 
 papier-mdchc figure of a Japanese 
 Punch— sent by an admirer in the 
 Land of the Rising Sun— and a group 
 charmingh- modelled from Sir John Tenniel's beautiful cartoon 
 of "Peace and the Xew Year," stands the statue of the 
 
 \V. M. THACKERAY S «>- 
 MONOGRAM.
 
 62 
 
 The History of ''Punch': 
 
 HORACE MAVHEW S INITIALS. 
 
 Great Hunchback himself, which in a fit of enthusiasm a 
 young German sculptor, named Adolph Fleischmann, wrought 
 and presented to the object of his admiration. It is a work 
 of no little grotesqueness and ingenuity (well modelled and 
 
 coloured, and fitted with springs 
 that permit of the working of arms 
 and eyes and head), which, endowed 
 with a white favour, has played its 
 part in the decoration of the pub- 
 lishing office on the occasion ot 
 certain royal weddings and public 
 rejoicings, and during the blocking 
 of Fleet Street has been utilised in 
 the direction of comic self-advertisement. 
 
 Then there is a real " Royal Patent " appropriately 
 framed, " hereby appointing Master Punch unto the Place 
 and Quality of Joke Maker Extraordinary to her Majesty," 
 dulv signed and sealed b}^ the Lord Chamberlain, and 
 countersigned " J.A.X.D. Martin." It is undoubtedly a 
 genuine certificate — up to a point ; l)ut how it was 
 obtained, and how PiuicJis name came to be filled in, 
 remains to this day a mystery. Such is the room, with its 
 pleasant decoration of red and black and gold, with its large 
 windows and its sunlight gaselier ; but, take it for all in all, it 
 is about as unlike Mr. Sambourne's classic representation of 
 the Roman atrium in his Jubilee drawing 
 as well could be imagined. 
 
 And the Table itself — tJic Table — the 
 famous board of which we all have 
 heard, yet none, or but very few of us, 
 have seen — I myself amongst the for- 
 tunate few ! As a piece of furniture 
 this hospitable, but rather primitive, piece 
 of joinery is not of much account, the top being of plain 
 deal {pace Thackeray's '^Mahogany Tree"), oblong in shape, 
 with rounded ends. But its associations render it a treasure 
 among treasures, a rich and priceless gem. For at this Table 
 nearly every man upon the Staff has, from the day it was 
 
 TOM TAYLORS INITIALS.
 
 AxD ''Punch" Table. 
 
 63 
 
 SIR JOHN TENNIEL's 
 MONOGRAM. 
 
 made, sat and carved his initials upon it with a penknife, 
 when officially elevated to Piuich's peerage. As each has 
 died, his successor has taken his place — just as the Institut 
 de France creates Immortals to fill the chairs made vacant 
 b^ jdeath — and he has cut his initials 
 or his mark close b}^ those of the men 
 who occupied the place before him. 
 There they are, staring at 3'ou from the 
 Table like so many abecedarian skeletons 
 at the feast ; and if you take a furti\'e 
 and hasty peep from the doorway and lift 
 the green protective cloth you catch sight 
 nearest you of a " D. M." in close com- 
 pany with a beautifully-cut " W. M. T." 
 and a monogrammatic leech inside a bottle 
 flanked by a J. and an L. ; and you gaze 
 with deep interest on the handiwork of them and of the rest, 
 man}' of whom have carved their names, as on that Table, 
 deep into England's roll of fame ; and of others, too, who, 
 with less of genius but equal zeal and effort, have a strong 
 claim on the gratitude and the recollection of a kindly and 
 
 laughter-loving people.* 
 
 For more than forty years, then, this 
 Table has week by week, with few excep- 
 tions, been surrounded by the Staff of the 
 day; and the chair, the self-same old- 
 fashioned wooden editorial armchair, has 
 been filled by the reigning Editor. "With 
 
 * The initials and monograms appear in the following 
 order round the Table : — i, Mark Lemon; 2, F. C. Bur- 
 nand (second carving, after stencil by Prof. Herkomer, 
 R.A.) ; 3, John Tenniel ; 4, Shirley Brooks; 5, Arthur 
 a Beckett; 6, R. C. Lehmann ; 7, W. M. Thackeray; 
 8, Henry Silver ; 9, Harry Furniss ; 10, John Leech ; 11, 
 G. du Maurier ; 12, W. Bradbury ; 13, Douglas Jerrold ; 14, E. J. Milliken ; 15, F. 
 M.Evans; 16, Tom Taylor ; ly.Linley Sambourne ; iS, Phil May; 19, J. Bernard 
 Partridge ; 20. E. T. Reed ; 21, H. W. Lucy ; 22, F. C. Burnand (first carving) ; 
 23, Gilbert a Beckett; 24, Anstey Guthrie; -25, Horace Mayhew; 26, Percival 
 Leigh. Charles H. Bennett died before he could complete his monogram, and 
 Mr. R. F. Sketchley neglected the duty— an omission he ever after regretted. 
 
 SHIRLEY brooks' 
 MONOGRAM.
 
 64 
 
 The History of "PujWCh." 
 
 WILLIAM BRADBURY S 1NITL\LS 
 
 few exceptions," I said ; for Bouverie Street has not invariably 
 been the hatching-place of the Cartoon, nor XvAxe its walls 
 resounded with absolute regularity to the lau8:hter and the 
 jests of the merr}--makers. During the summer the Dinner 
 has been, now and again, and still is, held at Greenwich, at 
 
 Richmond, Maidenhead, 
 or elsewhere — Hampton 
 Court and Dulwich 
 rather frequently, of old, 
 as well as once at Har- 
 row, and sometimes at 
 Pur fleet, Windsor, and 
 Rosherville. Sometimes, 
 when occasion has de- 
 manded—in the " dead 
 season," maybe, when the attendance at the Table has 
 dwindled, though for no sustained period (it is even on record 
 that the "Dinner" has consisted of a tete-a-tete between Sir 
 John Tenniel and Mr. Arthur a Beckett) — not more than 
 three or four consecutive weeks, certainly — the " Sussex," or 
 more often the old " Bedford Hotel," or latterly the " First 
 Avenue," has been the scene of the feast ; while 
 " special dinners " (and they have been many) 
 have been held in special places. And not in- 
 variably has the weekly repast been a "dinner" 
 at all, be it observed ; for on certain rare occa- 
 sions, when some important Parliamentary matter 
 has intervened, a luncheon has been held instead. 
 Once; in September, 1845, it was postponed from 
 the Saturday night at the intercession of Charles 
 Dickens, so that a new play by Macready might 
 be produced with the full advantage of the Punch men's 
 presence. And the Dinner was once more made a movable 
 feast, and was held on the Tuesday instead of the Wednesday, 
 on the occasion of the pro,duction of Mr. Burnand's and Sir 
 Arthur Sullivan's opera of "The Chieftain" in December, 1894. 
 In the "Bedford Hotel" — beloved of Thackera}-, for in it 
 he wrote much of " Henr}' Esmond," and stayed there when 
 
 •?. M. EVANS 
 INITIALS 
 
 [Unfinished).
 
 The Staff at Table. 
 
 65 
 
 HENRY SILVER S INITIALS. 
 
 his house was in the painters' hands— the room occupied was 
 that known as the " Dryden." Here the Staff would make 
 no attempt at self-repression ; and I have been told how the 
 idle and the curious would congregate 
 outside upon the pavement an-d listen to 
 the voices of the wits within, and wait to 
 gape at them as the}' passed in and out. 
 The places at Table once occupied 
 by the members of the Staff are nowa- 
 days regarded as theirs by right. But 
 in earlier da}'s the places were often 
 shuffled, as at a game of " general post." 
 Proof of it may be had from the follow- 
 ing plans of the Table between 1855 
 
 and 1865 — perhaps the most interesting years in the history 
 of Punch, as demonstrating the transitional stage, when the 
 ancient order of things was rapidly developing into the 
 modern as we know them to-day. In 1855, then, the dis- 
 position was as follows : — 
 
 William Bradbury* 
 
 Douglas Jerrold John Leech 
 
 Tom Taylor W. M. Thackeray 
 
 Gilbert a Beckett Shirley Brooks 
 
 Horace Mayhew Mark Lemon 
 
 Percival Leigh John Tenniel 
 F. M. Evans* 
 
 — onlv two artists and a half (Thackeray being a connnixture 
 of writer and draughtsman) to seven writers and a half! 
 
 Five years later — in i860 — the places had changed, partly 
 through death, partly through rearrangement : — 
 
 William Bradbury* 
 W- M. Thackeray (when he John Leech 
 
 Tom Taylor 
 Horace Mayhew 
 Shirley Brooks 
 Percival Leigh 
 
 [came) Henry Silver 
 Charles Keene 
 John Tenniel 
 Mark Lemon 
 F. M. Evans* 
 
 * Proprietors.
 
 66 The History of "Punch!' 
 
 Here the artistic element is seen to be asserting itself to 
 some extent, the proportion between artist and writer being 
 further readjusted after the lapse of another five years : for 
 in 1865 the constitution of the Table became — 
 
 F. M. EvAxs* 
 Tom Taylor G. du Maurier 
 
 W. H. Bradbury* (his Henry Sil\-er 
 
 father seldom came now) Charles H. Bennett 
 
 Horace Mayhew 
 Charles Keene 
 F. C. Burnand 
 Percival Leigh John Tenniel 
 
 Mark Lemon 
 
 F. IM. Evans, Jr. 
 Shirley Brooks 
 
 — the Editor for the first time taking his proper place at the 
 Table, although, it is true, it was only at the foot. 
 
 To-day the number of the Staff has been increased, and 
 the right proportion struck between the pen and the pencil 
 — the Editor, too, presiding. 
 
 Mr. F. C. Burnand 
 Sir John Tenniel Mr. F. Anstey 
 
 Mr. Linley Sambourne Mr. Henry Lucy 
 
 Mr. Arthur a Beckett Mr. E. T. Reed 
 
 Mr. R. C. Lehmann Mr. Bernard Partridge 
 
 Mr. Harry Furniss (until Feb. Mr. Phil May 
 Mr. du Maurier [1894) Mr. E. J. Millikex 
 
 Sir William Agnew (sometimes) 
 
 Mr. Lawrence Bradbury or 
 
 Mr. Philip Agnew 
 
 In the decade or so following the death of Douglas Jerrold 
 — roughly corresponding with the period within which the 
 aiTangements varied as I have shown — six new appointments 
 were made to the Table. These were : Mr. Henry Silver, 
 in August, 1857; Charles Keene, February, i860 (after a nine 
 years' probationership) ; Mr. F. C. Burnand, June, 1863 ; Mr, 
 G. du Maurier, November, 1864 ; Charles H. Bennett, February, 
 1865 (though ill-health prevented him from taking his place 
 
 * Proprietors.
 
 A Question of Taste. 
 
 6; 
 
 until^iie following June); and Mr. R. F. Sketchley (till 1894 
 of the South Kensington Museum), January, 1868. The present 
 Staff, I may add, since Mr. du Maurier's accession, have taken 
 their places at the Table in the 
 followins: order : Mr. Linlev Sam- 
 bourne, ^Ir. Arthur a Beckett, Mr. 
 E. J. Milliken, Gilbert a Beckett, 
 Mr. Reginald Shirle}' Brooks (until 
 1884), Mr. Henr}' Lucy, Mr. F. 
 Anstey, Mr. R. C. Lehmann, ]Mr. 
 E. T. Reed, Mr. Bernard Part- 
 ridge, and in February, 1895, Mr. 
 Phil May. As Mr. Punch ap- 
 proached man's estate, and arri^'ed 
 at ^•ears of artistic discretion, he 
 cultivated a pretty taste in epi- 
 curism ; until to-day, if report be 
 true, the Dinners (prepared and sent 
 in by Spiers and Pond), the A3'ala, 
 
 F. C. 
 
 and the cigars, are all ^vorth^• of 
 
 BUKNANU S INITIALS, 
 
 (i) On joining the Table, and (2) on 
 appointment as Editor. 
 
 the palates of the men whose wit 
 it is theirs to stimulate and nourish. To summon the Staff 
 to these feasts of reason it was in later years the practice to 
 
 issue printed notices, which after 
 1870 were superseded by invitation 
 cards drawn by Mr. du Maurier — 
 the design representing ]Mr. Punch 
 ringing his bell, while the faithful 
 fly hurriedly to respond to the be- 
 hest. But owing to the number of 
 portraits it contained of old friends 
 now departed, and the painful re- 
 collections it consequently aroused, 
 its later use has been discontinued. 
 But when our Democritus boasted 
 fewer years, there was not so much ceremony in his banquet, 
 neither was there so much state ; nor was the friendship less 
 keen or the intimacy less enjoyable in Leigh's humbler days 
 F 2 
 
 GEORGE DU MAURIER S 
 MONOGRAM.
 
 68 The History of "Punch." 
 
 of " off-n-off." A wonderful company — a brilliant company ; 
 with flashing wit and dazzling sallies, with many " a skirmish of 
 wit between them." From more, the quieter flow of genial 
 humour. And among the rest, the listeners ; men — some of 
 
 them — who prefer to 
 attend than to talk, even 
 to the point of reserve 
 ;, and almost of taciturnity. 
 ', Such men were John 
 Leech, Richard Dovle, 
 
 LIXLEY SAMBOURNE'S MONOGRAM. -\ r>^ ^ t-- " 
 
 and Charles Keene — 
 whose silence, however, masked subtle minds that were teem- 
 ing with droll ideas, and as appreciative of humour as the 
 sprightliest. What jokes have been made, what stories told 
 that never have found their way into print ! What chaff, 
 what squibs, what caricatures — which it surpasses the wit of 
 a Halsbury or a MacXeill to imagine or condone ! 
 
 Of what the Punch Dinner was at the time when 
 Thackeray was still of the band, an idea may be formed 
 from the following extract from Mr. Silver's Diary, with 
 which I have been favoured by the writer, who for several 
 years sat at it by right. He calls it — 
 
 "A NIGHT AT THE ROUND TABLE. 
 Scene : Mr. PiincJis Banquet Hall at No. ii, Bouverie Street. 
 Time : Wednesday .^ March a/zfl', 1859, six o'clock p.m. 
 
 F. M. EvAxs 
 
 W. M. Thackerav y/*^ ^v John Leech 
 
 Horace Mayhew / \ Tom Taylor 
 
 Shirley Brooks V I Henry Silver 
 
 Percival Leigh \^^ ^/ John Tenniel 
 
 Mark Lemon 
 
 ' Turbot and haunch of venison — what a good dinner ! ' says 
 Tenniel, reading menu. Tantalising to Tom Taylor, who has to 
 dine elsewhere ; and Thackeray leaves early, to go to an ' episcopal
 
 Cabinet Council in Whitefriars. 
 
 69 
 
 tea-tight,' as he tells us — a jump ' from lively Lu severe,' to Fulham 
 Palace from the Punch Table. 
 
 Tom merely looks in ' to hear what 3-ou fellows say about 
 the I^^Reform Bill,' which Dizz}- introduced on Monday. So we 
 
 CHARLES KF.ENE R. F. SKETCHLEY F. C. HURNAND 
 SIIIRLF.V BROOKS TOM TAYLOR HORACE MAYHEW PERCIVAU LEIGH 
 
 r.. ni: MAURIER JOHN TKNNIFL 
 
 )0, T3o)^ve:ie Siicex, Z.S. 
 
 ''^^'^'^ pfeaauie of tiout Coiiipaiiij u jceaunWi 
 
 at fiafP-pa^t oix ofiatp. 
 
 jlti aiijwet, ip uiiaUle to come, wilt oblige 
 
 PUNCH DINNER INVIT.^TION CARD. DRAWN BY G. DU MAURIER. 
 
 begin discussing politics even with the venison. ' Ponn}- ' Mayhew 
 condemns the Bill : does nothing for the working man, he says. 
 Tom thinks that people look to Punch for guidance, and that 
 we ought to be plain-speaking, and take a decided course. ' Pro- 
 fessor ' Leigh and Mark agree in thinking that we rather 
 should stand by awhile, and see how the stream runs. All seem 
 of opinion that Walpole acted as a man of honour in resigning, 
 not being rich enough to make money of no matter to him. 
 
 ' Seria mista jocis ' being Mr. Punch's motto (though it never 
 has been sanctioned by the Heralds' College), Shirley, apropos of 
 money, asks, ' Why is Lord Overstone like copper ? ' ' Because 
 he is a Lloyd with tin.' Whereat Thackeray lauglis heartily. 
 
 Odd that there should now be three old Carthusians in
 
 "O 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 ARTHUR A BECKETT S INITIALS. 
 
 Mr. Punch's Council of Ten. Thackeray observes this to the other 
 two of them [J. L. and H. S.], and proceeds to say, ' I went to 
 Charterhouse the other day. Hadn't seen School come out since 
 I left. Saw a touching scene there — a little fellow with his hands 
 
 held tenderly behind him, 
 and a tear or two still 
 trickling down his rosy 
 cheek, and two little 
 cronies with their arms 
 around his neck ; and I 
 well knew what had hap- 
 pened, and how they'd 
 take him ?i\V3.y />riz'i7y, and 
 make him show his cuts ! ' 
 ' Talking of cuts, Mark, how about the^Large one ? ' Thackeray 
 suggests Lawyer, Doctor, and Schoolrpaster, standing in a row 
 as prize boys, and Dizzy presenting them with votes. I pro- 
 pose Diz trying to launch a lop-sided ' Reform ' ship, with the 
 title * Will it Swim ? ' Mark suggests D. joining hands of artisan 
 and yeoman, giving each of them a vote. Thackeray thinks of 
 workman coming among gentle- 
 men of Parliament and asking, 
 ' What have you done for 7Jie ? ' 
 Professor Leigh considers situa- 
 tion might be shown by Bright 
 and Dizz}' poking up the British 
 Lion, for clearly he wants rous- 
 ing. ' Yes,' sa3^s Shirley, * and 
 when he's roused, vou know, 
 we can have another picture 
 of him with his tail and monkey 
 up.' Idea gradual!}' takes shape, 
 and is approved,* though Ten- 
 niel hardly likes it, and Leech wants to know if Ponny (Ala5'hew) 
 would not prefer a good old-fashioned tragic cartoon of the 
 virtuous and starving British Workman, with ragged wife and 
 children, and Death a ghastly apparition in the background. 
 
 This leads to a little spar between Ponnv and ' Pater ' Evans. 
 Ponny lets flv with great vigour : ' Punch is standing still now ; 
 used to take the lead, but no longer dares to do so. Avanfons ! '' 
 
 E. J. MILLIKEN S INITIALS. 
 
 * See Puncli cartoon, "Who will Rouse Him?" (March 12th, 1859).
 
 A Typical Discussion. 
 
 71 
 
 GILBERT A BECKETT'S 
 INITIALS. 
 
 waving hand excitedly. Pater calmly answers that the times are 
 altered, and that Punch is going with them. Strong words have 
 done their work, and there's no longer need of them. Nobody now 
 talks about the trampled working man, nor goes trumpeting abroad 
 the dignity of labour. Then Ponny 
 shifts his ground, and complains that 
 many clever fellows who are workers 
 with the pen are now hardly earning 
 more than many workers with the pick- 
 axe. ' Well, it's their own fault,' says 
 Pater ; ' they might easil}- earn more 
 if they were not so idle.' Ponny replies 
 they don't want luxuries, being men of 
 simple tastes, and anything but Sybarites. 
 ' So am I,' cries Leech ; ' ni}- tastes are 
 
 very simple. Give me a good day's hunting, and some good 
 claret after it — nothing can be simpler, and I'm really quite 
 contented.' 
 
 But Ponny harks back to his ' deuced clever fellows,' applaud- 
 ing one of them especially, a Bohemian friend of his, who, he 
 says politely, is far cleverer a fellow than any at the Punch Table. 
 ' But what has he done ? ' asks Leech. ' Tell you what he doesn't 
 do,' says Shirley; ' he may write a lot, but he certainlv doesn't 
 
 wash much.' Somebody wonders, if 
 he were proposed for White's Club, 
 whether members would blackball 
 him : and Shirley quotes Charles 
 Lamb's remark, ' What splendid 
 hands he'd hold, if only dirt were 
 trumps ! ' Then Ponny shouts in- 
 dignantly, ' There, never mind his 
 hands ; think what a clever head 
 he has.' 
 
 Here Professor gives a little lec- 
 ture on phrenology, impelled thereto by Ponny's capital allusion. 
 Talking like a book, as his frequent manner is, he expounds in 
 fluent phrase his deeply-rooted faith in this neglected science. To 
 give idea of its importance, he vows he wouldn't keep a house- 
 maid who had a bad head. ' No more would I,' says Shirley ; 
 ' I'd send her to the doctor.' ' I mean, a head ill-shapen,' 
 explains Professor blandly, being ' the mildest-mannered man that 
 ever cut a throat ' — in argument. ' A well-proportioned head 
 
 HARRY FURNISS S INITIALS.
 
 72 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 H. W. LUCY S INITIALS. 
 
 betokens a fine brain : whereas a skull that is cramped contains 
 probably a mean one.' Avows belief not so much in the localisa- 
 tion of organs as in their general development. Here Leech, who 
 hates street music, professes horror at the possible development 
 
 of organs, and wishes the}' were 
 localised where nobody could hear 
 them. Pa3-ing no heed to this flip- 
 pancy. Professor explains gravely that 
 peculiar formations incline to special 
 acts, and that the development of cer- 
 tain cranial organs — vulgarly termed 
 ' bumps ' — may be lessened or aug- 
 mented in the course of early school- 
 ing. ' Well, I do believe in " bumps," ' 
 says Shirley, speaking with solemnity, ' yes, even in schoolboys' 
 heads — if you knock them well together.' 
 
 Mark next has an innings, and tells some of his stage stories. 
 He tells them very funnily, and imitates Macready and many 
 other actors in their vocal mannerisms. And he mimics operatic 
 singers capitally, with sonorous words in mock Italian basso 
 recitative. Among his tales is one of a half-tipsy actor playing 
 in the ' Corsican Brothers ' and explaining their fraternal peculiarity 
 — ' My brother in Paris is now feeling — hie — precishly shame 
 senshations — hie — as myshelf ! ' Also tells of his once bringing 
 out a farce called ' Punch ' at the Strand Theatre, wherein a parrot 
 played a prominent part. One night a new parrot 
 took its place, and used most dreadful language 
 when the curtain rose. 
 
 Story-telling being now the order of the even- 
 ing. Silver tells of the gun trick being tried in 
 the Far West. One day, just as the conjuror had 
 caught the bullet in his teeth, another whizzed 
 close to his head, and a voice came from the 
 gallery, ' Guess, I nearly had you then, old boss ! ' 
 At the next performance a placard was displayed, 
 and gentlemen were begged to leave their rifles with the door- 
 keeper. Shirley enjoys this, and says, ' Now, don't cry " connuj'' 
 Ponny ! You're always crying " conmt " when anyone says any- 
 thing. And you're always cracking up your chums. If a world 
 was wanted anywhere, you'd say your brother had discovered one 
 and had better be consulted.' 
 
 Ponny then breaks out again with his bilingual vehemence 
 
 ANSTEY 
 
 Guthrie's 
 initials.
 
 Wednesday Consecrated to "Punch. 
 
 73 
 
 E. T. REED S INITIALS. 
 
 and Parisian gestures. (Some 
 people never can talk French 
 without trying to shrug shoulders.) 
 Brandishing his dessert-knife, he 
 shouts, ' Avancons, mes amis ! go 
 ahead, mj' boys ! En avant ! 
 E.\cusez-moi,' and scatters scraps 
 of French about, till Leech cries, 
 'There, don't talk like a lady's- 
 maid, Ponny ; why can't you 
 speak English ? ' And, to change 
 the. talk, he tells of a French sport'man taking his first fences 
 here, with rather a fresh horse which has been lent him. After 
 coming a couple of bad ' croppers,' which he conceives to be the 
 usual style of leaping here in England, he says a little sadly, 
 * My friend, I t'ank you for your 'orse, hot I t'ink dat I s'all jomp 
 no more at present.' 
 
 Somebody caps this with tale of a ' Mossoo ' who manifests 
 deep sorrow at the death of an old hare, slain by an English 
 visitor. ' Helas ! il est mort enfin ! Mon pauvre vieux ! I have 
 shot at him for years ! He was 
 all the game I had ! ' 
 
 And Leech tells another story 
 of a foreigner of distinction hunt- 
 ing in the Midlands, and hearing 
 the cr}- ' Stole away ! ' and shouting 
 out excitedly, ' Aha, stole a vay, 
 has he, de old t'ief ! Den I 
 suppose we s'all not find a vay 
 to him, and so we must go home ! ' 
 . . . Which we do." 
 
 R. c. lehmann's initials. 
 
 Thus, for half a century has Wednesday evening been 
 passed in the editorial office of Punch, just when its readers 
 are discussing the merits of the previous week's issue ; and 
 according to the verdict of those readers was attuned the 
 men-iment of the Staff. It is on record how Douglas Jerrold 
 would go radiant to the Dinners as " Mrs. Caudle" was 
 sending up Punch's circulation at a rapid rate; "and was 
 one of the happiest among them all." Thackeray, too, tirst 
 tasted the delights of wide popularity in the success of his
 
 74 
 
 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 J. BERNARD PART- 
 RIDGE'S INITIALS. 
 
 "Snob Papers," and he showed the pleasure he feh in his 
 demeanour at the board. At one time these two men sat 
 side bv side, and there was as httle love as space between 
 them ; but with the good-humoured philosophy which is a 
 
 tradition of that institution, the occasional 
 differences of opinion, and the harder 
 knocks of wit, and sometimes, even, the 
 still sharper encounters of temper, were all 
 glossed over. As Thackeray so truly re- 
 marked himself—'* What is the use of 
 quaiTelling with a man if you ha^•e to 
 meet him every Wednesday at dinner ? " 
 Nevertheless, in course of time he changed 
 his seat from between Jerrold and Gilbert 
 Abbott a Beckett, and, crossing over, 
 faced his friend the enemy, while INIark 
 Lemon, watchful and alert beneath the 
 cloak of geniality, was quick to cast a damping word on 
 inflammable conversation and— so far as he could persuade 
 them to listen to a man so greatly their inferior in genius 
 and intellect — to stem the threatened outburst. As a matter 
 of fact, Jerrold always regarded Thackeray 
 as a bit of a snob and viewed his entrance 
 into Society — against which Jerrold had for 
 years been hurling his bitterest darts — with 
 very grave suspicion. " I have known 
 Thackeray," he would say, " for eighteen 
 years, and I don't know him yet" — 
 almost in the despairing words in which 
 I have heard a distinguished Academician 
 speak of his still more distinguished Presi- 
 dent. On the other hand, jMr. Arthur a Beckett has declared 
 to me, "I never knew my brother so well as when I met 
 him at the Punch Table." 
 
 In the earliest weeks of Punch's existence Kenny 
 Meadows had been the Xestor of the feast ; but when 
 Jerrold joined the Staff three months later, he took by force 
 of character and wit, and power of lung, a leading position 
 
 PHIL MAY S INITIALS.
 
 F AC I LIS Descensus Tavern i. 
 
 75 
 
 COMMENCEMENT 
 
 OF c. H. Bennett's 
 
 MONOGRAM. 
 
 on the paper and at the Table — a position which he never 
 resigned. Notwithstanding his biting sahies, we may be sure 
 that it was not Jerrold's primary object to make his victims 
 wince. There is no doubt that the ''httle wine" that so 
 stimulated him to witty and brilliant conversation 
 full of flash and repartee, sometimes turned sour 
 upon his lips, and changed the kindness that 
 was in his heart into a semblance of gall. Mr. 
 Sidney Cooper has gravely set it on record how 
 on leaving the Punch Dinner Jerrold would tie 
 a label with his name and address upon it round 
 his neck, so that, should he in his homeward 
 course be tempted to stra}- into the path of 
 undue conviviality, he might sooner or later 
 be safely delivered at his destination. Although 
 the statement is in a measure confirmed in the memoirs of 
 Hodder and of Blanchard Jerrold himself, one cannot help 
 being struck at the conflict between it and the story of 
 Jerrold's reply to the drunken young sparks who met him 
 in the street at midnight, and asked him the way to the 
 entertainment known as "Judge and Jury "—" Straight on, 
 straight on as you are going, young gentlemen — you can't 
 miss them ! " He was himself greatly pleased with his milder 
 witticisms, and, it is said, chuckled complacently at the neat- 
 ness of his conceit when toasting Mr. Punch, at one of the 
 Wednesday Dinners, in which he declared that "he would 
 never require spirit while he had such good Lemon-aid." 
 He loved the paper as few others loved it, and very, very 
 rarely missed the weekly gathering— attending it, indeed, up 
 to within a week or so of his death. 
 
 Xot less scrupulous in his attendance was Gilbert Abbott 
 a Beckett, who, when residing at holiday -times at Boulogne, 
 would regularly come up to town for their Cabinet Council ; 
 and if ill-chance unavoidably prevented his wished-for 
 presence, he would write— after the custom adopted by 
 many of his colleagues— a full explanarion and apology. But 
 the necessity very seldom arose. True son of his lather, 
 Gilbert a Beckett was equally faithful to the Table, and in
 
 76 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 spite of the paralysis of the legs from which he suffered (and 
 for which he was for a time dul}^ chaffed by the advice 
 of Percival Leigh, lest there might be hysteria about the 
 disease) he attended the Wednesday gatherings with what 
 regularit}' he could up to within a fortnight before he died. 
 Thackeray, too, for many years after he ceased writing for 
 Ptinch would weekly join the Staff, and always received a 
 cordial and affectionate welcome. The gentle Leech — who, 
 according to Shirley Brooks, attended the Dinner for more 
 than twenty years without uttering an unkind or an angry 
 ^vord — was at the Table within a few days of his death, but, 
 in Brooks's words, "scarcely seemed to understand what was 
 gfoinef on." And vet another member of the Old Guard, who 
 stood by his post to the end, was " The Professor," Percival 
 Leigh, whose sense of wit was dulled with age, but whose 
 mind was otherwise as bright as e^•er. But at the Dinners 
 the genial, courteous old gentleman was listened to, as ever, 
 with deference by his younger collaborators, and from them 
 he never had cause for suspicion that his powers were failing — 
 
 " Full well they laughed, with counterfeited glee, 
 At all his jokes, for many a joke had he." 
 
 Another of PuncJis favourite sons was Charles H. Bennett. 
 His life was a hard yet happy one, and his career was short, 
 though not too short for fame ; and the last two years during 
 which he sat at the Table were perhaps the merriest of 
 them all. But his attendances, really owing to the illness which 
 ultimately bore him down, were irregular. This irregularity, 
 combined with his habit — then commoner even than now 
 among artists — of wearing his hair very long, brought him one 
 day a letter from his friends and fellow-diners in the following 
 terms : — 
 
 "PuncI)" Council, October 24th, 1866. 
 
 Present : — Lemon W. H. Bradbury 
 
 Evans G. du Maurier 
 
 Horace Mayhew Evans fils 
 Tom Taylor S. Brooks 
 
 Leigh Tenniel
 
 C. H. Bennett is Memorialised. 
 
 That this meeting deeply sympathises with C. H. Bennett 
 on the state of his hair. 
 
 That this meeting appreciates the feehng which detains 
 the said Bennett from the Council until his hair shall 
 have been cut. 
 
 That this meeting deplores the impecuniosity which pre- 
 vents the said Bennett from attending a Barber. 
 
 That this meeting, anxious to receive the said Bennett 
 to its bosom, once more organises a subscription to 
 enable him to attend the said Barber. 
 
 That this compan\-, having (limited) confidence in Mr. 
 Mark Lemon, entrusts him with the following sub- 
 scriptions in aid of the above object, and requests him 
 to communicate with the aforesaid Bennett to the end 
 that he may have his dam hair cut and rejoin the 
 assembly of the brethren. 
 
 (^tSncli) Mark Lemon 
 
 Frederick Evans 
 Percival Leigh ... 
 Horace Mayhew 
 Tom Taylor 
 W. H. Bradbury 
 George du Maurier 
 F. M. Evans 
 Shirley Brooks... 
 J. Tenniel 
 
 Stamps enclosed 
 
 / 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 ..£o o lo 
 
 And these ten penii}- stamps, together with the letter, are 
 to this day treasured by the artist's son. 
 
 It ^Yas not surprising that Bennett was missed ; his animal 
 spirits and his bright good-hnmour counted for a good deal 
 at the Table ; and when he died, his colleagues organised 
 elaborate theatricals and collected a large sum for those whom 
 he loved and left behind in the pinch of poverty. 
 
 If for some time before his death Charles Keene deserted 
 the dinner-table, it was owing, as he has himself confessed, 
 in no slight measure to political motives which developed
 
 78 The History of "Punch." 
 
 about the time of the Russo-Tiirkish War, Keene was what 
 Tories call a patriot and Liberals a " Jingo ; " and in his quiet 
 way he felt so deeply that he thought it best to stay away — not 
 that he loved Punch less, but he loved his convictions more. " I 
 am sorry to say," he wrote, with doubtful accuracy, ^^ Punch is 
 * Musco ' to a man except C. K., so he keeps away from that 
 Liberal lot at the present conjunction." There certainly was, 
 however, another reason, quite independent of politics, which 
 kept Keene from the Table during the latter years of Mr. W. H. 
 Bradbury's life. He was not, as his biographer, Mr. La3'ard, has 
 pointed out, of much use in suggestion at the business function 
 of the Dinner, and he looked less to his colleagues than to his 
 friends outside for the jokes to which he drew his pictures ; 
 so that his presence was not a necessity. Nevertheless, he 
 would attend, now and again, until age began to tell upon 
 him ; and his companions love to think of him, clutching his 
 short-stemmed pipe to his mouth, puffing gravely, saying little, 
 thinking much, quick at appreciating a joke, slow at making 
 one, with an eye full of humour, and its lid and corresponding 
 corner of his mouth quickl}' responsive to any quip or crank 
 that might let fly. Eclectic in his humour as in his art, disposed 
 to condemn any cartoon suggestion not thoroughly thought out 
 as "damn bad," he was in the weekl}" assembly at the Table 
 like the 'cello in the orchestra — not much heard, yet when 
 there indispensable to the general effect and the general 
 completeness, even though he only went "for company." 
 
 I have lingered, perhaps unduly, over the social side of 
 the Punch Dinner, for the company is of the best, and the 
 subject an entertaining and a pleasant one. But serious 
 business has to be discussed and transacted — and transacted 
 it is, whatever jokes and ebullitions of bonhomie may form 
 the running accompaniment to the work in hand. In Mark 
 Lemon's time the Dinner began at " six sharp," and in Shirley 
 Brooks's and Tom Taylor's a half-hour later ; but when 
 Mr. F. C. Burnand took up the reins of power, the hour was 
 advanced to seven o'clock, and on its stroke the Staff are 
 generally found in their places. From all parts they come, 
 just as their predecessors used to speed from Boulogne, from
 
 Beginning Business. 79 
 
 Heme Hill, and from the Isle of Wight, so that their absence 
 should not be felt nor their assistance lacking at the Gathering 
 of the Clan. Sir John Tenniel comes from Maida A^ale, most 
 likely, or from some spot near to London — which he has 
 hardh' quitted for a fortnight together during the last forty 
 years, save when, in 1878, he went to ^"enice with INIr. Henry 
 Silver and left Charles Keene malgrc lui as cartoonist-in- 
 chief. Mr. Sambourne arrives, perhaps, from a yachting 
 expedition or from the moors ; Mr. du Maurier from his 
 beloved Whitb}' or from a lecturing tour ; Mr. Lucy hurries in 
 from the House of Commons ; Mr. Furniss, up to the time 
 of his resignation, from some distant spot where he " enter- 
 tained" last evening, and whence he would expect to be 
 three hundred miles away on a similar errand on the morrow. 
 But not for some time past, it must be said in passing, had 
 either Mr. du Maurier or Mr. Furniss been so regular at the 
 Table as in earlier days — Mr. Furniss by reason of his 
 tourine, and Mr. du Maurier on account of the distance of 
 his home, and the evil effect of tobacco-smoke on his eyes 
 and nerves. 
 
 Then when dinner is over and coffee finished, and paper 
 and pens brought in — at half-past eight, as near as may be 
 — the cigars come on and the waiters go off (including 
 at one time the crusted Burnap, an original worthy of 
 " Robert " himself) ; and not more rigidly was the Press 
 excluded from the Ministerial Whitebait Dinner in the good 
 old times, than are Cabinet Ministers interdicted from the 
 Dinner of Mr. Punch to-day. Then the Editor, who has 
 been presiding, invites ideas and discussion on the subject of 
 the " bie cut," as the cartoon is commonlv called ; and no 
 two men listen more eagerly to the replies— suggestions that 
 may be hazarded, or proposals dogmatically slapped down — 
 than Mr. Burnand, who is responsible for the subject, and 
 Sir John Tenniel, whose duty it will be to realise the con- 
 ception. The latter makes few remarks ; he waits, reflects, 
 and weighs, thinking not so- much, perhaps, of the political 
 or social, as of the artistic possibilities of the subjects as they 
 are brought up, and other points that recommend themselves
 
 So The History of '' Punch r 
 
 both to the artistic and hterar}- members of the Staff. All 
 the while, perhaps, the Editor has a fine subject up his 
 sleeve, and only brings it forth when the discussion has 
 begun to wane. Or a proposal may be made at the very 
 first by one member of the Staff that is accepted at once 
 with acclamation — an event, however, of the utmost rarity ; 
 or again, as is usually the case, the final decision may be 
 gradually and almost painfully evolved from this symposium 
 of professional wits and literary politicians. This is the time 
 when the men are apt to lay bare their political beliefs (if 
 any such they have) or their lack of them ; and I wager 
 that if poor Keene could once more be present at a Punch 
 Dinner, he would no longer charge it against the Staff that it 
 is " Musco' to a man." 
 
 Indeed, at the present time Punch may be considered to 
 represent the old Whig feeling. Sir John Tenniel, Mr. Anstey, 
 and Mr. Arthur a Beckett are credited with Tory bias ; Mr. 
 Milliken, Mr. H. W. Lucy, Mr. R. C. Lehmann, and Mr. 
 Reed represent the Radicals ; Mr. Sambourne is Unionist ; 
 and Mr. Burnand, as behoves him who holds the scales, 
 confesses to no political sympathies or antipathies whatever. 
 
 Thus the subject of the cartoon is settled — often by the 
 aid of the latest editions of the evening papers ; and being 
 once settled, is very rarely revived on any pretext what- 
 ever. On one occasion, however, when Mark Lemon was 
 Editor, and Shirley Brooks was recognised as the best sug- 
 gestor, an exceptional incident took place. The subject was 
 duly decided upon, and Brooks went home. After he was 
 gone, and none but ]\Iark Lemon, Charles Keene, Sir John 
 Tenniel, and Mr. Henry Silver were left, Keene, to the 
 surprise of the rest, made a suggestion in connection with 
 the American War then being waged, that was immediately 
 accepted as vastly superior to that which had previously 
 been adopted ; and the future Editor was much astonished 
 as he opened his paper on the following Tuesday and his 
 eyes fell on a different and wholly unexpected cartoon. 
 Yet, though Brooks was practically the Suggestor-in-Chief, 
 it would be unfair to pass over the curious fitness of Leech's
 
 The Progress of Debate. Si 
 
 proposals. They were always marked with equal judgment 
 and taste, and, as it was admitted, his suggestions invariably 
 were "just right." 
 
 When the "big cut" has been decided on, the question of 
 a single-page or double-page engraving sometimes comes up ; 
 and then the legend has to be settled. This (iiTeverently 
 known as "cackle" by those who produce it) is largely 
 the work of Mr. E. J. Milliken, who nowadays occupies a 
 good deal of Shirley Brooks's old position of "suggestor," 
 and who, like him, is li^'ing testimony of the truth of John 
 Seddon's saying that " wit and wisdom are born with a 
 man." For many 3^ears Mr. ]\Iilliken has suggested the 
 greater number of the cartoons, and he is generally the first 
 asked for a proposal for Sir John Tenniel's cut. He usually has 
 several subjects, carefully considered and as carefulh' written 
 out, in his pocket-book, and fitted with peculiarh- felicitous 
 quotations. He is also mainly responsible for the Almanac 
 cartoons — subjects for both the great Punch satirists — Sir 
 John, and Mr. Linley Sambourne. All, however, share with 
 him the duty and the credit of the difficult art of cartoon- 
 suggesting, and, no matter by whom it may be proposed, 
 no subject is passed without full discussion. Every possible 
 objection is heard and considered. Although Mr. Milliken 
 may bring in his Bill, amendments are always proposed, and 
 are either rejected or carried ; and then the Bill as amended 
 becomes the subject of the cartoon. The title and legend are 
 written on a piece of paper, which, enclosed in an envelope, is 
 then handed over to the cartoonist. It was at this moment 
 that Shirley Brooks used to throw down his knife in order to 
 " cut " any further discussion, and after that symbolic act a 
 more desultory conversation on the other men's work would 
 follow. Not on Leech's, however ; for he was left greatly to 
 himself — a piece of masterly inactivity and non-interference 
 on the Editor's part which speaks volumes for Lemon's 
 prudence and shrewd discrimination. 
 
 Under Mr. Burnand's regime the course of events is a 
 little altered. For even while Sir John has begun to think 
 out the composition and the technical details of the subject 
 G
 
 82 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 which the Council has determined, and is scheming maybe 
 in his own mind how best he may arrange his figures so 
 that when he draws them the heads will not come across 
 a join on the wood-block where its segments are screwed 
 together ; or, again, how so to arrange an exceptionally 
 elaborate subject that Mr. Swain may still ha^-e it ready for 
 engraving in good time on the Friday evening, the attention 
 of the Staff is now turned to the " Cartoon junior " — the 
 second cartoon — to which for some years Mr. Linley Sam- 
 bourne has been giving some of the finest and most ingenious 
 work of his life. This is discussed somewhat like the first, 
 and often enough raises the draughtsman's interest in the 
 work he has to do to a point of genuine artistic enthusiasm. 
 But there appears to be no finality about the second cartoon 
 so far as the Dinner is concerned, and it is no unusual thing 
 in li^'ely times for the subjects to be given at the last 
 moment by telegram to ]VIr. Sambourne ; so that his con- 
 dition of mind during the Thursday following the Dinner may 
 not inaptly be compared to that of an anxious fireman 
 waiting for a "call." The contributions of the rest of the 
 artistic Staff — ]Mr. du Maurier, Mr, Bernard Partridge, and 
 Mr. E. T. Reed — do not form the subject of \Vednesda}-'s 
 cogitation ; nor is it true, as has publicly been stated, that 
 when jokes fail it is customary to draw them from a pot 
 into which, written on slips of paper, they have been deposited 
 on the many occasions when Mr. Punch's cistern of wit has 
 overflowed into the jar in question. 
 
 Such is the simple function of "the Punch Dinner." The 
 Editor presides — or, in his absence to-day, Mr. Arthur a 
 Beckett, just as it was Douglas Jerrold and Shirley Brooks 
 in Lemon's time, and Tom Taylor in Brooks's (the duty of 
 vice- or assistant-editor never falling to an artist) — inviting 
 suggestions, " drawing " his artists, and spurring his writers, 
 with rare tact and art ; and he challenges comparison with 
 any of his predecessors, just as Sir Frederic Leighton excels 
 all previous Presidents of the Royal Academ}^ Some of those 
 who sit around the Table, as I have already set forth, have 
 attended for man}^ years ; and it is they who secure -to Punch
 
 Guests at the Table. 83 
 
 that quality of tradition and healthy sense of prestige which 
 strengthen him against every assault, whether of man or of 
 Time himself. To this traditional sense of ancient glory and 
 present vigour Sir John Tenniel has of course contributed 
 more than any other li^•ing man ; not Leech, nor Thackeray, 
 nor Jerrold, nor Doyle, served Punch more loyally or 
 effectively, and he has secured that the dignified spirit of 
 the paper has suffered no deterioration. To him it falls, also, 
 to see that the subjects of cartoons are not repeated. The 
 tenderness of the Staff for the honour, good name, and pre- 
 eminence of PiLiich is delightful and touching to behold ; the 
 sentiment of a great past animates them all, and kindles in 
 them the hope and ambition for as gi"eat and as proud a 
 future. 
 
 The exclusiveness of Punch notwithstanding, he has not 
 alwa3'S been as inhospitable (if that is the word to use of an 
 essentially business meeting of a private nature) as some of 
 his friends would have us suppose. There are many wjro 
 claim the distinction of having dined at Pnncli s Table, but 
 few who can sustain their pretension. Some, however, there 
 are — a very few, it is true ; but more than have been officially 
 recognised as Punch diners. Mr. Hany Furniss has publicly 
 contended that his aunt, Mrs. Thompson, was one of these. 
 As the lady, before she married Dr. Thompson, is said to 
 have been originalh^ engaged to Landells, the first Punch 
 engraver, this might well be ; for about the time of the 
 transfer of the property from him to Bradbury and Evans 
 — and Landells, it will be remembered, did not gi^"e up 
 the whole of his share till some time afterwards — the rules 
 and regulations were not by any means so stringent as 
 thev ultimatelv became. In any case, the claims of " ]Mr. 
 F.'s Aunt" have in her time been as strenuously insisted 
 upon as ever they were at the Finchings'. Then came 
 Charles Dickens — whose presence, I believe, is not con- 
 tested. Before his quarrel with ALark Lemon and Bradbury 
 and Evans, because Punch declined to print a justifica- 
 tion of himself in connection with his purely domestic 
 circumstances, he was the guest of Punch's publishers, who 
 
 G 2
 
 84 The History of "Punch." 
 
 were his own publishers, and who were also the publishers of 
 the " Dail}^ News " — upon the preparations for which Dickens, 
 as first editor, was then engaged. Moreover, Dickens was 
 an intimate friend of Douglas Jen'old, whose influence on 
 Punch at that time was paramount ; so that the double circum- 
 stance is amply sufficient to account for Dickens's presence at 
 No. II, Bouverie Street. Much the same considerations may 
 be held to explain Sir Joseph Paxton's frequent attendance. 
 The great gardener — it was Punch who christened his big 
 exhibition building "The Crystal Palace," "What shall be 
 done with the Palace of Crystal ? " — was the intimate of 
 Mark Lemon. He had also the most cordial relations 
 with the Staff, some of whom he would entertain in the 
 gardens of Chatsworth, where he acted as the agent of the 
 Duke of Devonshire, grandfather of the present duke, and 
 himself on the best of personal terms with Mr. Punch. And 
 I have proof that he exerted all his influence in favour of 
 Bradbury and Evans's great new venture, through the inter- 
 mediarv of Charles Dickens. "Paxton," writes Dickens in 
 one of his letters bearing upon the subject that lie before 
 me, dated October, 1845 — a few months before the launching 
 of the " Daily News " — " has the command of eveiy railway and 
 railway influence in England and abroad, except the Great 
 Western ; and he is in it heart and purse." What more likely, 
 then, that Dickens, at work at Whitefriars, should be invited 
 b}- his friends, his publishers, to dine with his friends of the 
 Punch Staff? — though he possibly did not stay to the Cabinet 
 Council ; and what more reasonable than for them to value 
 Paxton's considerable influence at the price of a graceful 
 privilege, seeing that the "Daily News" thought it, in those 
 early da5"S, worth while to appoint a "Railway Editor" at 
 a salary of ;^2,ooo a year ? Moreover, Paxton was interested 
 with Bradbury and Evans in "The Gardeners' Chronicle" 
 (in whose columns he had first published the " Cottagers' 
 Calendar"), to sa}^ nothing of his "Flower Garden," which 
 he and Dr. Lindle}^ edited for them. Sir Joseph Paxton, 
 then, w^as a constant and appreciative attendant at the Punch 
 Table until the year 1865, the date of his death.
 
 Hospitality Duly Appreciated. 85 
 
 Mr. Peter Rackham, too, was another guest — the guest, 
 again, and vakied friend of the pubhshers — well understood 
 to have given financial assistance in respect to the founding 
 of the " Daily News." He was a highly esteemed friend 
 of Thackerav and Dickens both, and the novelists and 
 their publishers would send him presentation copies of their 
 new works. The fomier, by the way, presented him with 
 a cop}' of his "Virginians" when it appeared, inscribing it to 
 Mr. Rackham in this characteristic manner: — "In the U. 
 States and in the Queen's dominions All people have a right 
 to their opinions And many don't much relish The A'irginians. 
 Peruse my book, dear R., and if you find it A little to your 
 taste I hope you'll bind it." Mr. Rackham ceased his visits 
 to the Table in 1859, in which year, I understand, he died. 
 Another visitor, as all the world now knows, was Dean 
 Reynolds Hole, who has recorded in his "Memories" his 
 impressions of that famous Dinner of February 15th, i860. 
 To me, also, he has given an idea of the effect wrought 
 upon him by the frolic of the meal — an impression certainly 
 not dimmed by time nor faded in his imagination. He says : 
 " There was such a clash and glitter of sharp-edged swords, 
 cutting humour, and pointed wit (to say nothing of the knives 
 and forks), the sallies of the combatants were so incessant 
 and intemiixed, the field of battle so enveloped in smoke, 
 that there was only a kaleidoscopic confusion of brilliant 
 colours in the vision of the spectator, when the signal was 
 given to 'cease firing.'" Who would not attend a Punch 
 dinner after that ? 
 
 A frequent visitor was Mr. Samuel Lucas — known to 
 his fellow-workers as plain "Sam Lucas" — who was then 
 editing the newly-founded "Once a Week" for Bradbury and 
 Evans. His attendance, which was constant enough between 
 the years i860 and 1864, was— like that of his sub-editor, 
 Mr. Walford— doubtless a gi-eat convenience to all concerned, 
 for most of the Punch artists and writers were also con- 
 tributors to the more serious magazine, and ammgements 
 could obviously be more quickly and effectively made at a 
 single meeting than by a number of special interviews. Sir
 
 S6 The History of "Punch!' 
 
 W. H. ("Billv") Russell, too, "dined on several occasions at 
 the Punch Table, when ]Mr. ]\Iark Lemon and ]\Ir. Shirley 
 Brooks were the Editors of the paper ; " the introduction, 
 it is understood, being at the time when he was correcting 
 the proofs of his Crimean book, which Bradbury and Evans 
 were printing. 
 
 And, lasth'. Sir John ]\Iillais — himself a contributor to 
 Punch's pages — was once a Dinner guest. " I certainly dined 
 once," he wrote to me a year or two ago, "at ah hotel 
 in Covent Garden ['Bedford Hotel'] when Mark Lemon 
 was editor of Punch, and I have always been under the 
 impression it was one of their Dinners. The Staff onh* were 
 present, and Lemon was in the chair, and I sat beside 
 Leech. There were ten or twelve dining beside myself, and 
 it was on a Wednesday." 
 
 This point settled, then, as to Dinner guests — among 
 whom, savs the proprietress of the "Bedford Hotel" (the 
 niece, bv the way, of ]Mark Lemon), Peter Cunningham 
 should also be included — other \isitors there are to be 
 considered. If Punch does not rigidly obey the Biblical 
 behest, and when on duty bent is not wholly "given to 
 hospitalitv," he at least has allowed hospitality to sit with 
 gladness when the business of the evening is done. From 
 time to time outside friends were introduced, and, according to 
 one witness, whose testimony I am unable to confimi, Tom 
 Hood, Barham ("Tom Ingoldsby"), and Charles Knight have, 
 at intervals, been entertained " after business hours." The 
 Staff, at such times, would go into Committee over cigars and 
 drinks and literary talk and jokes, and Leech would rumble 
 out in his splendid great bass voice Barry Cornwall's " King 
 Death." This was the only song of his which his friends 
 remember ; and Ponny ^Nlayhew would seek to emulate it 
 with the musical setting of Thackeray's " Mahogany Tree." 
 He sang that song in chorus, all upstanding, that sad Christ- 
 mas Eve when Thackeray died, among his friends of the 
 Kensington coterie. He had brought in the fatal news to 
 the jovial party, and then, says ~Sh. Frederick Greenwood, he 
 proceeded : " I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll sing the dear
 
 Special Dinners and Jubilees. Sj 
 
 old boy's ' Mahogany Tree ; ' he'd hke it." '' Accordingly 
 we all stood up, and with such memory of the words as 
 each possessed . . . and a catching of the breath here 
 and there by about all of us, the song was sung." 
 
 Then come the special PuncJi dinners, official and other- 
 wise. In 1863 there was the Shakespeare dinner, that was 
 held to aiTange the Shakespeare Tercentenar}- immber of 
 P-iinch ; and a quarter of a century later there was the Paris 
 iunketting that resulted in the Paris Exhibition number. 
 Then there was the yearly festival celebrated by Sir William 
 Agnew, and the " Almanac Dinner," which was usually held 
 about the month of September — in olden times, from 1850 
 to 1S85 — always at the "Bedford," but lately discontinued; 
 and there is the Annual Dinner to the printers and the rest 
 given by the firm — the first of which, under the name of 
 '' wavzgoose," took place at the '^ Highbmy Barn Tavern." 
 At these entertainments the Staff would sometimes attend 
 and fraternise with printers and engravers, and would make 
 a point of congi\atulating those "wood-cutters" whose recent 
 work had specially delighted them. 
 
 Punch has always been strong on Jubilees, and his 
 "boys" have done their best to maintain them as a sacred 
 tradition. On January 3rd, 1853, Jerrold celebrated his fiftieth 
 birthday with a dinner given to the whole of his colleagues. 
 Baily, the sculptor, was one of the " outside " guests on the 
 occasion, and was so charmed with the brilliancy and jollity 
 of the company that he offered, and in due time redeemed 
 his promise, to execute its hero's bust. That work, one of 
 the finest of the old Academician's portrait-busts, now, if I 
 mistake not, belongs to the nation's collection of its great 
 men's portraits. On Wednesday, June 27th, 1866, the 
 memorable picnic and dinaer took place at Burnham Beeches, 
 to celebrate Mr. Punch's fiftieth ^•olume, when the popular 
 Editor received from his proprietors a purse of a hundred 
 guineas and a tankard, and from them and the Staff a gold 
 watch and chain of eleven links, with a lock in the form of 
 a book, as recounted in the sketch of Mark Lemon's life. 
 
 Then, arain, there was Thackerav's " Atonement Dinner,"
 
 SS The History of "Punch" 
 
 if I may call it so, for the slight he had unthinkingly cast 
 upon the Staff. In his now celebrated laudatory essay on 
 John Leech in the ''Quarterly Review" he had written: 
 "There is no blinking the fact that in Mr. Punch's 
 Cabinet John Leech is the right-hand man. Fancy a 
 number of Punch without Leech's pictures ! What would 
 YOU give for it ? The learned gentlemen who write the 
 work must feel that, without him, it were as well left 
 alone." Picture the indignation in the office, imagine how 
 strongly would be resented this faux pas of Thackeray, in 
 Avhich he allowed his enthusiasm for one friend to overlook, 
 and that not inoffensively, the feelings of the others ! The 
 writer was abroad at the bursting of his little bomb, and no 
 one was more distressed than himself at the result of the 
 explosion or readier to admit the feult. He wrote a hand- 
 some letter of apology to Percival Leigh— he explained how 
 " of all the slips of my fatal pen, there's none I regret more 
 than the unlucky half-line which has given pain," and 
 declared that it was more than his meaning; and he begged 
 furthermore that the memory of the lapsus — painful equally 
 to him and to Leech — might be wiped out in a dinner 
 given by himself to the confraternity. And they all came 
 to his house in Kensington Palace Gardens, and Thackeray 
 was duly chaffed and teased— "and who can doubt," says 
 Trollope, "but they were very jolly over the little blunder ?" 
 Then there was the Staff dinner at the Crystal Palace to 
 inaugurate the new series of "The Gentleman's Magazine," 
 when Punch and Punch history were greatly to the fore ; 
 and the great dinner at the "Albion" to celebrate Mr. 
 Burnand's accession to the editorial chair — when not only the 
 Staff, but for the first time since the early days all "outside" 
 contributors to Pimch were invited, when, although the subject 
 of the cartoon had previously been settled, a certain amount of 
 business was gone through, just to show " how it was done." 
 And who that was there on that great occasion will forget 
 the speech of Mr. Blatchford — an artist who was the natural 
 successor to Colonel Howard — he who signed his drawings with 
 a trident ? — or Mr. Sala's sallies, in the funniest of orations,
 
 The Apotheosis oe Sir Johx Tenniel. 89 
 
 at the expense of Mr. Samboiirne, who had expressly not 
 donned evening dress ? Still more important than this was 
 the Jubilee dinner held on July 19th, 1891, just five-and- 
 twenty years after the Burnham Beeches picnic — in honour 
 of Mr. Punch's hundredth volume. The "Ship" at Greenwich 
 was the place of ^'enue. With Mr. Burnand in the chair, 
 the members of the Staff seated as represented in Mr. Sam- 
 bourne's well-known drawing of '' The Mahogany Tree," with 
 Mr. W. H. Bradbury and Sir William As:new at one end 
 of the table, with toasts to Mr. Punch himself, to Sir John 
 Tenniel, to Mr. Burnand, and to the proprietors, the en- 
 thusiasm "first grew warm and then grew hot;" and when 
 a presentation of a silver cigar-box had been made to the 
 Editor, it was duly resolved to meet again, the same company 
 in the same place, fifty years hence ! 
 
 The last state event in the world of P/^;/r/z-politico-rejoicings 
 was the dinner to Sir John Tenniel on the occasion of his 
 knighthood. Then the banquet was held at Hampton Court, 
 and the " Mitre " was the scene of the ceremony. All the 
 enthusiasm of the Jubilee revels reappeared in an intensified 
 form. For not only was it all focussed upon one man, but 
 in his case there was a great personal triumph, a national 
 recognition of a great w^ork and of a splendid career, and 
 in the eyes of the world the justification of that mighty art 
 of black-and-white, which through the printing-press is a 
 greater vital force than any other existing form of art — though 
 despised till now in all official quarters — the art by which 
 Punch rose to his pinnacle of greatness. And added to all 
 this was the emotional note that prevailed throughout the 
 harmon}^ of the feast, for not even Leech himself had captured 
 more hearts than Tenniel — that Grand Old ]\Ian of Punch 
 for whom not one member of the staff but entertains an 
 affection of the warmest and the most cordial character, which 
 even respectful esteem has had no power in moderating. 
 But one event, and only one, could call forth greater enthu- 
 siasm and greater emotion, and that, I apprehend, is when in 
 six years time his Jubilee on Punch, b}^ the kindness of Fate, 
 comes to be celebrated by his loving and admiring colleagues.
 
 90 
 
 The History of "Punch," 
 
 Such are the chief semi-official chnners that have been 
 held ; but the list would be swelled were those other occasions 
 included when these men — never sated, it would really seem, 
 with each other's company — would invite the rest of the StalT, 
 or most of it, to dine at their private houses. How many of 
 these entertainments were offered by Leech to the light- 
 hearted and frisky band who 
 
 " Judicious drank and greatly daring dined " ! ■ 
 
 How many anecdotes might be told of such reunions^ as they 
 swooped clown on Landells or on Lemon at Heme Bay, or, 
 in the rollicking days of youthful indiscretion, would adjourn 
 at midnight to serenade the snoringly unconscious Hine away 
 in the wilds of Hampstead ! 
 
 Certain complimentary dinners offered to the Punch Staff 
 should find a record here, if only on the ground of complete- 
 ness. The first public recognition was the Mansion House 
 dinner which, under the title of " Literature and Art," included 
 the Punch Staff, together with Charles Dickens, the members 
 of the Royal Academy, and a few newspaper men, Dickens 
 has left it upon record how his feelings were hurt at the tactless 
 way in Avhich the well-meaning Lord Mayor, Sir James Duke, 
 Bart., M.P., imparted to his guests the pleasure it was to him 
 to meet with mere talent after being satiated with blood and 
 rank in the persons of Royalties, Dukes, and Cabinet Ministers. 
 He made them feel, in fact — and resent not a little— how 
 hitherto the Mansion House had drawn its line at them, an 
 en-or which Sir Stuart Knill in 1893 had the better taste 
 to avoid. Somewhat of a similar blunder was made by Lord 
 Carlisle, who invited Thackeray, Jerrold, and others of the 
 Punch men to meet one or two of their own set, firmly 
 persuaded that he was about to revel in brilliant conversa- 
 tion, entirely forgetful of the fact that in all probability 
 they were perfectly familiar with the others' stories and had 
 their tricks of humour by heart. The result, as might have 
 been expected, was an entertainment of conventional dulness. 
 How could you expect, at a meal so pretentiously forced, 
 of such affected joviality, to hear Jerrold ask the butler for
 
 Mk. Gladstone Di.xes with the Staff. 91 
 
 "some ot ihe old, not the elder, port" ? as he would in the 
 sanctity of their own precincts ; or retort on one who declared 
 his liking for calf's-tail, "• Extremes meet ! " or (when the 
 dish was calf's-head), " What egotism ! " and yet again, 
 ''There's brotherly love for you ! " Xot at my Lord Carlisle's, 
 as in Bouverie Street, would you hear Shirley Brooks ask the 
 famous two-edged riddle which Dean Hole reminds us of — 
 "Why is Lady Palmerston's house like Swan and Edgar's? 
 Because it's the best house for muzzling Delane [mousseline 
 de laine) " — Delane being then unjustly suspected of having 
 been "nobbled" during his visits to my lady's salon, at the 
 expense of the "Times," of which he was at that time the 
 editor. Nor would you enjoy the discomfiture of a disputant 
 of " Master Douglas " (as Thackeray rather testih' named 
 him), who, after chaffing the great wit for the unsteadiness 
 of hand through which he broke a glass — which, he declared, 
 he never did — received for reply an incredulous stare, and 
 the cutting enquir}^, " Yet I suppose you look into one 
 every morning ? " 
 
 The latest outside Punch dinner of importance which 
 history has thought well to set upon record is that given 
 by Mr. Lucy (" Toby, M.P.") in order to bring together 
 for the first time Mr. Gladstone and the members of that 
 Staff which, as a body, had rendered him such steady and 
 invaluable support for nearly half a century. What wonder, 
 then, that the meeting was a great success, and that everyone 
 present was on the best of all possible terms with his fellow- 
 diners ? Yet " Moonshine," commenting on the event, de- 
 clared with malicious good-humour that " It is said that Punch 
 has been entertaining Mr. Gladstone. We don't believe a 
 word of it, as we can't conceive that Punch ever entertained 
 anybody ! " The object of this fair hit, the Editor of Punch, 
 forthwith sought out the epigrammatist, in the belief that 
 here was a new humorist whose services he might employ. 
 He, however, who might have enlightened him, wrongh* be- 
 lieving that the motive of the quest was less friendship than 
 resentment, declined to give the desired information. But 
 Mr. Punch appropriately avenged the insult— b\' subsequently
 
 92 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 absorbing it as a joke of his own, illustrated by the hand of 
 Mr. Reginald Cleaver. 
 
 Perhaps to these revels of the merr}- clan should be added 
 the jovial meetings of the Moray Minstrels under the hos- 
 pitable direction of Mr. Arthur Lewis. And yet a stronger 
 claim on the memor}' of those who now bear Mr. Punch's 
 hdion between them are the meetings refeiTed to in the 
 letter from the late Sir A. H. Layard, which I received 
 shortl}' before his death : "I was intimateh' acquainted 
 with Tom Taylor, R. Doyle, and other contributors to 
 Punch, and constantl}' met them at Taylor's table ; but I 
 do not remember to have dined at a ' Punch Table ' on one 
 of the Wednesday evenings. You may probably be aware 
 that they, like m3'self, were in the habit of spending Sunday 
 with Sir Alexander and Lady Duff Gordon, in their house 
 at Esher, where many articles and jokes and sketches which 
 appeared in the periodical were discussed." These meetings, 
 however, must have taken place before the time of the " Papal 
 Aggression," and some little while, consequenth', before Sir 
 John Tenniel was enlisted as a recruit. 
 
 Who will say, in the face of all this, that Punch has not 
 learned the secret of combining pleasure with business, prac- 
 tising the art with infinite satisfaction to himself and with 
 the applause of succeeding generations?- "Where Macgregor 
 sits, tJicrc is the head of the table," said the Scottish chieftain. 
 Where Mr. Punch sits, say those of a later day, there is the 
 flow of wit and of laughter — there the fountain of that 
 fun which has stamped his journal as representative of what 
 is most characteristic and best in English humour — there 
 the source of the art which has been the greatest school of 
 wood-drawing and cutting, and of true caricature, that this 
 country has ever seen. Good-nature is the quality rarest and 
 most remarkable in a political and social journal. How much 
 of Punch's excellent temper, I wonder, is not to be attributed 
 to his meat before grace? Whether "the Dinner" be the 
 sole cause, I do not venture to pronounce, though I submit 
 the question for the consideration of mankind ; but is it not 
 imaginable that high living goes for something in the sum
 
 The ''Punch" Club. 93 
 
 of Punch' s high thinking ? and ma}' it not ahiiost be said 
 of him, as Moore sang of Sheridan, that his wit 
 
 "... in the combat, as gentle as bright. 
 Ne'er carried a heart-stain away on its blade " ? 
 
 For a short time only the Punch Ckib flourished. " Its 
 object," writes Landells, " was to form a little society 
 amongst ourselves to talk o^'er and settle upon subjects for 
 the paper of the coming week. It was not strictly confined 
 to the Punch writers and artists, for friends and well-wishers 
 were admitted, and had here an opportunity of entertaining 
 their ideas in a sociable and agreeable manner. Besides 
 those on the regular Staff of Punch, there were members of 
 the club Mr. Grieve the scene-painter, Mr. Henry Baylis, 
 Mr. Tully the composer,* Mr. Joseph Allen the artist, and 
 I have seen in addition Mr. Charles Dickens, Mr. 'Stanfield, 
 Mr. Frank Stone, Mr. Landseer, and other celebrities, in 
 that little snug and comfortable room. Here the inimitable 
 Douglas Jerrold was in his glory, showing off his ready 
 sparkling wit, his joyous hearty laugh ringing out above 
 them all. Alas! several of this once brilliant company 
 have now passed away, but those who remain will ever 
 remember the man)- happy hours spent in the old Punch 
 Club." 
 
 In his " canino-classic " poem already mentioned — entitled 
 "Sodalitas Punchica, sen Clubbus Xoster "— Percival Leigh 
 gives some further particulars of the membership of the Club 
 —lines which I translate somewhat freely, perhaps, yet with 
 all the reverence due to their academic beauty : 
 
 " The names of some of our greatest men the Poet now indites— 
 Old Mark and Henry Mayhew, two of Punch's brightest lights— 
 (The first beats Aristotle blue ; the second, Sophocles) : 
 Then enter Douglas Jerrold's self, our greatest wit and tease— 
 
 * Who subsequently put Hood's " Song of the Shirt " to music (published 
 from the Funch office, price 2s. 6d.), as well as the " Songs for the Sentimental," 
 " Fundi s own Polka" (printed in Punch September 7th, 1844). and probably 
 also "The Queen's Speech, as it is to be sung by the Lord Chancellor' 
 {Punch, Feb., 1S43). 
 
 L
 
 94 The History of "Punch." 
 
 Who treats his friends like Paddy Whack, his love for them 
 
 to prove ; 
 And TuUy great, whose talent flows in just as great a groove ; 
 Then Hodder, of the " Morning Herald," sheds the light he brings. 
 And Albert Smith the mighty^ — and the Poet's self who sings. 
 O'er these our ancient Nestor rules, who lived when lived 
 
 Queen Anne, 
 And even knew old Japhet — or 'twas so the story ran." 
 
 H. G. Hine, who was afterwards to become the Vice- 
 President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours, 
 was elected a member; but his taste la}^ neither in the direction 
 of Clubs nor in the absorption of strong drink. And least 
 of all did he love Bohemia. "I only dined with them once," 
 he wrote to me, " and then at the ' Belle Sauvage.' The 
 dinner was given by the proprietors of Punch to the Staff. 
 They found the Club alread}" in existence, and desired to 
 have some part in it, or, as was said at the time, to place 
 their finger in its pie. I believe this to have been the only 
 Dinner held at the ' Belle Sauvage.' I may mention in 
 connection with the Punch Club (whose meetings, which 
 were not Dinners generally, were held on Saturdays) that 
 much chaff and practical joking were indulged in, and that 
 was one reason for my non-attendance. On one occasion 
 when Albert Smith wanted his hat and umbrella on leaving 
 the Club, the attendant presented him pawn-tickets for the 
 articles. He was extremely annoyed, sent the man for a 
 policeman, and gave the whole Club into custody ; and they 
 had. to pay the redemption price, besides looking very 
 foolish. It was Horace Mayhew told me of this." It has 
 been said that this was the last straw on Smith's back, and 
 settled his withdrawal from Punch. But it is only fair to 
 add that the indignity of which Albert Smith complained 
 was thoroughly in accordance with the spirit of the practical 
 joking that went on at the time, while the reason of the 
 pledging was said to be the forcing of the unwilling, hyper- 
 economical Smith to "stand punch round," as all the others 
 did from time to time, he taking his full share of the liquor, 
 though he declined to entertain in his turn.
 
 I 
 
 High Spirits. 95 
 
 Albert Smith, indeed, diirinfr the time he was connected 
 with Punch was usually the butt of the jokers, particularly 
 of Douglas Jerrold, but rarely did he so completely turn 
 the tables on his tormentors as on this occasion. Yet 
 he was not averse to chaff, particularly when he applied it 
 to others. One day, at the Club, Mark Lemon had been 
 remarking that he had no peculiarities, at least not more 
 than other men, and certainly none that he knew of. " For 
 example," said he, " many men have some peculiarity in sha^•ing 
 — some shave with the right hand, others with the left, or 
 some with either indifferently." " What do you shave with ? " 
 asked Albert Smith. " With my right hand," replied the 
 Editor. " Then that's your peculiarity, Uncle ]\Iark," said 
 Smith ; " most people shave with a razor." 
 
 No doubt the fun was often a little rough, and that the 
 members were a little ashamed of it ; for when Mark Lemon 
 introduced there Mr. Catling, the editor of " Llovd's Weekly 
 Newspaper," he picturesquely warned his guest to be prepared 
 for " an awful set of blackguards." On the night in question, 
 however, the fun was flatter, and Kennv Meadows, the 
 Father of the Feast, distinctly peppery. 
 
 On the occasion of Mr. R. J. Hamerton's visit Jerrold 
 was in high feather, and, waxing eloquent on the growing 
 influence of Punch, cried for silence while he proclaimed its 
 ingredients. Gilbert a Beckett, he declared, was the spirit, 
 and John Leech the sugar ; Albert Smith was the water ; 
 himself, he confessed, was the acid ; and Mark Lemon — the 
 spoon. And among other little witticisms of the Punchites 
 which memory has set on record is a conversation among them 
 on the subject of the payment of income-tax. With most of 
 them there was in the earliest days little income and less 
 tax, and strange were the stories told. At last one, whose 
 name has not been preserved, quietl}' asserted that he 
 honestlv filled in the declaration each vear, and honourablv 
 paid the demand which was regularly served upon him. 
 The company's surprise had increased to contemptuous in- 
 credulitv, when their Quixotic friend proceeded : " I don't 
 think I lose by it. I always take the a^-erage of three
 
 96 The History of "Punch" 
 
 years, according to the regulation ; so I take the present 
 year and the two future ones — and you fellozvs knoiv ivhat a 
 pessimist I am !" 
 
 It was usually at the " Whistling Oyster " that the 
 meetings of the Club were held. The little house was con- 
 venientlv situated, as alread}' explained, next door to the 
 "Crown" — now Number 12 or 12 A Vinegar Yard. At this 
 place a Mr. Pearkes had opened an oyster shop nearly twenty 
 years before, and his little rooms were frequented by the 
 most talented of the denizens of Bohemia — literary, theatrical, 
 and artistic. One day, in the early 'Forties, the proprietor, to 
 his amazement, heard one of his oysters whistling — a con- 
 tinuous shrill little whistle, doubtless through a hole in its 
 shell. The fact was at once noised abroad, and crowds visited 
 his shop to listen to the sibilant mollusc, which not only 
 whistled, but, it was said with some truth, drew the town as 
 effectively as old Drur}^ herself, on the other side of the court. 
 
 The rain of jokes that followed was ceaseless, and Punch's 
 not the worst. He celebrated the bivalve in his pages by 
 picture and b}' word, and his young men made the best of the 
 incident. Douglas Jerrold, says Walter Thornbury, suggested 
 that it was one of the sentimental kind which, having been 
 crossed in love, took to whistling to keep up appearances and 
 show it didn't care. Thackeray declared in all seriousness 
 that he had heard an American in the shop, after listening 
 to the performance, gravely assert that at home in Massa- 
 chusetts thev had a much cleverer oyster, which not only 
 whistled "Yankee Doodle " from beginning to end, but followed 
 his master about like a dog. And it was further suggested 
 that, report having exaggerated the powers of the perfonner 
 into being able to whistle " God save the Queen," the pro- 
 prietor had been requested to take it to Windsor Castle, 
 but that the command had been summarily cancelled when 
 it was ascertained that the musician was a "native/" The 
 result to the fortunate proprietor was a substantial one ; his 
 house became known and for many 3'ears kept up its 
 reputation on the defomiity of a twopenny shell-fish. It is, 
 therefore, hardly surprising that "other vermin " took to music
 
 The Prophecy of Hal Baylis. 97 
 
 as well ; that about the same time a " singing mouse " made 
 its appearance, duly touring in London and the provinces ; 
 and that Punch made the most of the eneajrin"- little 
 virtuoso. 
 
 For some few years, then, the PuucJi Club flourished. In 
 Hal Baylis it had an ideal chairman, rovstering, jovial, wittv, 
 side-splitting — the only man, in the opinion of many, who 
 could draw his sword and maintain his ground against Jerrold's 
 cut and thrust. So good were his sayings, or so adaptable to 
 Punch' s.^xw^ose, that his- position in the Club was respected, 
 and he was put upon the free list, and received his weekly 
 copy of the paper up to the day of his death. He was 
 originally a printer, then a newspaper proprietor and editor ; 
 but fate had been unkind to him, and in the days of his 
 presidenc}' he had come to be -aw ad\ertisement canvasser. 
 He ruled with royal dignity, but knew the limit to his 
 powers ; and when Landells made his appeal to " the boys " 
 at one of the dinners to " see him righted " in connection 
 with his quanel with Bradbury and Evans, he comforted the 
 ex-engraver as best he could, and skilfully passed to the 
 " Order of the day." 
 
 Of Baylis's judgment of character and capacitv Landells has 
 left the following example : " One evening at the Punch Club 
 there had been more than the usual amount of chaff going 
 on between Henry Baylis and Douglas JeiTold, when the 
 former suddenly said, ' If you will g\\e me a pen and ink I 
 will make a prophecy that shall be fulfilled within two years. 
 It shall be sealed up and given to Daddy Longlegs [mvself] 
 upon his undertaking not to open it before the expiration of 
 that time.' The paper was handed to me, and carefull}' put 
 by. Time passed, and I had forgotten the circumstance 
 altogether, when some years afterwards, looking over some 
 old pocket-books, I found a sealed letter addressed to ' Daddy 
 Longlegs, Esq. — to be opened two A'ears after date.' On 
 breaking the seal I found the following : ' I, Henry Baylis, 
 do hereby prophesy that within two years from this date 
 Douglas Jerrold will write something that shall be as popular 
 as anything that Charles Dickens e\er wrote.' " Within th(^se 
 H
 
 98 The History of "Punch." 
 
 two years the " Caudle Lectures " had been produced and 
 Bayhs's prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 Nothing of the old Club now remains — it passed away with 
 the Old Guard of Punch s }'Outhful days ; and just as Punch 
 himself from a mere street-show puppet rose to reigning wit 
 and arch-philosopher, so practically has his Club-house been 
 lost to Drury Lane and instead lends dignity to Garrick Street, 
 
 One other club — essentially also a Punch coterie — remains 
 to be mentioned : the " Two Pins Club," A riding club in 
 the first instance, it consists of not a dozen members, who 
 periodically jogg off to Richmond or elsewhere to take exercise 
 and lunch together in riding-breeches and good-fellowship. 
 Of these the chief members have been Lord Russell of Kill- 
 owen (who on his elevation to the Bench as Lord Chief 
 Justice sent in his resignation, as 3'ou may see in Mr, Linley 
 Sambourne's cartoon of July 14th, 1894, ^y "^^^ letters on the 
 scroll Lord Russell holds : '' P,P,C.— T.P.C.'"), Mr, Burnand, Sir 
 John Tenniel, Mr, Linley Sambourne, Mr. E. T. Reed, Mr. 
 Harry Furniss, Sir Frank Lockwood, the Hon. Mr. Russell, 
 Sir Arthur Sullivan, Mr. John Hare, Sir Edward Lawson, Mr. 
 George Alexander, and Mr. C. H. Matthews. But the savour 
 of Punch is over it all, and though outsiders are of it, it is as 
 much a Punch club of Punch origin as the one that went 
 before. It has been said that there is difference of opinion 
 as to the source of its name, it being supposed that it arose 
 from one of the founders declaring that ** it didn't matter two 
 pins what name it bore." The simple truth is that it was 
 christened after the names of two great riding worthies — at 
 least one worthy, the other unworthy — of English literature : 
 John Gil//;/ and Dick Tvxpin ; of the latter of whom Thomas 
 Hood tells us that when the romantic malefactor was 
 righteously hanged, after a spirit-swilling career, he died of 
 having had " a drop too much."
 
 99 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PUNCH AS A POLITICIAN. 
 
 Punch's Attitude — His Whiggery — And Sincerity — Catholics and Jews — Home 
 Rule— European Politics — Prince Napoleon — PniicJi's '^listakes — His Cam- 
 paign against Sir James Graham — His Relations with Foreign Powers — 
 And Comprehensive Survey of Affairs. 
 
 The social and political attitude of Punch to-da^■ is a very 
 different thing from what it was when the paper first claimed 
 public attention and support. " When we are impecunious," 
 sa3^s Mr. du Maurier, "we must needs be democratic." And 
 democratic PuiicJi was in Jerrold's era, although from no 
 mercenary or unworthy motive. Later on, the club and the 
 drawing-room frankly recognised the power wielded b\' the 
 paper, and, b}' that very acknowledgment, influenced it to 
 an ob^ ious degree. Then came the sentiment of Church and 
 State, and the Palmerston patriotic pose that was most to 
 the taste of the threepenny public ; and for a long time 
 the plucky, cheery, careless, " Civis-Romanus-Suju ," " hang- 
 Reform " statesman was the special pet of Punc/i, and more 
 particular!}' of Shirley Brooks. When that Editor died, Tom 
 Taylor imparted a decidedly Radical, anti-Beaconsfield, anti- 
 Imperial turn ; but since the regime of Mr. Burnand a 
 lighter and more non-committal attitude has been adopted 
 and maintained. 
 
 Speaking generally, the prevailing Punch tradition with 
 regard to matters political — at least, in the belief of its 
 conductors — has been to hold the balance fairly between the 
 parties, to avoid fixed and bitter partisanships, to '' hit all 
 round " as occasion seemed to demand, and to award praise 
 where it appeared to be deserved. If there was to be a 
 general "list" or "lean," it was to be towards a moderate 
 Liberalism — towards sympathy with the popular cause of 
 
 H 2
 
 lOO The History of "Punch." 
 
 freedom both of act and speech, and enthusiastic champion- 
 ship of the poor and oppressed. 
 
 If, especially within recent years, Punch has claimed one 
 merit more than another, it is to as fair a neutrality as is 
 possible to a strong-minded individuality with unmistakable 
 political views. Conser^'atives have long since protested 
 against what has been called its " hideous Gladstonolatry 
 and bourgeois Liberalism," and declaimed against the occa- 
 sional partisan spirit of the " Essence of Parliament." " There 
 is a popular periodical," said Mr. Gladstone, in his Edinburgh 
 speech of September 29th, 1893, ''which, whenever it can, 
 manifests the Liberal sentiments by which it has been guided 
 from the first. I mean the periodical Punch." Indeed, to 
 that party has always been given the benefit of the doubt. 
 But one of the chief organs of Radicalism* has complained of 
 an attack on a Liberal Cabinet as "merely a pictorial insult;" 
 and the professional Home Ruler has denounced with 
 characteristic emphasis the representation by Punch of the 
 Irish voter, bound hand and foot, terrorised and intimidated 
 by his priest, who exclaims : " Stop there till you ^•ote as I 
 tell you, or it's neither marry nor bury you I will ! " From 
 all of which it may fairly be deduced that Punch, with 
 occasional lapses of an excusable kind, has, on the whole, 
 fairly upheld his character for the neutrality proper to one 
 who is accepted as the National Satirist, even though — like 
 the Irish judge — " he is most just when he lanes a bit on my 
 soide." 
 
 " The Table " has always shown an amalgam of Conserva- 
 tive and Liberal instincts and leanings, though the fonner 
 have never been those of the "predominant partner." The 
 constant effort of the Staff is to be fair and patriotic, and to 
 subordinate their personal views to the general good. This 
 is the first aim. For, whatever the public may think, neither 
 Editor nor Staff is bound by any consideration to any party 
 or any person, but hold themsehes free to satirise or to 
 approve " all round." Disraeli the}' quizzed and caricatured 
 freely ; but they al.ways admitted his fine traits and brilliant 
 
 *• " Daily Chronicle," August 26th, 1892.'^
 
 Shaping the Policy. ioi 
 
 talents. Gladstone they more consistently glorified for his 
 eloquence, high-niindedness, and skill ; but from time to time 
 they would trounce him roundh' for his ^'acillations or other 
 political shortcomings. 
 
 In the earlier da}'S of Punch it was more common to 
 make a dead-set at individuals — as at Lord Brougham, 
 " Dizzy," Lord Aberdeen, and, during his earlier career, 
 John Bright. But man}- things were done forty years ago 
 which nowadays " the Table " would neither tolerate nor 
 excuse — such as certain attacks upon defenceless royalty 
 (more particularly upon Prince Albert) as being both unfair 
 and in bad taste. The courteous highmindedness of Sir John 
 Tenniel has made greatly for this mellowing and moderation, 
 to the point, indeed, that many complain that Punch no 
 longer hits out straight from the shoulder. This peaceable 
 tendency obviously arises from neither fear nor sycophancy, 
 but from an anxious desire to be entirely just and good- 
 natured, and to avoid coarseness or breach of taste. 
 
 Much of the change in Punch has simpl}^ been the 
 inevitable accompaniment of change in the times — in the 
 tastes, manners, ■ social polish, and sensitive feelings of the 
 courteous and urbane. It is so easy to be strong in the 
 sense in which an onion is strong ; but Punch has long since 
 cast awa}' that kind of force. Many and many a time an 
 admirable " subject " for a cartoon has been rejected — pointed, 
 picturesque, or droll, as the case may be — because some one 
 has raised the question, " But would that be quite fair ? " 
 JeiTold was bitterly caustic and sometimes neither just nor 
 merciful 'in his Quixotic tilting at upper-class windmills ; and 
 Leech, in his earlier work, was often fiercely drastic. But 
 there was more democratic outspokenness, more middle- 
 class downrightness, and less of the Constitutional Club and 
 drawing-room element in those ante-du Maurier days. But 
 men and artists alter, and become moulded and modified by 
 their environments, and it ma)' safely be said that there is 
 to-day no effort on Punch's part to be " smart," anti-popular, 
 anti-bourgeois, or anti-anything, save anti-virulent and anti- 
 vulgar.
 
 102 The History of "Punch." 
 
 In no department of public affairs has Punch shown 
 greater advance than in that of the public Faith. Punch 
 the Religionist — I use the expression in all seriousness — while 
 sturdily maintaining his own ground, and as the representative 
 of " the great Protestant middle-class " swiftly denouncing 
 the slightest show of sacerdotalism, has displayed an increasing 
 tolerance and liberal-mindedness that were not his most not- 
 able characteristics in his youthful days. High Church and 
 Low, bishops and clergy, Protestant and Catholic, from the 
 Pope to Mr. Spurgeon, have all at times come under his 
 lash. 
 
 Mr. Punch has ever kept his eye attentively on the 
 affairs of the Church. In his first volume he supported the 
 agitation against the old-fashioned, high-panelled, curtained 
 pew, at the same time cordialh' endorsing the Temperance 
 movement of the young Irish priest, Father Mathew. The 
 cause of the curate he has always upheld with a zeal 
 that has betrayed him on more than one occasion into in- 
 justice to the bishops ; wherein he has erred in company 
 with his fellow-sage, the Sage of Coniston. And the cause 
 of the poor man, up to the point of Sunday opening of 
 museums and picture galleries, has always been an article 
 of his religious creed, although in a pulpit reference the 
 Rev. A. G. Girdlestone declared that Punch's policy was 
 temporarily reversed during one editorship in consequence 
 of its being found that the men on the mechanical 
 staff of the paper were themselves opposed to the 
 movement. 
 
 In Pu)u'Jis first decade Pope Pius IX. was popular with 
 Englishmen and with Punch by reason of his liberalism. 
 But towards the end of 1850 the cry of "Papal Aggression" 
 broke out, and the popular excitement, already aroused over 
 Puseyism, was fanned to an extraordinary pitch. The situa- 
 tion at that time is described in subsequent chapters dealing 
 with Richard Doyle and Cartoons ; but reference must here 
 be made to the violence with which Punch caught the fever 
 — how he published a cartoon (Sir John Tenniel's first) re- 
 presenting Lord John Russell as David attacking Dr. Wiseman,
 
 " P UNCH " VOCIFERA TES " No POPER Y !" I O3 
 
 the Roman Goliatli.* In due time, however, the excitement 
 passed awav. Dr. Wiseman received his Cardinal's hat. Lord 
 John was satisfied with having asserted the Protestant supre- 
 macy, Richard Doyle left the paper, and nobody, except 
 Punch, seemed a penny the worse, save that the popular sus- 
 picion, once aroused, was not for several years entirely allayed. 
 The " Papal Aggression " agitation smouldered on for a year 
 or two in the paper ; but Punch was not too much engrossed 
 to be prevented from giving his support to Mr. Horsman's 
 Bill for enquiry into the revenues of the bishops of the 
 Established Church, whom, in one of Leech's cartoons, he 
 represented as carrying off in their aprons all the \-aluables 
 on which they could lay their hands. 
 
 Thencetbrward Punch's religious war was directed chiefly 
 against Puseyism and its " toys " — by which were designated 
 the cross, candlesticks, and flowers. The Pope was still with 
 him an object of ridicule, and in one case at least of in- 
 excusably coarse insult; but he was by this time (1861) shorn 
 of his temporal power, and had become the " Prisoner of the 
 Vatican;" and his ''liberalism," so much applauded in his 
 ante-as:sfressive davs, was all forgotten. Nevertheless, some of 
 Punch's references were hannless and innocent enough, such 
 as that in which he asks, in 1861 : "Why can the Emperor 
 of the French never be Pope ? " and himself replies, " Because 
 it is impossible that three crowns can ever make one 
 Napoleon." 
 
 Less fierce, but much more constant, was the ridicule 
 meted out to the Jews. The merry prejudice entertained by 
 John Leech and Gilbert Abbott a Beckett alike against the 
 Jewnsh community was to some extent shared not only by 
 kindly Thackeray himself, but even by Jerrold, and was expres- 
 sive no doubt of the general feeling of the da>-. ^Lirk Lemon 
 certainly did nothing to temper the flood of merciless derision 
 which Punch for a while poured upon the whole house of 
 Israel, and some of Brooks's verses are to this da>- quoted with 
 
 * This, with the Pharaoh pro-Jewish picture at the time of the Russian 
 persecutions, is said to be the only cartoon founded on a strictly Biblical or 
 Scriptural subject ever published in Punch.
 
 i'o4 The History of "Punch." 
 
 keen relish in anti-Semitic circles. In his campaign against 
 the sweaters in the early 'Forties a picture appeared in the 
 Almanac for 1845 in which such an employer was represented 
 by Leech as a Jew of aldermanic proportions, rich and bloated 
 in appearance and of monstrous ostentation and vulgarity. 
 Yet Punch's hatred was really only skin-deep, or, at least, 
 was directed against manners rather than against men ; and 
 this fctct, curiously enough, gave rise to one of those mis- 
 understandings of which the paper has from time to time 
 been the subject. In the spring of 1844 the " Morning 
 Post" was vigorously denounced by Punch for suggesting 
 such a possibility as a '' gentleman Jew," and proposed that 
 the "accursed dogs" had more than their rights in being 
 spoken of as "persons of the Hebrew faith." Thereupon 
 a Jewish reader, considering that Punch' s expression bordered 
 upon rudeness, and that the sufferance which was his tribal 
 badge need not under the circumstances seal his lips, ^^TOte 
 to protest against the " malice and grossness of language " — 
 for he had failed to appreciate Punch's robust irony and 
 too carefully veiled championship. Then, in one of those 
 generous moods which often directed Jerrold's pen, Punch 
 explained. (Vol. VI., 1844, p. 106.) He pointed out how 
 his article had been directed against the " bygone bigotry 
 and present uncharitableness " of the "Morning Post;" he 
 quoted Defoe's " Short Way with Dissenters," in which the 
 author satirically advocated their social rights, as an example 
 of how one may be misunderstood by the men they desire 
 to serve ; he reminded his readers how, when " Gulliver's 
 Travels " was published, a certain bishop publicly proclaimed 
 that he didn't believe a word of it ; and he asked if he 
 — Punch — should complain, then, when his advocacy of 
 common rights and liberties of the Hebrew is " arraigned of 
 malice, prejudice, and jealous}'." But the Jewish Disabilities 
 Removal Bill had not at that time been introduced. 
 
 It was in 1847 that this measure was brought in, and 
 Punch was nearly as much alarmed as he subsequently was 
 at the " Papal Aggression." Punch for a time was as strong 
 on the subject as the fanatical Sir Robert Inglis himself;
 
 I 
 
 But Stands Up for the Jews. 105 
 
 and Leech's cartoon of Baron de Rothschild tryin<T to force 
 his nose — the " thin end of the wedge," he called it — 
 between the doors of the House of Commons was regarded 
 as a ver^• felicitous and brilliant hit. But e^"en then Punch 
 was willing to let the other side of the question be heard ; 
 and in an ingenious adaptation of Shylock's soliloquy (p. 247, 
 Vol. XIII., 1847) dedicated to Sir Robert Inglis — beginning 
 " Hath not a Jew brains ? " and ending, " If we obey your 
 government, shall we have no hand in it ? If we are like you 
 in the rest, we ought to resemble you in that " — the whole 
 case of Lord John Russell and the supporters of the measure 
 was clearh- put forth. Similarly, when at the very time 
 that Punch was making the most of any fun that could be 
 got out of his Jewish butt, the " Strangers' Friend Society " 
 appealed for funds on the ground that the urgency of their 
 charitable needs would " dissolve even the hardest, the most 
 magnetic astringent Jewish mind," Punch vigorously protested 
 against the quaintness of that virtue and charit}' which would 
 batten upon the faithful by tickling their pet prejudice against 
 the Jews, and declared that "the Society's healing goodness 
 would be none the worse for not spurting its gall at any 
 portion of the family of men," And in more recent times 
 Punch has carried his sympath}- to its furthermost point by 
 the powerful cartoons published during the gi'eat persecutions 
 of the Jews in Russia, by which — for representing the Tsar, 
 Alexander III., as the New Pharaoh — he attained exclusion 
 from the Holy Empire, and from the mouthpiece of the Jewish 
 community "gratitude in unbounded measure for this great 
 service in the cause of freedom and humanity." 
 
 In like manner. Punch has displayed equal kindliness of 
 feehng for the Irish, though Home Rule never offered strong 
 attraction to his imagination or statesmanship. From the 
 beginning he always showed a genuine sympathy for what 
 he considered genuine Irish sentiment and suffering ; but 
 agitation, as material for political speculation, seldom recom- 
 mended itself to him. In 1844 (p. 254, Vol. VII.) a cartoon 
 by Leech was published (original!}' to have been called " Two 
 of a Trade"), in which the Tsar and Queen Victoria are 
 
 \
 
 io6 The History of "Punch." 
 
 chatting at a table. On the wall behind the autocrat hangs 
 a map of Poland ; near the Queen, one of Ireland ; and she, 
 holding up her forefinger in gentle self-admission of error, and 
 in friendly remonstrance with her august visitor, says softly, 
 "Brother, brother, we're both in the wrong!" Soon after- 
 wards Puncli became, it was said, " anti-Irish ; " or, as he 
 himself declared, he could not confound Irish misdeeds with 
 Irish wrongs ; and it was with that view that he was wont 
 to picture the Irish political outrage -mongering peasant as a 
 cross between a garrotter and a gorilla. Of course, in their 
 rivalries Daniel O'Connell and Smith O'Brien were satirised 
 as the '' Kilkenny Cats ; " but when the " Great Agitator " 
 died in 1847, Punch showed how sincere was his sympathy 
 with a people who, rightly or wrongly, were mourning the 
 death of their leader, and who at the time were dying in 
 thousands from the famine that was then black over the land. 
 Nevertheless, he applauded with delight the thumping major- 
 ity that negatived in Parliament the motion for Repeal of 
 the Union. Then came a Coercion Bill, and continued seeth- 
 ing discontent ; but the sad, sweet face of Hibernia then as 
 ever claimed all the beaut}' that lay in the cartoonist's pencil. 
 And a year later, when the Queen visited Ireland, and a 
 Special Court of Common Council was held to consider the 
 propriety of purchasing estates there. Punch showed " Gog and 
 Magog helping Paddy out of the Mess," and " Sir Patrick 
 Raleigh " — a handsome Irish peasant of the right sort — laying 
 his mantle across a puddle, and smiling as he prays, " ]\Iay 
 it please yoiu^ Majesty to tread on the tail of niy coat." 
 
 So Punch in his Irish, as in his English, home policy 
 became, and maintained the attitude of, an Old Liberal, an 
 elderlv member of the Reform Club, with just enough desire 
 for reform to be written down a Radical by Tories, and 
 enough Conservatism and patriotism to be denounced as a 
 Jingo, or its equivalent, by their opponents. But he went 
 steadilv on ; and when Mr. Gladstone became converted to 
 Home Rule, Punch declined to be committed to the policy. 
 He maintained his independence and his Whigger}-, in spite of 
 the personal feeling and friendship of the chief proprietor of
 
 When ''Punch" was Young. 107 
 
 the paper for the aged statesman. Private sentiment was 
 sacrificed to pubhc need, and the position of Pumh, and his 
 character for pohtical stabihty, were thereby further assured. 
 
 At the time of PiuicJis birth the Queen had sat four years 
 upon the throne,' and had recently entered into liappy wedded 
 life. Louis Xapoleon was living a life in London not at all 
 upon the Lnperial plan ; Senorita de Montijo, the future 
 Empress, was a young lady of small expectations in Spain 
 — the daughter of the Comtesse de Montijo, of the Kirkpatrick 
 family ; and the Emperor William, who was destined in the 
 fulness of time to crush them both, was a political star of 
 at most the fourth magnitude. Bismarck, Gladstone, and Dis- 
 raeli were names already known to the public — ^Nlr. Disraeli, 
 indeed, being of those who took part in the debate the 
 result of which was to turn out Lord ^Melbourne's Govern- 
 ment (August, 1 841) and send in Sir Robert Peel's, in which 
 Mr. Gladstone took his place as Vice-President of the Board 
 of Trade and Master of the Mint. But, like Punch, they were 
 but beginning life ; Mr. Gladstone was a Tory and High 
 Churchman ; Free Trade and the Corn Law Repeal were as 
 questions hardly yet " acute ; " and neither Bright nor Cobden 
 had entered the House of Commons. Punch, therefore, 
 entered the field at an interesting moment, and began b}- 
 boldl}' proclaiming his impartialit)' : — 
 
 " POLITICS.—' Punch ' has no party prejudices— he is conser- 
 vative in his opposition to Fantoccini and political puppets, 
 but a progressive Whig in his love of small change'^ 
 
 When Disraeli, equally with his rival, changed his party, 
 the fact was recorded in a happy parod}' of Hood's well- 
 known verses : — 
 
 " Young Ben he was a nice young man, 
 An author by his trade, 
 He fell in love with Poly Tics, 
 
 And soon an M.P. made. 
 He was a Rad-ical one day, 
 
 He met a Ton' crew, 
 His Poly Tics he cast away, 
 And then turned Tory too."
 
 io8 The History of "Punch.'' 
 
 Soon he was leader of the httle "Young England Party," 
 and was to be seen in Punch's cartoon as a viper gnawing 
 at the "old file," Sir Robert Peel. Then came the triumph 
 of Free Trade, duly celebrated b}' John Leech in one of 
 his most light-hearted cartoons. 
 
 The fatal year of 1848 opened with the memorable letter 
 of the Prince de Joinville, at that time a young man ot 
 thirty, which set half Europe looking to their national 
 defences, but which pretended to be aimed onl}- at an invasion 
 of England. There was, of course, a scare, not to say a 
 panic, in official circles ; but Punch was one of the few who 
 kept their heads, making capital galore out of the situation. 
 He never tired of deriding the fiery young prince, who was 
 only too glad a little later on to " invade " England in the 
 character of refugee. The French army, he declared (by 
 the pen of Percival Leigh), would land, after suffering all 
 the tortures of sea-sickness, carefully watched by the Duke 
 of Wellington from a ^lartello tower. Arrived in London, 
 the invaders would arrest M. Jullien, lay siege to 85, Fleet 
 Street, but raise it forthwith on the appearance of Mr. Punch 
 and Tob}-, who would follow the fugitives in hot pur- 
 suit. Although Punch ridiculed the matter thus, he yet 
 proposed the formation of a Volunteer Coi"ps, to be called 
 ^^PuncJis Rifles;" and it is to be observed that he thus 
 forestalled by four years the actual establishment of the 
 Exeter Volunteers. Nevertheless, Punch seriously threatened 
 the movement when it did come with his " Brook Green 
 Volunteer ; ' ' }-et a few years later, when the idea was revived 
 by the starting of Rifle Clubs, with the subsequent notion of 
 transforming them into reg'iments, Punch lent his aid. He 
 would chaff them, of course — for it was his business so to do — 
 but he was proud of them all the same, and loudly applauded 
 the spirit that inspired them. The ^"olunteers, as he told the 
 French, were "the boys who minded his shop;" and more 
 than one of his Staff enrolled themselves in the patriotic cause. 
 
 Chartism, though in its programme and aspirations re- 
 spected by PuncJi, was despised for its management and 
 mismanagement, and was made the subject of much excellent
 
 Discounting Louis Napoleon. 109 
 
 fooling. But the stormy European outlook gave him far 
 more concern. In one of his cartoons all the So^'ereigns 
 are shown in their cock-boats, storm-tossed in the Sea of 
 Revolution, the Pope — still in the full enjoyment of his tem- 
 poral power — being the only one realh- comfortable and 
 reallv popular. As the Champion of Liberty the Pontiff is 
 at various times portrayed as pressing '•' a draught of a 
 Constitution " on the kings of Sardinia and Naples and the 
 Duke of Tuscany, dealing a knock-down blow to the " des- 
 potism " of Austria, and spitting her eagle on a bayonet; 
 altogether justifying his reputation (for how short a time to 
 last !) for stability, magnanimity, and love of progress. 
 
 In this same year of 1848 Prince Louis Napoleon made his 
 second descent upon France, and Punch, mindful of the fiasco 
 of the first, prepared to give him a warm reception. His treat- 
 ment from the bes^inninor of the Pretender and Prince-President 
 was that of an unblushing adventurer and charlatan. In course 
 of time, as the Emperor became of importance in his day, he re- 
 laxed his severity to some extent, and at times at least showed 
 him the respect due to an ally. On other occasions he would 
 relapse into his original practice of violent and scornful attack 
 — to such a point, as is seen elsewhere, as to extort the 
 vigorous protests of Thackera}^ and Ruskin. " It is a tradition," 
 it is said, " that when, during the entente cordiale, the Emperor 
 and Empress paid a visit to Her Majesty in London, two 
 cartoons were suggested at the Punch Table to celebrate the 
 event. The first was heroic, representing Britannia welcoming 
 the nephew of the great Napoleon to her shores ; the second, 
 a 'brushed-up,' refugee-looking individual ringing at the 
 front-door bell of Buckingham Palace, with the legend ' Who 
 would have thought it ? ' The second was selected." 
 
 The Prince-President as " The Brummagem Bonaparte 
 out for a Ride" (the cartoon which helped to lose Thackeray 
 to Punch), galloping a blind horse at a precipice, was certainly 
 in the spirit of English popular feeling ; and even the 
 coronation of the prince made for a time but little difference 
 in Punch's demeanour. But when the Russian difficulty came 
 in sight, and "the Crimean sun rose red," Napoleon III. was
 
 no The History of "Punchy 
 
 treated with a certain measure of begrudged courtesy ; and 
 when the war broke out, the tone was even cordial, and the 
 sovereign of our alHes was actually represented as a not 
 altogether undesirable acquaintance. The close of the w^ar, 
 however, left matters much where they were, for the peace, 
 in spite of all rejoicings, was thought to come too soon, in 
 order to suit the convenience of the Emperor, Once more 
 he was distrusted in his Italian campaign. The sincerity of 
 his intimate letter to the Comte de Persigny, the. French 
 Ambassador to England, was received with little credence, 
 and John Bull replies to its tenor thus : — 
 
 " What has been mav recur. Should a Brummagem Caesar 
 Try a dash at John Bull, after conqu'ring the Gauls, 
 I intend he shall find the achievement a teaser, 
 
 What with Armstrongs, long Enfields, and stout wooden walls." 
 
 The visit of the Empress Eugenie to the Queen at Windsor 
 Castle, and the abolition of passports for Englishmen in France 
 (which Punch accepted as a latch-key, "to come and go as 
 he liked"), disposed the paper a little more kindly towards 
 the Emperor ; but it was for the Franco-Prussian War to 
 bring out the full strength and the true perspicuity of Punch's 
 judgment. There was little fooling here. His warning was 
 serious and solemn ; he followed every act of the great drama 
 with breathless interest and with unsurpassed power of 
 apprehension and pictorial demonstration ; and his sympathy 
 for the misfortunes of "la grande nation," and his horror at 
 the terrors of the Commune, did not pre^-ent his pity going 
 forth to the broken leader who had played and lost, and who 
 returned to England in a plight far sadder and more desperate 
 than that in which he had lived his Bohemian life thirty 
 years before. 
 
 In considering Punch's attitude during his long career, it 
 must be borne in mind that he has always aimed at repre- 
 senting the sentiments of the better part of the country — 
 seeing with London's eyes, and judging by London standards. 
 Punch is an Englishman of intense patriotism, but primarily 
 a Citizen of London, and a far truer incarnation of it — for all
 
 Fallibility. hi 
 
 his chart" ol' aldermen and turtle — than the Lord Mayor and 
 Chairman of the County Council put together, " But the 
 aspects under which either British lion, Gallic eagle, or 
 Russian bear have been regarded by our contemplative serial," 
 says Ruskin, in a passage which to some extent bears out 
 this contention, "are unfortunately dependent on the fact 
 that all his three great designers (Tenniel, Leech, and du 
 Maurier) are, in the most narrow sense, London citizens. I 
 have said that every great man belongs not only to his own 
 city, but to his own village. The artists of Punch have no 
 village to belong to ; the street-corner is the face of the 
 whole earth, and the only two quarters of the hea^•enly 
 horizon are the east and west — End." Especially did Punch 
 represent English feeling during the great refonns of the 
 'Forties and 'Fifties. Of course he made mistakes, and many 
 of them. " He who never made a mistake never made any- 
 thing." He ground the No-Popery organ ; he defended the 
 Ecclesiastical Titles Act ; he ridiculed the Jewish Disabilities 
 Bill ; he fostered the idea of relentless vengeance on the 
 Indian mutineers and rebels, and bitterly opposed Lord Can- 
 ning's more humane policy;* he issued cartoons during the 
 Secession War — to use the words of Mr. Henry James — 
 "under an evil star;" he aimed poisoned shafts at Louis 
 Phihppe ; he scofted, at first, at the Great Exhibition of 
 1 85 1, and seriously retarded its progress; he failed to ap- 
 preciate Lord Aberdeen's statesmanship, like the rest of his 
 contemporaries, during the Crimean War ; he joked at Turner, 
 and sneered at the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood ; he attacked 
 Bright and Cobden for their attitude during the Chinese 
 
 * Sec p. 108, yol. XXXIII. :— 
 
 " And woe to the hell-hounds ! Right well may they fear 
 A vengeance — ay, darker than war ever knew ; 
 When Englishmen, charging, exchange the old cheer 
 
 For, ' Remember the women axu babes whom they slew ! ' 
 ******* 
 " And terrified India shall tell to all time. 
 
 How Englishmen paid her for murder and lust ; 
 And stained not their fame with one spot of the crime 
 That brought the rich splendour of Delhi to dust."
 
 112 
 
 The History of ''Punch!'' 
 
 War; he denounced Carlyle's "Latter-day Pamphlets" as 
 mere "barkmg and froth;" he ridiculed Joseph Hume 
 with a cruel persistence that called forth a passionate protest 
 
 
 !VV,, 
 
 .. N^ 
 
 * it' 'A 
 
 irTT-^ Ai .1 u4hi!- f^i i^^ .'<■ 
 
 LEECH S ORIGINAL SKETCH FOR " PEEL S DIRTY BOV. 
 
 fi"om the " Westminster Review " against the scuiTilous attack 
 on one who was "too good" for it, for which Punch 
 handsomely apologised on Hume's death (March loth, 1855) ; 
 and generally, in his own words, ** at this early date Mr, 
 Punch in his exuberance wrote much that he would now 
 hesitate to commit to paper, and for which, if it did appear, 
 he would certainh' be taken severely to task bv a hundred
 
 Onslaught on Sir James Graham. 
 
 113 
 
 correspondents, of whom a majority would be of the strait- 
 laced order, and the minority would be largely recruited 
 from Xorth Britain." 
 
 I 
 
 I; 
 
 
 ill - -^^« — *■ -]i 
 
 "PEELS DIRTY LITTLE BOY. 
 
 Dame Peel: "Drat the boy! He's always in a mess." 
 (From tJie Cartoon hy Leech in '■^ Punch" Vol. VIII., />. 145. March 2qth, 1845.) 
 
 But the politician who suffered most from Punch — and 1 \ 
 perhaps the most undeservedly — was that most unpopular of 
 a long line of unpopular Home Secretaries, Sir James Graham. 
 
 I /
 
 114 ^^^ History of "Punch." 
 
 Hq had joined Peel's Cabinet in 1842, on the fall of Lord 
 Melbourne's Ministry, and nothing that he did could com- 
 mand the approval of his critics, especially those on Punch. 
 His capital offence was directing the opening of certain of 
 Mazzini's letters in consequence of the statements made to 
 our Government by that of Naples, to the effect that plots 
 were being carried on — of which the brilliant and popular 
 Italian refugee was the centre — to excite an insun"ection in 
 Italy. ''The British Government," reported the House of 
 Commons Committee of Inquiry afterwards appointed, " issued 
 a waiTant to open and detain ]M. ]\Iazzini's letters. Such 
 infoniiation deduced from these letters as appeared to the 
 British Government calculated to frustrate this attempt was 
 communicated to a foreign Power." 
 
 Thereupon Mr. Buncombe, M.P., upon the complaints of 
 Mazzini, W. J. Linton (the well-known Chartist, and more 
 distinguished wood-engraver), and others, that their letters 
 had been secretly opened, charged Sir James Graham with 
 the ^^olation of correspondence (June 14th, 1844), and though 
 not at first eliciting much infoniiation, succeeded in obtaining 
 the appointment of a Committee, though a " secret ' ' one ; 
 and Lord Radnor effected the same object in the Lords. The 
 result was favourable to the Minister ; but the popular feeling 
 roused by it was intense, and Punch, up in arms at once 
 at this supposed violation of the rights of the subject, fanned 
 the excitement he shared. He immediately published, on 
 Jul}^ 6tli, the most offensive attack he could devise. This 
 consisted in the famous " Anti-Graham Envelope " and 
 "Wafers" — the latter extra strongly gummed. 
 
 The former was drawn by John Leech — a sort of burlesque 
 of the Mulready envelope — and was afterwards appropriately 
 engraved by Mr. W, J. Linton, whose share in the agitation 
 was a considerable one. The circulation attained by this 
 envelope was veiy wide, and although I have not ascertained 
 that many were actually passed through the General Post 
 Office, it certainly brought a flood of bitter ridicule on the 
 unfortunate Minister. In addition to this, there was published, 
 on the clever initiation of Henr}' Mayhew, the sheet of
 
 The ''Anti-Graham Envelope!' 
 
 115 
 
 "Anti-Graham Wafers" — an instrument of diabolical torture 
 for the unhapp}' Secretar}-, who already figured as "Paul 
 Pr}' " in half a hundred of the more important papers. In 
 this sheet, 10 inches by /f inches in size, drawn by H. G. 
 Hine, there were printed sixteen wafers, in green ink, in the 
 
 THE ANTI-GRAHAM ENVELOPE. 
 {Designed by John Leech.) 
 
 midst of a witty design, in brown, that bore the devices of a 
 snake in the grass, a cat-o'-nine-tails, a kettle steaming the 
 fastening of a letter, and other suggestive personalities. 
 These were supposed to be cut up and used as wafers on 
 envelopes, and that they were so used is probable, in view 
 of their extreme rarity at the present da}-. They were 
 issued at twopence the sheet ; and their epigi^ammatic cuts 
 and accompanving legends were in PuncJis best vein. 
 
 Punch's example was promptly followed by that class of 
 publisher who li\-es bv trading on the ideas of others, and 
 in the windows of manv booksellers of the commoner class, 
 envelopes in the shape of padlocks were offered for sale, the 
 motto on them nmning '' Xot to be Grahamed." Punch itself 
 followed up the scent, and gave drawings of " ^Mercury gi^'ing 
 I 2
 
 Ii6 
 
 The History of ''Punch! 
 
 Sir James Graham an insight into Letters" (with the aid of 
 a steam-kettle), of "The Post Office Peep-Show, a Penny a 
 Peep," in which foreign sovereigns, on paying their money 
 to Showman Graham, are permitted to violate the secrecy of 
 British correspondence ; while a notice from St. Martin's-le- 
 Grand informs his Continental clients that " on and after the 
 present month the following alterations will take place in 
 the opening of letters : — 
 
 Letters Posted at 
 
 Opened at 
 
 9 A.M. 
 
 lO A.M. 
 
 lO A.M. 
 
 II A.M. 
 
 12 A.M. 
 
 2 P.M. 
 
 2 P.M. 
 
 4 P.M. 
 
 4 P.M. 
 
 6 P.M. 
 
 Of course, this was all very unfair and savagely amusing, 
 but much was forgiven for the cleverness of the hits, and the 
 liherty-loving notions that inspired them. 
 
 The "railway mania," which had been developing during 
 these years, had from the first been viewed with alarm by 
 Punch, who, with his customar}^ level-headedness, foresaw 
 the crash and the reaction that were soon to follow. And 
 when the}' came, in 1849, he pointed solemnly to the truth 
 of his teaching, and to the sadness of the moral, with the 
 picture of " King Hudson off the Line." Nothing could 
 represent the situation more eloquently or more concisely. 
 
 A noteworthy incident occun-ed in connection with the 
 Greek question of 1850, when the English fleet threatened 
 to blockade the Piraeus. Punch was indignant at this high- 
 handed show of strength towards the little kingdom, and 
 taking the mean-looking, gi-ovelling British Lion by the ear 
 (in his cartoon) asks him, " Why don't you hit someone of 
 your own size ? " With the exception of the occasion when 
 he disrespectfully represented the noble beast as stuffed and 
 moth-eaten, this is the only " big cut " wherein the Lion has
 
 The ''Anti-Graham Wafers!' 
 
 117 
 
 been unworthily treated, or on which, in foreign poHtics, 
 Punch has tailed to back up his own Government. 
 
 Biadbuiy iaA Evus. 
 
 PabUsbed £t Oio Fnncb office, 194. Btraotl.— Prtco Twopence 
 
 rTrlEUIf . Wbucftltts. 
 
 THE ANTI-GRAHAM WAFERS. 
 {Designed by H. G. Hine.) 
 
 When Kossuth visited London in 185 1, Punch's heart, 
 like that of the rest of England, went out to the patriot.
 
 ii8 The History of "Punch" 
 
 " It was not Louis Kossuth whom the thousands gazed upon 
 and cheered," wrote Punch. " It was Hungary — bound and 
 bleeding, but still hopeful, resolute, defying Hungary ; " and 
 it may be observed that for many years Punch sided, for 
 one reason or another, with Austria's successive adversaries. 
 
 It was in the same year that Lord Palmerston first 
 appeared on Punch's scene, and then in his own selected 
 role of "Judicious Bottle-holder." He was represented as 
 officiating thus at the httle affair between "Xick the Bear " 
 and "Young Europe." From that time forward he always 
 appeared as a sporting character, and rather gained than lost 
 in popular favour by the treatment. Another debut the 
 following year, among the repeated appearances of " Dizzy," 
 Napoleon, Pam, and Lord John, was that of John Bright. 
 He is shown in Quaker costume, examining the new-bom 
 baby (the new Reform Bill) through an eye-glass, while Lord 
 John, its parent, stands by and hears the dry verdict that it 
 is " not quite so fine a child as the last." This eye-glass 
 perplexed John Bright a good deal, because, said he, he had 
 " never worn such a thing in his life." He did not see that 
 the glass had here, no doubt, not so much reference to him, 
 as to the smallness of the birth examined by its aid. 
 
 Protection was still a subject of debate, but not for long. 
 In 1852 appeared the admirable cartoon in which Cobden — 
 suddenly come very fiiuch to the fore in Punch's pages — 
 is represented as Queen Eleanor, who advances on Disraeli, 
 a grotesque " Fair Rosamond," with a poison-bowl of " Free 
 Trade " in one hand and the dagger of " Resignation " in the 
 other. Disraeli accepted the fomier, and Punch and the Free 
 Traders rejoiced. But in their triumph they did not spare 
 the feelings of the convert, whom they had dubbed " The 
 Political Chameleon ; " but at least they admitted the im- 
 portance of the man, who is no longer sneeringly alluded to 
 as " Benjamin Sidonia," no more represented as an ill-bred 
 schoolboy made up of impudence and malice — unprincipled, 
 vicious, and conceited. 
 
 In the following year Punch sounded his first note of 
 warning of the approaching " Eastern Question," when in the
 
 A General Look Round. 119 
 
 cartoon of " The Turkey in Danger," the Sick Bird Is shown 
 in the powerful hug of the Russian Bear ; and " The Emperor's 
 Cup for 1853" illustrates still further the prescience of Punch. 
 Nevertheless, as has been said, he could not appreciate a 
 suaviter policy, and in a cartoon entitled " Not a Nice Busi- 
 ness " (p. 271, Vol. XXVI.) Lord Aberdeen, the Premier, is 
 shown engaged in cleaning the boots of the Tsar. 
 
 How the Crimean War was followed by Punch in a 
 magnificent series of pictures, chiefly from the hand of Sir 
 John Tenniel, as well as in that culminating effort of Leech's, 
 ** General Fe\Tier," there is no need here to explain. But 
 during the peace negotiations — which were delayed through 
 the Russians firing on a truce-party, called " The ]\Iassacre of 
 Hango " — the representation was imjustly made by Punch 
 that the King of Prussia was a confirmed toper, and the 
 charge was offensively maintained by pen and pencil. This 
 so angered the King that none of the English newspaper 
 cortespondents (one of whom he supposed to be the original 
 perpetrator of the libel) was after that allowed AN-ithin 
 the precincts of the palace, until at last INIr. T. Harrington 
 Wilson, one of Punch's draughtsmen, was admitted on 
 behalf of the " Illustrated London Xews." 
 
 Xo sooner was the Crimean War at an end, than the 
 reprisals which developed into the Chinese War involved this 
 country in an expense of four millions. In spite of the im- 
 portance and gravity of the undertaking. Punch vigorously 
 supported Lord Palmerston in his campaign, and mockingly 
 showed *'The Great Warriors Dah-Bee and Cob-Den" vainly 
 trying to overturn his Government. He made good sport 
 of the Celestials, as a matter of course, but his mortification 
 was extreme on learning that the incidental outlay would delay 
 the hoped-for repeal of the paper duty. He found a small 
 outlet for his feelings in the cartoon representing a Chinese 
 mandarin as "The Xew Paper-weight" (p. 20, Vol. XXXIX.), 
 but in the end was entirely conciliated by the terms of the 
 Chinese Convention, and the payment of a handsome in- 
 demnity—the subject of his first cartoon in 1861 being "A 
 Cheer for Elgin."
 
 I20 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 Italy's successful struggle for independence received 
 great attention and sympathy from Punch— t\\e greater, no 
 doubt, since the "Papal Aggression" had taught him to look 
 askance at the Vatican ; but he regarded with extreme and 
 well-justified scepticism the genuineness of Louis Napoleon's 
 alleged disinterestedness in the interests of peace. He is 
 ironically shown (October 13th, i860) as "The Friend in 
 Need" advising the Pope, "There, cut away quietly and 
 leave me your keys. Keep up your spirits, and I'll look 
 after your little temporal matters." Garibaldi and Victor 
 Emmanuel were regarded by Pimch with the greatest favour 
 (just as the latter was said to be regarded privately by the 
 Pope), and United Italy was enthusiastically hailed by him 
 (March, 1861) as "The Latest Arrival" at the European 
 Evening Party conjointly presided over by John Bull and 
 Britannia. 
 
 From first to last Punch has always been an Imperialist — 
 Imperial Defence being warmly taken up at periodical intervals, 
 and Imperial Federation during these latter years adopted as 
 one of the planks of his Punch-and-Judy platfomi. Imperial 
 Defence as a cry and a scare, begun in 1848 on the action 
 of the Prince de Joinville, was continued in i860 (cartoon, 
 August 4th), when a large sum was spent upon arsenals and 
 dockyards — to some extent, no doubt, in view of Napoleon's 
 double-dealing in the matter of Nice and Savoy. " Ribs of 
 steel are our ships, Engineers are our men," he sings, under 
 the new order of things in naval construction — 
 
 " We're steady, boys, steady, 
 But always unready ; 
 We've just let the French get before us again." 
 
 The Americaii,_ WaL of Secess ion j the throne of Greece 
 put up to auction ; Poland in chains, defying the Russian 
 Bear ; the ghost of Charles I. warning the King of Prussia, 
 by the block to which he points, of the punishment that 
 awaits the would-be despot ; Napoleon crushing the prostrate 
 figure of France ; the wars between "father-in-law Denmark," 
 Germany, and Austria, and between the latter two (as Robbers
 
 A Comic Mirror of the Times. 121 
 
 in the Wood) ; Reform ; Irish Church Disestabhshment ; 
 ''Dizzy" as the Premier-Peri entering the gates of Paradise, 
 or, bound to the Ixion's wheel of " Minority," hurled forth by 
 Hercules-Bright, with the severe approval of Juno-Britannia 
 and Jupiter-Gladstone ; the Franco-Prussian War ; the Ro}'al 
 marriages ; the occupation of Egypt ; and the creation of the 
 " Empress of India ; "^rzalLthe^ubjectzmatter^ indeed, of home . 
 and foreign politics, and of general public interest, have 
 been touched upon b}- Punch as the}' occurred, lightly, but 
 Qlien-probed^_ /6'72(7'. . His attitude seldom caused much sur- 
 prise, for his opinions and views could generally be foretold. 
 It was the manner in which they were put forth that carried 
 weight and influence ; they were the nation's ideas 
 
 " . . . to advantage dressed, 
 What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed." 
 
 / The student of the times, if he would know how public 
 affairs struck the public mind during that period, can assuredly 
 find no truer, no more accurate indication than is offered 
 by the perusal of Punch' s pages./ 
 
 'S
 
 122 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 " CHAR I VARIETIES." 
 
 Pitnch's Influence on Dress and Fashion— His Records— As a Prophet— As an 
 Artist — As an Actor and Dramatist — Benefit Performances^ Guild of 
 Literature and Art. 
 
 The man who glances at Pimch's current number and throws 
 it aside can have but little appreciation of the influence of 
 the paper, not only in matters political, but in social subjects 
 of every kind. That the Baron de Book-Womis can make or 
 mar the success of a new book, as completely as the '' Times," 
 "Athenaeum," or " Spectator," has been testified to by Mr. Hall 
 Caine and others ; and in some quarters at least Puncli s 
 baton-strokes are as effective as ever, and recall the times 
 when he could, and did, drive a semi-public man into obscurity, 
 which, but for the fame of his onslaught, would have been 
 absolute oblivion. 
 
 But it is in dress, in fashion, and in manners that Punch 
 has gained, if anything, in weight and influence. In such 
 subjects, treated as " charivarieties," as Mr. Arthur Sykes 
 has called them, he has always been supreme, and fulfils an 
 unquestioned destiny. John Leech detemiined that there 
 should be no Bloomerism in the land, and there was none — 
 only, by the charm of his drawings, he came very near 
 making it popular, and converting British young womanhood 
 to Turkish trousers. Mr. du Maurier thought that it would 
 look pretty if every little lady in the land were to wear black 
 stockings ; and every little lady did : as unfalteringly as when 
 Miss Kate Greenaway imposed upon them smocks and poke- 
 bonnets, or when Mrs. Hodgson Burnett clad mothers' darhngs 
 in black velvet Fauntleroy suits, with bright-coloured sashes 
 wound round their middles. As the volumes are examined, 
 the reader becomes aware of the enduring value of Punch as a
 
 An Eye for Fashion. 123 
 
 History of Costume in the Victorian Era. Even men's dress 
 is noted with minute truthfuhiess — the violently variegated 
 shirts of 1845 ; the Joinville ties, with their great fringed ends, 
 out of which Thackeray made such capital in 1847 ; the pin- 
 less cravats and cutaway coats of 1848 ; the ivory -handled canes 
 of 1850, for sucking purposes — the fashion which came round 
 thirty years later with the advance of the "crutch and 
 toothpick brigade;" the big bows and short sticks of 1852 ; 
 the frockcoats and weeping whiskers of 1853, with the 
 corresponding inability to pronounce the "r" otherwise than 
 as a '' w," or to converse but with a languid, used-up 
 drawl ; the smaller ties and growing collars, when a wasting 
 youth complains that " She is lost to him for ever " [she, the 
 laundress !) ; the schoolboy's Spanish hat of i860, that was 
 soon developed into the " pork-pie," and was to be adopted 
 generally for country wear with baggy knickerbockers ; the 
 full-blown Dundreary of 1861, with long weeping whiskers, 
 long coat, long drawl, and short wits ; with the sudden 
 change for the better in the following year. All this is to be 
 found clearly recorded year by year, season by season, with 
 all the peculiarities of '' form ; " of umbrella and umbrella- 
 carrying ; of dancing, energetic and invertebrate ; of hand- 
 shaking, sensible and high-level (which was invented, of 
 course, by the ballroom girl who was holding up her train 
 in the dance) ; of hirsute adornment and ^esthetic craze — 
 every shade of fashion is followed in its true development 
 and in its wane — down to the recent phase of 1893 and 1894, 
 when the swell lets out his collar for an advertisement 
 hoarding, or, safe in the, perfection of its starching, marches 
 quietly across the desert while fierce Orientals turn the edges 
 of their swords in vain across his linen-shielded neck. 
 
 And the ladies ! The coal-scuttle bonnet and the incipient 
 crinoline of 1845 ; the growing crinolines of 1851, larger in 
 i860, largest of all in 1864 ; the hair in bands or side-curls of 
 1852, and in nets in 1862 ; the bonnets worn almost off the 
 head in 1853, more so in 1854, until Leech drew a picture of 
 two ladies walking out, with footmen carrying their head-gear 
 behind them; the "spoon-shaped bonnet" of i860 — "the
 
 124 The History of "Punch." 
 
 latest Parisian folly," which the street-boys mistake for "a 
 dustman's 'at ; " the archery of 1862, the pork-pie hat, the 
 croquet, the tennis, the golf— every sport, every habit and 
 custom, every change of dress, down to the minutest detail — 
 all is recorded with faithfulness and humour, first by Leech's 
 pencil, and then, in chief measure, by Mr. du Manner's. 
 
 It is curious in turning over PimcJis volumes to see how 
 on occasion he could use his power of prophecy with an 
 accuracy that spoke well for the common-sense, sometimes 
 even the statesmanship, to be found among the Staff. "There 
 is but one Punch, and he is his own prophet." It is rather 
 as a social reformer than as a politician that he has exerted 
 his gift, though an example of the latter class of foresight 
 may be pointed to in the cartoon of Sir John Tenniel of 
 April 7th, i860. This was entitled " A Glimpse of the Future : 
 A Probable and Large Importation of Foreign Rags," in which 
 King Bomba of Naples, the Emperor Louis Napoleon, and 
 the Pope were shown landing on British shores in very sorry 
 plight. And in due time England was to see — at least, as far 
 as the two monarchs were concerned — the realisation of the 
 oracular couplet combined : — 
 
 " The time will come when discontent 
 Will overthrow your Government." 
 
 Then the number of inventions and innovations forestalled by 
 Punch's pen are many. In December, 1848, much is made 
 of a proposed "opera telakouphanon " — a forecast of the 
 telephone, phonograph, and theatrophone combined : — 
 
 " It would be in the power of Mr. Lumley," says PuncJi, 
 " during the aproaching holiday time to bring home the Opera 
 to every lady's drawing-room in London. Let him cause to be 
 constructed at the back of Her Majesty's Theatre an apparatus 
 on the principle of the Ear of Dionysius. . . Next, having 
 obtained an Act of Parliament for the purpose, let him lay down 
 after the manner of pipes a number of Telakouphona connected 
 — the reader will excuse the apparent vulgarism — with this ear, 
 and extended to the dwellings of all such as may be willing to
 
 "Punch" as a Prophet. 125 
 
 pay for the accommodation. In this way our domestic estabUsh- 
 ments might be served with the Hquid notes of Jenxy Lind as 
 easily as they are with soft water, and could be supplied with 
 music as readily as they can with gas. Then at a soiree or 
 evening party, if a desire were expressed for a little music, we 
 should only have to turn on the Sonnambiila or the Puritani^ 
 as the case might be," etc. 
 
 ■ — a thirty j^ears' prophecy. The following year he repre- 
 sented a lady listening to music b}" telegraph ; and the 
 kinetoscope is only now waiting to fulfil Mr. du Maurier's 
 forecast of many years ago. If Mr, Edison has not yet 
 done quite all that Mr. Punch foretold, is not that rather 
 Mr. Edison's than Punch's fault ? 
 
 In an unhappy moment in 1847 Punch proposed the use 
 of umbrellas and house -fronts for advertising purposes, and the 
 hint was promptly taken. In the previous year he foretold 
 the use of the Thames Tunnel as a railwa}^ conduit ; and his 
 sketch of a zebra harnessed to a carriage in the streets of 
 London was realised forty years later. The great " Missing 
 Word Competition" of 1892 was forestalled by Punch by 
 four-and-thirty years (p. 53, Vol. XXXV., August 7th, 1858). 
 Leech's " Mistress of the Hounds," too — how fantastic the idea 
 was thought in those days, and laughed at accordingly ! — has 
 since become a hard, astraddle, uncompromising fact ; and the 
 lady's safet}^ riding-skirt, that attached itself to the saddle when 
 the lady lost her seat, anticipated by thirty years the patent 
 for a similar contrivance taken out in 1884. Indeed, Punch's 
 picture of November, 1854, was put in as evidence before Mr. 
 Justice Wright in April, 1893, when an action between two 
 sartorial artists turned upon the point of anteriority, and the 
 picture won the case. 
 
 Common-sense, and shrewdness of observation and judg- 
 ment, which are at the root of amateur prophecy, brought as 
 much honour to Punch as ever Old Moore obtained through 
 one of his lucky flukes. In December, 1893, the Prince of 
 Wales opened the Hugh iVIyddleton Board School, the finest 
 in London, which had been erected on the site of the 
 old Clerkenwell prison ; and on the invitation card to the
 
 126 The History of "Punch." 
 
 -ceremoii}' appeared a reproduction of the Punch picture of 
 May, 1847, which accompanied an altercation between ''School 
 and Prison, who've lately risen As opposition teachers." 
 This was published nearly a quarter of a century before Mr. 
 Forster's Education Act, and concludes with the prophecy 
 curiously fulfilled in the case of this particular institution. 
 To this picture, in which the county gaol, untenanted, looks 
 scowlingly at the crowded school, the Prince feelingly referred 
 when he spoke of the scepticism with which the statement was 
 regarded, that the institution of " free " schools would shut the 
 prisons up. But a volume might be filled with instances of the 
 occasions on which Punch has seen with his eyes, and thought 
 with the front of his brain — how his demands for necessar}'- 
 innovations (such, for example, as fever carriages in 1861) were 
 quickly acted upon, and how his serious mood has enforced the 
 respect which mere genialit}' might have failed to secure. 
 
 He is not, of course, entitled to invariable congratulation for 
 his attitude towards art ; but he has suffered as well as acted 
 ill. When he derided the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and 
 joined in the storm of ridicule that swirled round the heads 
 of Rossetti and his devoted and courageous friends, he doubt- 
 less acted within his role ; but he utterly failed to see below 
 the surface of the apparent affectation of the artists, and 
 all he had to say of Sir John Millais' " Vale of Rest," in the 
 lines descriptive of the year 1859, was 
 
 ** Year Mr. Millais came out with those terrible nuns in the grave- 
 )'ard." 
 
 In the following year, however, ]\Ir. Eastlake, afterwards of 
 the National Gallery, made his mark in the paper as "Jack 
 Easel," and a more intelligent view of art prevailed. 
 
 But neither has Art, as personified by the Royal Academy, 
 recognised Punch, save by a couple of seats at the annual 
 banquet. It is true that several of its members have drawn for 
 it — Sir Frederic Leighton, Sir John Millais, Sir John Gilbert, 
 Mr. Briton Ri\iere, Mr. Stacey Marks, Mr. G. A. Storey, and 
 Fred Walker. But Punch's art has gone unnoticed, other- 
 wise than by a square yard or two of wall space in the
 
 Staff Artists and the Royal Academy. 127 
 
 Black-and-White room at the annual exhibition. While the 
 Academy has canonised many members whose names half a 
 century later are forgotten, or are remembered only to be 
 
 ^J ^iJ-^ 
 
 THE draughtsman's REVENGE. 
 {Draivn by George die Maurier.) 
 
 called up with a smile or a shrug, it has persistently ignored 
 those who have employed the pencil instead of the brush, or 
 have used ink instead of misusing paint. But it is unneces- 
 sary to pursue the subject farther ; that the names of Keene, 
 Leech, and Tenniel are not on the roll of the Academy is 
 surely far more to the discredit of the institution than of the
 
 128 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 artists themselves, who presumably, from the Academic point 
 of ^^ew, are " no artists." As Mr. du Maurier has pointed out, 
 PuncJis artists will have their revenge : " If the illustrator con- 
 fine himself to his own particular branch, he must not hope for 
 any very high place in the hierarchy of art. The great prizes 
 are not for him ! No doubt it will be all the same a hundred 
 years hence — but for this : if he has done his work well, he has 
 faithfully represented the life of his time, he has perpetuated 
 what he has seen with his own bodily eyes ; and for that reason 
 alone his unpretending little sketches may, perhaps, have more 
 interest for those who come across them in another hundred 
 years than many an ambitious historical or classical canvas that 
 has cost its painter infinite labour, imagination, and research, and 
 won for him in his own time the highest rewards in money, fame, 
 and Academical distinction. For genius alone can keep such 
 fancy-work as this alive, and the so-called genius of to-day may 
 be the scapegoat of to-morrow." 
 
 Pimch was born, so to speak, upon the stage, between the 
 four canvas walls of his own and Judy's show. His heart and 
 soul were with and of the drama, and plays have rained from 
 the prolific pens of his literary Staff. Man)' of his contributors 
 acted in public — a few professionally, most of them as amateurs 
 — and more than one has linked his life with a lad}' who had 
 trodden the stage or concert platform. From the first he 
 proclaimed that Music and the Drama were to be amongst the 
 most prominent features of the work ; and to that declaration 
 he has ever since faithfully adhered. As a record of the 
 London stage, the pages of Punch are fairly complete ; as a 
 dramatist he has, through the members of his Staff, been 
 prolific, and on the whole highly successful ; as an actor he 
 has at least enjoyed himself; and just as Falstaff was the 
 cause of wit in others, he has unwittingly served the pirates 
 of the stage, and to better puipose, too, than they deserved. 
 
 With " readings," lectures, and "entertainments," the members 
 of Punch's Staff have often come strikingly before the public ; so 
 much so, indeed, that they have stepped from their studies and 
 studios on to the platform as by a natural transition. Albert 
 Smith's "Overland Mail" and "The Ascent of Mont Blanc,"
 
 Perifatetic Philosophers. 129 
 
 with the extraordinary success that attended them, doubtless set 
 the fashion to the band of men who were always, in one sense 
 at least, before the public. Thackeray's ''Four Georges" and 
 the " English Humorists " raised the standard of quality at once ; 
 and to that standard more than one of his contemporaries and 
 successors has aimed at attaining, even though the)' never hoped 
 to succeed. Every Editor of Punch — except perhaps Stirling 
 Coyne — deli^'ered such lectures in his da}-. Henry Mayhew 
 took for his subject that of which he had a complete mastery, 
 " London Labour and London Poor." Mark Lemon, whose 
 knowledge of the metropolis was probably even more extensive 
 and peculiar than Sam Weller's own, lectured on it in " About 
 London," and gave recitals of "Falstaff" with a certain 
 measure of success. Shirley Brooks spoke, as he was so well 
 qualified to do, on " The Houses of Parliament ;" and discourses 
 were similarly delivered by Tom Taylor. ]\L'. Burnand's bright 
 " Happy Thoughts " readings could be forgotten by none that 
 heard them. James Hannay, laying humour aside, lectured on 
 the more serious aspects of literature ; and Cuthbert Bede talked 
 of the literary and artistic friends of his Verdant Green career. 
 Mr. Harry Fumiss, wim his delighifui entertainments on 
 "Portraiture" and "The Humours of Parliament," achieved a 
 success undreamed of by the earlier Punch reciters ; and Mr. du 
 Maurier in his " Social Pictorial Satire " touched a literary 
 and critical height that charmed every audience by its humour, 
 its delicacv, and its admirable taste. 
 
 The theatrical stars of half a century march through Punch's 
 pages in long procession, and matters of high theatrical politics 
 enrao-e the attention from year to year. Punch's interest in 
 theatricals is hardly surprising when it is remembered how 
 closely identified' with the drama have been man}' members of 
 the Staff. Douglas Jerrold was a successful playwright before 
 ever Punch was heard of, and as the author of " Black-Eyed 
 Susan " and "Time Works Wonders" he made his name popular 
 with many who had hardly heard of his connection with " the 
 great comic." It has been computed that the Punch writers, 
 from first to last, have contributed no fewer than five hundred 
 plays to the stage ; and it may be mentioned as a curious 
 J
 
 130 The History of ''Punch.'" 
 
 fact that to "German Reed's" each successive Editor oi Punch 
 has contributed an " Entertainment." The Staff has on several 
 occasions been seen upon the boards ; and on countless occa- 
 sions Punch has figured there, usually against his will. It but 
 sufficed for Punch to make a hit for hungry provincial actors, 
 either of stock companies or on tour, to pounce upon it and 
 work it up into a play or an entertainment. JeiTold's brother- 
 in-law, W, J. Hammond, who was at one time manager of the 
 Strand Theatre, travelled with what must be considered the 
 authorised show, thus described : 
 
 " A new Entertainment, called a 
 
 NIGHT 
 
 with 
 PUNXH ! 
 Founded on the Series of Celebrated Papers of that highly 
 humorous Periodical, from the pens of the acknowledged best Comic 
 Writers of the day. Adapted and Arranged by R. B. Peake, Esq. 
 As performed b}- Mr. W. J. Hammond Forty-two successive nights 
 
 at the New Strand Theatre After which, a Monopolylogue 
 
 entitled the 
 
 LAST MAN ; 
 
 or, 
 
 PUNCH OUT OF TOWN" 
 
 — with five characters, all performed by Hammond, the whole 
 reaching its climax when Punch, in propria persona, appeared 
 and sang an " Epilogue Song." 
 
 But it was j\Irs. Caudle, of course, that offered a bait too 
 tempting to be resisted. There was Mrs. Keeley's authorised 
 "Mrs. Caudle" in town; but simultaneously Mrs. Caudles 
 cropped up in every town in the country. One of these was 
 enacted by Mr. WaiTen, and his playbill of the Theatre Royal, 
 Gravesend, dated August 7th, 1845, is before me as I write. 
 " The Real Mrs. Caudle," he asserts, " having received an 
 enthusiastic welcome from a Gravesend audience, and being pro- 
 nounced far superior to any of the counterfeit Representatives, 
 will have the honour of repeating her Curtain Lecture this 
 and to-morrow evenings." " Mrs. Caudle at Gravesend " was, in 
 fact, a " Comic Sketch " by C. Z. Barnett ; and the programme,
 
 Mr. Briggs on the Stage. 131 
 
 decorated with a common engraving in impudent imitation of 
 Leech's immortal cut, contained all the dramatis pcrsonm of 
 Jerrold's little domestic drama, including " Mrs. Caudle (the 
 Original from Punch's Papers), Mr. Warren." 
 
 Six }-ears later JMr. Briggs himself was lifted from Punch 
 on to the stage (amongst others) of the Royal Marylebone 
 Theatre, which then assiduously cultivated the equestrian 
 drama. On November 14th, 1851, for the benefit of a lady 
 called Mrs. MORETOx\ BROOKES, there was played a 
 " new grand dramatic equestrian spectacle, entitled the Maid 
 OF Saragossa ; OR, The Dumb Spy and Steed of Arra- 
 GON— reahsing Sir David Wilkie's Celebrated Picture." As 
 the Arragon Steed remained on the premises when the cur- 
 tain fell on the first piece, it was obviously a pity to waste 
 him ; so, after he had finished realising Wilkie's picture, 
 and had rested awhile, he stepped out of romance into high 
 comedy, or, as the pla3'bill simply put it — ''After which will 
 be presented from Sketches furnished from Punch's Domicile, 
 Fleet Street, a New, Grand, Locomotive, Pedestrian, Eques- 
 trian, Go-ahead Extravaganza, entitled 
 
 MR. BRIGGS! 
 
 Or, House Keeping versus Horse Keeping " — 
 
 in which Mr. Briggs was played by Mr. Crowther, and Mrs. 
 Briggs by the fair beneficiaire. 
 
 The first dramatic effort of Punch, in his individual qualit}' 
 and personality as a jester, was the pantomime of " King John, or 
 Harlequin and Magna Charta." Punch had at that time become 
 so popular, and was so generally regarded as the incarnation 
 of all that was witt}'^, that a commission was given for a panto- 
 mime that was to surpass for wit and humour any pantomime 
 that had ever been written or thought of before. " They have 
 given out," said Alfred Bunn in his vituperative "Word with 
 Punch," " in distinct terms that none but themselves can write 
 a pantomime, and modestly entitled the one they did write 
 ' Pimch's Pantomime ' . . . which they laboured so lustily, but 
 so vainly, to puff into notoriety." It was written in 1842, by 
 Lemon, Jerrold, and Henr}'^ Mayhew ; but when it was read by 
 J 2
 
 132. The History of '' PuxchT 
 
 the first-named to the Covent Garden Compan}-, by whom it 
 was produced, it was found to contain a great deal of wit, 
 but ver}' Httle fun. It was extensively amended in response 
 to the representations of the pantomimists, and W. H. Payne 
 managed to make a good deal of his part. The wit, how- 
 ever, militated greatly against the "go" and success of the 
 piece, the prestige of its writers did not help it, and the 
 experiment of a " Punch's Pantomime " was accordingly not 
 repeated. 
 
 The cordial svmpathy that has bound together so many 
 of Punch's Staff in life has more than once taken the form 
 of kindly charity in death or misfortune. To the perfomiance 
 given on behalf of the unhappy Angus Reach reference is made 
 where the man and his work are considered. For Leigh Hunt 
 — although he was not of the band — a theatrical performance 
 was also given, and realised a large sum, and the benefit in 
 aid of Charles H. Bennett's widow and children was even 
 more successful. That interesting event is described later ; 
 but for the sake of history it may be well to reproduce the 
 programme here : — 
 
 AMATEUR PERFORMANCE AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, 
 
 MANCHESTER, 
 
 (kindly placed at the disposal of the committee by John Knovvles, Esq.,) 
 MONDAY EVENING, JULY 29, 1867. 
 
 To commence with an entirely new and original Triumviretta, in one act and 
 ten tableaux (being a lyrical version of Mr. Maddison Morton's celebrated 
 farce of "Box and Cox"), by Mr. F. C. Burnand, entitled— 
 
 COX AND BOX: 
 Or, the long-lost BROTHERS. 
 
 The Lodging, including the Little Second-floor Back Room, has been 
 
 furnished with 
 
 ORIGINAL MUSIC by Mr. ARTHUR SULLIVAN. 
 
 John Cox, a Journeyman Hatter Mr. Ouintin. 
 
 James Box, a Journeyman Printer ... ... ... Mr. G. du Maurier. 
 
 Boiincer, late of the Dampshire Yeomanry, with military 
 
 reminiscences ... ... ... ... ... ... Mr. Arthur Blunt. 
 
 Scene — An elegantly furnished apartment in Bouncer's ^Mansion.
 
 134 The History of "■Punch" 
 
 Tableaux— I. Cox at his looking-glass. — 2. Cox and Bouncer, the trial of the 
 hat. — 3. The beauties of bacon. — 4. Revenons a nos moutons. — 5. The stranger \ 
 —6. The duel ! 1—7. The gamblers. The hazard. The false die.— 8. "Read- 
 ing of the will." — 9. (A classical study.) Penelope. — 10. Knox! et prasterea nil. 
 
 Mr. SHIRLEY BROOKS will deliver an ADDRESS. 
 After which will be performed Mr. Tom Taylor's popular Drama, 
 
 CLOTHING. 
 
 Mr. Mark Lemon. 
 ... Mr. John Tenniel. 
 ... Mr. Tom Taylor. 
 Mr. F. C. Burnand. 
 TMr. Horace Mayhew. 
 ...J Mr. Henry Silver. 
 
 (^Mr. R. T. Pritchett. 
 ... Mr. Shirley Brooks. 
 
 A SHEEP IN WOLF'S 
 
 Colonel Perc)' Kirke, of Kirke's Lambs 
 
 Colonel Lord Churchill, of the Life Guards 
 
 Master Jasper Carew ... 
 
 Kester Chedzoy ... 
 
 Corporal Flintoft j 
 
 Hackett ^ of Kirke's Lambs 
 
 Rasper ) 
 
 John Zoyland, a Locksmith ... 
 
 Dame Carew, Wife of Jasper Carew (by the kind ) ,^- ^- rp 
 
 permission 01 B. Webster, Esq.) ' 
 
 Dame Carew, Mother of Jasper Carew 
 Sibyl,, Daughter of Jasper Carew 
 
 Keziah Mapletoft, Servant to Anne ... 
 
 Mrs. Stoker. 
 Miss Florence Terry. / 
 Miss Ellen Terry (Mrs. 
 Watts). 
 
 To be followed by J. Offenbach's Bouffonnerie Musicale, 
 
 LES DEUX AVEUGLES. 
 
 Stanislas Giraftier ... ... ... ... ... ... Mons. G. du Maurier. 
 
 Giacomo Patachon ... ... ... ... ... ... Mons. Hal. Power. 
 
 To conclude with Mr. John Oxenford's Farce, in one Act, 
 A FAMILY FAILING. 
 
 Characters by Messrs. Arthur Blunt, Mark Lemon, Tom Taylor, Henry 
 
 Silver, and Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 Tickets for the Dress Circle and Stalls, One Guinea each, may be obtained 
 from any Member of the Committee ; at the Theatre Royal ; from Messrs. 
 Hime and Addison, and Mr. Slater, St. Ann's Square ; and Messrs. Forsyth, 
 St. Ann's Street. 
 
 On this occasion, says an anon3'mous writer, " The cele- 
 brated cartoonist received the reception of the evening. The 
 audience rose cu 7}iasse and cheered. Tom Taylor, playing 
 in his own piece the principal character, was, comparatively 
 speaking, nowhere. The most interesting personality of the 
 Punch Staff was unquestionably Tenniel." 
 
 Affiliated with Punch, in its membership at least, was that 
 " Guild of Literature and Art " of which Charles Dickens was
 
 Lemon and Leech as Actors. 135 
 
 the father. Its theatrical career began in 1845 at the Royalty 
 Theatre, Soho, at that time called Miss Kelly's, the initial per- 
 formance being Ben Jonson's " Every Man in his Humour," witli 
 Mark Lemon as Brainworm and Dickens as Bobadil. {Sec p. 
 137.) On May 15th, 1848, much the same company, in aid of 
 the fund for the endowment of the perpetual curatorship of 
 Shakespeare's house at Stratford-on-Avon, gave the " Merry 
 Wives of Windsor," when Dickens played Shallow ; George 
 Cruikshank, Pistol ; John Leech, Slender ; Mark Lemon, Fal- 
 staff; and other characters were represented by George Henry 
 Lewes, John Forster, Dudley Costello, Augustus Egg, R.A., 
 and Mr. Cowden Clarke — a goodly company. Mr. Sala says 
 that Lemon's conception of Falstaff (which was also known 
 to the public through the jovial editor's "readings"), though 
 well understood, was " the worst he ever saw ; " but Mrs. 
 Cowden Clarke declared it "a fine embodiment of rich, 
 unctuous raciness, no caricature, rolling greasiness and gross- 
 ness, no exaggerated vulgarisation of Shakespeare's immortal 
 ' fat knight,' but a florid, rotund, self-indulgent voluptuary — 
 thoroughly at his ease, thorough!}- prepared to take advantage 
 of all gratification that might come in his wa}', and thoroughly 
 preserving the manners of a gentleman accustomed to the 
 companionship of a prince. John Leech's Master Slender," 
 she continues, " was picturesquely true to the gawky, flabby, 
 booty squire. . . His mode of sitting on a stile, with his 
 long ungainly legs dangling down . . . ever and anon 
 ejaculating his maudlin cuckoo cr}' of ' Oh sweet Ann Page,' 
 was a delectable treat." Without disrespect to Leech's memory, 
 it may be said that others of his friends did not form a similarly 
 favourable opinion of his histrionic powers. 
 
 A company quite as notable in its way was that which 
 played " Not so Bad as We Seem," b\- Lytton (with whom 
 Punch had made his peace), at Devonshire House, on May 
 27th, 185 1, before the Queen and the Prince Consort, at the 
 instance of the Duke of Devonshire. The playbill deserves to 
 be preserved here, although the only Punch names among the 
 actors are those of Jerrold, Lemon, and Tenniel— the last- 
 named of whom is the onlv survivor of them all. 
 
 L
 
 Mr. John Forster 
 Mr. Mark Lemon 
 Mr. F. W. Topham 
 
 136 The History of "Puxch:' 
 
 Men. 
 The nuke of Middlesex ( Peers attached to the son | m^. Frank Stone. A.R. A. 
 
 . A young man at the head \ 
 
 Lord Wilmot ' °^ '^^ "'°'^^ "'°'^. '^^'' 5 Mr. Charles Dickens 
 
 j^ora \v iimoi . century ago, son to Lord T 
 
 ( Loftus ) 
 
 1 A young gentleman from the i 
 Mr Shadowly Softhead < Citv, friend and double > Mr. Douglas Jerrold 
 
 I of Lord Wilmot \ 
 
 I A rising Member of Parlia- 
 Mr. Hardman \ ment and adherent to Sir 
 
 ( Robert Walpole 
 
 if A gentleman of good family ) 
 Sir Geoffrey Thornside ^ -^^ ^^^^^g 
 
 ( In business, highly respect- 
 Mr. Goodenough Easy v able, and a friend of Sir 
 
 ( Geoffrey 
 
 Lord Le Trimmer ) Frenuenters of Wills' Coffee i ^^''- ^^^^'' Cunningham 
 
 Sir Thomas Timid h^h^.p ^^^- ^estland Marston 
 
 Colonel Flint ) """"^^ ( Mr. R. H. Home 
 
 Mr. Jacob Tonson A Bookseller Mr. Charles Knight 
 
 Smart Valet to Lord Wilmot Mr. Wilkie Collins 
 
 Paddy O'Sullivan Mr. Fallen's landlord Mr. Robert Bell 
 
 T^ -J T- 11 (Grub Street author and / Mr. Augustus Egg, 
 
 Mr. David Fallen ( pamphleteer ) A.R.A. 
 
 Lord Strongbow, Sir John Bruin, Drawers, 1 ^^^^^ ^^^^^ Loungers 
 
 Newsmen, Watchmen, &c. &c. ) 
 
 Women. 
 
 Barbara Daughter to Mr. Easy. Miss Ellen Chaplin 
 
 The Silent Lady of Deadman's Lane. 
 
 Date of Play— The Reign of George I. 
 
 Scene— London. 
 
 Time supposed to be occupied, from the noon of the first day to the afternoon 
 
 of the second. 
 
 And, lastly, may be mentioned the performance of Ben 
 Jonson's play at Knebworth, in which, says Vizetelh', Douglas 
 Jerrold, as Master Stephen, showed real talent and power. 
 But the piece is not an entertaining one, as Lord IVIelbourne 
 — with his bad habit of thinking aloud — bore disconcerting 
 witness in his stall : " I knew well enough that the play 
 would be dull, but not so damnably dull as this ! "
 
 An Historical Playbill. 
 
 HiEBWORTfl. 
 
 OJV jnOIVDAV. MOT13JnBB}JB ISCIi. I850, 
 
 137 
 
 WILL BE PEBFOEMEO 
 
 BEN JONSOBS COMEDT 
 
 EVERT MAN 
 
 HIS HUMOUR. 
 
 ^oatnmiEn, Scsln HATHAIT, of Titdibotmie Street 
 
 PeiroqniBT. Mi. WILS03. of tieStmal 
 
 Knowdl, 
 
 ("on OU Gcnlkman) 
 
 Ml DELME R.UX;LIFFE, 
 
 Edward Knowell, 
 
 (hisSm) 
 
 Mr. IIEXBY ILUVKINS, 
 
 BraiQwonn, 
 
 (the Father's Man) 
 
 Mr M.4.RK LEMON. 
 
 George Downright. 
 
 (a Plain S^uireJ 
 
 Mr FRANK STONE, 
 
 Wdlbred, 
 
 {his Half-brother) 
 
 Mr HENRY HAfi, 
 
 Kitely, 
 
 (a Merchant J 
 
 Mr. JOHN FORSTEK, 
 
 Captain Bobadil, 
 
 (a Pauls Man) 
 
 Mr. CHARLES DICKENS, 
 
 Master Stephen, 
 
 (a Country Oil!) 
 
 Mr. DOUGLAS JERROLD, 
 
 Master Matthew, 
 
 (the Town GullJ 
 
 IStr JOHN T.F.ECH, 
 
 Thomas Cajh. 
 
 (Ktlely'i: Cashier J 
 
 Mr. FEEDEEICK DICKENS, 
 
 OUvcr Cobb, 
 
 (a Water-beartr) 
 
 Mr. AUGUSTUS EGG, 
 
 Justice Clement, 
 
 (an old merry Ma^trate) 
 
 The HON ELIOT YORKE 
 
 Roger Formal, 
 
 (his Clerk j 
 
 Mr. PHANTOM. 
 
 Dame Kitcly, 
 
 (Kitelys Wife) 
 
 Miss .ANNE KOMER, 
 
 Mistress Bridget, 
 
 (his Sister) 
 
 Miss HOGARTH, 
 
 Tib, 
 
 (Ccb^B Wife) 
 
 Mm. MARK LEMON, 
 
 (Who iaa sioct '^llECy cc:i»a3ted to act, la Im of Hn fiH^TlT.F.'^ DICSTSS, diablod by ea toddeatj 
 
 THE EPaX)GTJE BY MR DELME 
 
 EADCULFFK 
 
 To conclude with Mes. iKceeALD'a Farce of 
 
 ANIMAL MA6NETISH. 
 
 The Doctor 
 
 Mr, CHARLES DICKENS, 
 
 LaFleur 
 
 Mr. MARK LEMON, 
 
 The Marqois de Lane; 
 
 Mr. JOHN LEECH, 
 
 Jeffery 
 
 Mr. AUGUSTUS EGG, 
 
 Constance 
 
 Miss HOGARTH, 
 
 Lisette 
 
 Miss .iNNE ROMER. 
 
 Stage MinACEa, 
 
 Ma CHAELES DICKENS. 
 
 T%t Theatre tnS be opai at Balp-fast Six. 
 
 J7:« Ptrfarmancj wiU lijlr, precisely at HALr-riST SrrKi. 
 
 000 BAV£ 
 
 XHB QITEE5I 
 
 FOR THE GUILD OF LITERATURE AND ART. (Sce p. I35.)
 
 133 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 punch's jokes — THEIR ORIGIN, PEDIGREE, AND 
 
 APPROPRIATION. 
 
 "The Unknown Man" — Jokes from Scotland — "Bang went Saxpence" — 
 "Advice to Persons about to Marry" — -Claimants and True Authorship 
 — Origin of some of Punch's Jokes and Pictures — Contributors of Witty 
 Things — A Grim Coincidence — "I Used Your Soap Two Years Ago" — 
 Charles Keene Offended — The Serjeant-at-Arms and Mr. Furniss's Beetle 
 — Mr. Birket Foster and Mr. Andrew Tuer — Plagiarism and Repetition 
 — The Seamy Side of Joke-editing — Punch Invokes the Law — Rape of Mrs. 
 Caudle — Sturm mid Drang — Plagiarism or Coincidence ? — Anticipations of 
 the "Puppet-Show" and "The Arrow" — Of Joe Miller — And Others 
 — Piinch-ha.\ting — Impossibility of Joke-identihcation — Repetitions and 
 Improvements. 
 
 It may fairh* be said that not three per cent. — probably not 
 one per cent. — of the jokes sent in to Punch " from outside " 
 are worthy either of pubhcation as they stand, or even of being 
 considered raw material for manipulation by the editor or his 
 artists. In this low estimate, of course, are not included the 
 work of the few regular contributors who are recognised, though 
 "unattached," as well as of the others who make a practice 
 of sending every good new joke they hear to such a friend as 
 they may happen to have on the Staff. These two classes are 
 not numerous ; but they are, and have for years formed, a little 
 body of bright-witted, laughter-loving persons, to whom Punch 
 and Punch readers are under an equal debt of gratitude. 
 
 In the United States the providing of jokes for illustration in 
 the comic press is to some extent a recognised, if a limited and 
 illiberal, profession, he who follows it being commonlv described 
 as the " Unknown Man." Endowed with natural wit and 
 invention, but denied the gift of draughtsmanship, this " dumb 
 orator " is supposed to turn out jokes as other men would turn 
 out chair-legs, and sends them in priced, like gloves, at so much 
 a dozen, "on approval — for sale or return," with a suggested 
 misc en scene complete, which the illustrator is recommended
 
 Scots W/t. 139 
 
 to adopt. How far the system answers its purpose I am 
 unable to judge ; but if the experience of ]\Ir. Phil ]\Iay 
 may be taken as an example, there is e"\-ery reason why the 
 ]Man should remain Unknown. For, at the suggestion of a 
 fellow-artist, he ordered five dollars-worth of original jokes, the 
 price being quoted at a dollar per joke. His order was executed 
 with punctuality and despatch, when ]\Ir. ]Ma}- found, to his 
 amusement and dismay, that three of the jokes were former 
 Punch friends, and the remaining two were old ones of his 
 own invention ! 
 
 In the United Kingdom the joke-contributor is as a rule a 
 disinterested person, usually seeking neither pay nor recognition ; 
 and so far as his estimate bears upon the value of his contribu- 
 tion, it must be admitted that his judgment is generallv sound. 
 But of the accepted jokes from unattached contributors, it is a 
 notable fact that at least sevent}'-five per cent, come from Xorth 
 of the Tweed. Dr. Johnson, ponderous enough in his own 
 humour, admitted that " much may be made of a Scotchman 
 if he be caught young ; " and it is probable that to him, as well as 
 to Walpole — who suggested that proverbial surgical operation — 
 is owing much of the false impression entertained in England as 
 to Scottish appreciation of humour and of "wut." Some may 
 retort that it is just the preponderance of Scotch collaboration 
 that has rendered Punch at times a trifle dull. Certain it is 
 that Punch is keenlv appreciated in the Xorth. In one of 
 the public libraries of Glasgow it has been ascertained that it 
 was second favourite of all the papers there examined by the 
 public ; and it has been asserted that in one portion of the 
 moors and waters sfillies ha^"e more than once been heard 
 to sav, " Eh, but that's a guid ane ! Send that to Charhe 
 Keene ! " 
 
 Nevertheless, it must be admitted that Punch's dialect has 
 not always pleased up there, where " the execrable attempts 
 at broad Scotch which appear weekly in our old friend Pioich " 
 have before now been authoritatively denounced. Under the 
 heading of " Probable Deduction " Punch had the following 
 paragraph : — " A pertinacious Salvation Army captain was 
 worrving a Scotch farmer, whom he met in the train, with
 
 140 The History of '' Puxch." 
 
 perpetual inquiries as to whether ' he had been born again of 
 Water and the Spirit.' At last ]\IcSandy replied, ' Aweel, I 
 dinna reetly ken how that ma}' be, but my good old feyther 
 and mither took their toddy releegiously every nicht, the 
 noo." Referring to this stor}- — first cousin surely to Lover's 
 joke in " Handy Andy " of the Irish witness who, when pressed 
 as to his mother's religion, promptly replied, " She tuk 
 whuskey in her tay ! " — the critic remarks, " It is pretty 
 wit ; for Punch. But McSandy ought to speak in the Scottish 
 tongue. Xow, if ' night ' is * nicht,' why is ' right ' ' reet ' — 
 either 'the noo' or at any other time? Hoots awa." Yet 
 Punch has usually taken great pains to verify his dialects, and 
 Charles Keene — to whom the legends usually came from his 
 friends read^'-made and carefulh' elaborated — would, as a rule, 
 seek to have them confirmed by one or other of his Scottish 
 friends in town. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest ser^-ice that any Scot ever rendered to 
 Punch (apart from drawing for it) was the "puir bodie" who 
 explained that he found Lunnon so awfu' extravagant that he 
 hadna been in it more than a few hours " n^hcn bang zve7it 
 saxpence ! " The reader will be interested to learn that this 
 expression — which may truthfully be said to have passed into 
 the language — did really issue from the lips of a visitor from 
 the neighbourhood of Glasgow. It was Sir John Gilbert who 
 heard it, and repeated it to JMr. Birket Foster while they were 
 seated resting from their labours of " hanging " in the galleries 
 of the Royal Water Colour Society. On the private-view day 
 that followed, Mr. Foster tried the effect of the joke on two 
 ladies whom he accompanied into Bond Street to take tea ; 
 and as they exploded with laughter, he concluded that it was 
 good efiough for his friend Keene, to whom he thereupon sent 
 it. The immediate success of the joke was amazing ; and 
 Mr. Foster was therefore the more surprised and amused a 
 year afterwards to overhear a young " masher " calmly inform 
 a barmaid serving on the Brighton pier that he was the 
 originator of it, and that he possessed the original drawing ! 
 
 Another favourite Scotch picture of Keene's is that in which 
 a drunken workman, remonstrated with by the parson, protests
 
 ''Advice to Persons about to Marry.'' 141 
 
 that the latter is always blaming him for his drinking, but " You 
 forget my droth ! " This incident really occurred at Pitlochrie, 
 and was told b}- the minister himself to Mr. Birket Foster, who 
 handed it on to Keene ; but — and here comes out one of the 
 charming qualities of Keene's character — the real offender was 
 not a man, but a woman. It was a chivalrous practice of 
 Charles Keene's ne^'er to show a woman in a really undignified 
 position ; and when he was remonstrated with on the subject, on 
 the ground that he distorted the truth unnecessarily, he would 
 reply that " he could not be hard on the sex." But though 
 " bang went saxpence " is a notable Punch joke — and it may be 
 remarked that it is not less beloved of the political economist 
 than of the Saturda}- Reviewer — it is not quite the best 
 known. That position is easil}' attained by what is undoubtedly 
 tjie most successful (that is to say, the most poi)ular) mot of its 
 kind e\'er composed in the English language. 
 
 It appeared in the Almanac for 1845 under "January," 
 and, based upon the ingenious wording of an advertisement 
 widely put forth b}- Eamonson & Co., well-known house 
 furnishers of the day, ran as follows : — 
 
 WORTH V OF ATTENTION. 
 AD\"ICE TO PERSONS ABOUT TO MARRY, — Don't I* 
 
 It is doubtful whether an}- line from any author is so 
 often quoted as " Punch's advice." It crops up continu- 
 al!}', almost continuously, though not exactly when least to 
 be expected, as experience teaches us to expect it always ; 
 and I ma}' assert from m.y own observation that it 
 appears in one or other of the papers of the kingdom on 
 an average twice or thrice a week. Perhaps what has lent 
 additional piquancy to Pujich's piece of quaint philosophy is 
 the mystery hitherto surrounding its authorship. An inquirer 
 who endea\-oured a few years ago to solve the p roblem set on 
 
 * Compare Shirley Brooks's couplet (1857): — 
 
 " Marry (and Don't) Come Up. 
 
 A fellow that's single, a fine fellow's he ; 
 
 But a fellow that's married's a /do de sc"
 
 142 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 record the result of his researches, by which, according to a 
 Scotch authority, he is said to have found the author in (i) a 
 pohceman of Glasgow, (2) a bricklayer of Edinburgh, (3) a 
 railway official at Perth, (4) a compositor in Dundee, (5) an 
 hotel-keeper in Inverness, and (6) a "Free Press" reporter 
 in Aberdeen. English and Irish e\-idently had no chance. A 
 letter, professing to explain the whole mystery, which lies 
 before me from a medical correspondent, under date Apnl 7th, 
 189^, runs as follows: "When in practice as a medical man 
 at Xeath, in S, Wales, it was well kno\\ai to have been 
 %%Titten bv Mr. Charles Waring, a Quaker lining at ' The 
 Darran,' near Xeath Abbey. ]\Ir. Waring removed from there 
 to the neighbourhood of Bristol about twenty-two years ago. 
 The proprietors of Punch were so pleased, they sent him 
 a douceur of ;^io for the contribution!" Further inquiry 
 shows that the late Mr. Waring was merely in the habit of 
 quoting, not of claiming, the joke. 
 
 Hearing Charles Keene's emphatic opinion that the author 
 
 was a [Nliss Frances D , who many vears ago was living 
 
 in a remote \illage in the Xorth of England, and who had 
 been paid £^ for the line, I appealed to the Post Office for 
 help to trace the lady out ; and through the kindly assistance 
 of the officials at St. ]\Iartin's-le-Grand and elsewhere, although 
 nearlv half a centur}' had elapsed, I discovered her in another 
 \'illage equally remote, the Post Office having courteously 
 obtained her pennission to place me in communication with 
 her. But the information was of a negative kind. She was, 
 she protested, quite innocent of the credit of Punch's Monu- 
 mental Cynicism, and consequently had never been the re- 
 cipient of the fantastic pa\mrent of ;^5 per line. But since that 
 time chance has placed in mv possession the authoritative 
 information ; and so far from anv outsider, anon^mious or 
 declared, paid or unpaid, being concerned in it at all, the line 
 simply came in the ordinar\- wav from one of the Staff — 
 from the man who, with Landells, had conceived Punch and 
 shaped it from the beginning, and had invented that first 
 Almanac which had saved the paper's life — Henry Mayhew. 
 
 To trace the history of much of Punch's original humour
 
 A Social Agony. 143 
 
 would hardly be desirable, even were it possible. But there 
 are many examples of it which, while essentially original to 
 Punch, have yet sprung from circumstances independent of 
 it, and are in themselves amusing enough to be related, or 
 which otherwise present points of interest. To some of these 
 I call attention, for they illustrate Punch's own aphorism that 
 " it is easier to make new friends than new jokes." 
 
 There is a capital story in Mr. Le Fanu's " Seventv Years 
 of Irish Life,' in which the author tells of a man who was 
 accidentally knocked down b}- the buffer of a locomotive near 
 Bray Station. He was not seriously hurt, and but partially 
 stunned ; and the porters who quickly ran to the spot deter- 
 mined to take him to the station at once. The hero of the 
 accident, overhearing where they were carrying him, imagined 
 that he was being given in charge. " What do you want to 
 take me to the station for ? " he asked. " You know me ; 
 
 and if I've done any damage to your d d engine, sure I'm 
 
 ready to pay for it ! " This stor\- of 'Sir. Le Fanu's reached 
 Keene's ears long before the author incorporated it in his 
 book, and with the change of hardly a word it illustrated one 
 of the best drawings the artist ever drew. 
 
 Though undoubtedly many of Punch's jokes are deliberatelv 
 manufactured, or else improved from actual incidents, a vast 
 number — like that quoted just now — are used with but slight 
 textual editing, just as they occurred. Thus Joe Allen it was — 
 the light-hearted artist who contributed an article to Punch's 
 first number — who provided I\Ir. du ]\Iaurier years afterwards 
 with that "social agony" in which a great lover of children, 
 im-ited to a juvenile party, bursts into the room with the crv 
 of "Here we are again " — walking in on his hands like a 
 clo^^'n — to find that he had come to the wrong house next 
 door, and was scandalising a sedate and stately dinner partv. 
 Henry ]Ma}-hew had a story of which a facetious police officer 
 of his acquaintance was the hero. The latter was driving 
 "Black ^Nlaria" along the street when he was hailed bv a 
 waggish omnibus-driver who affected to mistake the depress- 
 ing character of the passing vehicle. " Anv room?" he 
 asked. " Yes, " replied the officer, with a grin, " we've kept
 
 144 ^^^' History of "Punch.'' 
 
 a place on purpose for you. Jump inside!" "What's the 
 fare ? " inquired the humorist, a httle " non-plushed," as 
 Jeames expressed it, at the unexpected retort. " Same as you 
 had before — bread and water, and skilly o' Sundays ! " The 
 joke duly appeared in Punch after a long interval (Vol. 
 XLVL), illustrated by Charles Keene, under the title of 
 " Frightful Levity." 
 
 Another omnibus story, printed just as it occurred, was 
 that in which a conductor replies to an old gentleman in the 
 south of London, whose destination was the " Elephant and 
 Castle." " Yus — you go on to the Circus, and change into a 
 Helephant." " Oh, mamma ! " exclaims a little girl seated 
 near the door, " do let's go too ! " " Go where ? " " To the 
 circus, and see the old gentleman change into an elephant ! " 
 A similar incident, it may be observed, was illustrated by 
 Eltze's pencil in 1861, when a passenger in the "Highbury 
 'Bus" asks the conductor to "change him into a Hangel." 
 Jack Harris has often appeared in Punch. He was a driver 
 beside whom Mr. Edmund Yates often rode — "a wonderfully 
 humorous fellow, whose queer views of the world and real 
 native wit afforded me the greatest amusement. A dozen of 
 the best omnibus sketches were founded on scenes which 
 had occurred with this fellow, and which I described to John 
 Leech, whose usually gi-ave face would light up as he listened, 
 and who would reproduce them with inimitable fun." 
 
 The horrified swell of Leech's who is implored by an 
 onion-hawker to " take the last rope " was in reality his friend 
 Mr. Horsley, R.A., by whom the artist was provided with a 
 number of humorous subjects. The unfailing advantage taken 
 b}' Leech of all such contributions, which his friends assured him 
 were " not copyright," has been universally recognised. Among 
 the subjects suggested to him b}- Dean Hole was that in 
 which his coachman, " unaccustomed to act as waiter, watched, 
 with great agony of mind, the jelly which he bore swaying 
 to and fro, and set it down upon the table with a gentle 
 remonstrance of ' Who— a, who — a, who — a,' as though it were 
 a restive horse." By a curious coincidence, as I have heard 
 from the lips of a member of one of the great brewing firms,
 
 "/ Used Your Soap Two Yeafs Ago." 145 
 
 on the very clay before the appearance of Mr. dii Maurier's 
 drawing * the identical incident had occurred in his own 
 house, and it was hard to beheve on the following morning 
 that the subject of his j-jlunging blanc-mange, similarly apo- 
 strophised, had not been imported by some sort of magic into 
 Punch's page. A similar coincidence, far graver in its first 
 suggestion, has been given me by 'Six. Arnold-Forster. A 
 friend of his sent in to Punch a comic sketch of the Tsar 
 travelling b}' railway, while he sent a deco\' train in iJic 
 opposite direction — which was blown up ! The paper con- 
 taining the sketch was printed by the Monda)', and before 
 it was published that had really occurred which Punch had 
 playfully invented. Until the following week, when an 
 explanation was published, a certain section of the public 
 criticised, with justifiable severity, what they took to be the 
 bad taste and ill-timed fooling of the Jester. 
 
 From Mr. Harrv Furniss's pen came an oil-quoted draw- 
 ing (lately used as an ad^'ertisement), the idea of which 
 reached him from an anonvmous correspondent. It is that of 
 the grimy, unshaven, unwashed, mangy-looking tramp, who 
 sits down to write, with a broken quill, a testimonial for a 
 firm of soap-makers : " I used your Soap two years ago ; 
 since then Tve used no other!' A further point of interest 
 about this famous sketch was that Charles Keene was deeply 
 offended by it at first — in the groundless belief that it was in- 
 tended as a skit upon himself. It must at least be admitted 
 that the head is not unlike what one might have expected to 
 belong to a dissipated and dilapidated Charles Keene. But 
 the nature of Mr. Furniss's work was of such a kind, and 
 the artist himself has alwavs overflowed with so prodigal a 
 flood of original quaintness, that comparatively few sketches 
 were ever sent in to him, or, being sent, were used. The 
 origin of one of his creations — that of the Sergeant-at- 
 Arms as a beetle — is an example of the lightness and quick- 
 ness of his fancv. This representation, it has been said, 
 was generally supposed to bear some spiteful sort of reference 
 to the shape of Captain Cosset's legs, which in breeches 
 
 *See Punch, p. 235, Vol. LXL, 1S61. 
 K
 
 146 The History of ''Punch.'' 
 
 and silk stockings did not perhaps appear to the best 
 advantage ; and, further, that the idea was suggested by the 
 appearance on the floor of the House of Commons, in the course 
 of a particularly wearisome debate, of a monster black-beetle 
 marching slowl}^ across under the e3-es of the Representatives 
 of the People, breaking the monotony of the proceedings, and 
 arousing altogether disproportionate interest among the yawning 
 members ; that the " stranger " was quickly spied by the artist, 
 who about this time had to complain that certain facilities had 
 been refused him by the Sergeant-at-Amis, and who, in retalia- 
 tion, professed thenceforward to believe that the two creatures 
 were identical. But the insinuation was untrue. For the 
 Sergeant was already an established insect in Punch before 
 the appearance of the genuine black-beetle ; and, moreover, 
 so little did he resent it, that he used to stick the amusing 
 little libels all round his mantelpiece. 
 
 The national practice of sending in alleged jokes to Punch — 
 a practice, I imagine, of which the result is sufficient to prove 
 how deficient in wit, if not in humour, is the English people 
 considered as a community — is doubtless a convenient one to the 
 many persons who live upon a fraudulent reputation of being 
 "outside," and of course anonvmous, Punch contributors. '' How 
 clever of you ! " said a lady in one well-authenticated case to 
 just such an impostor ; '' how very clever you must be ! And 
 what is it you write in Punch ? " "Oh, all the best things are 
 mine." The difficulty which Thomas Hood actually experienced 
 in establishing his authorship of " The Song of the Shirt " is 
 recorded in its proper place ; while, among other things, Mr. 
 Milliken's " Childe Chappie " was claimed, as was afterwards 
 ascertained, by a literary ghoul whose strange taste it was 
 to batten upon the comic writings of others, and to use his 
 borrowed reputation to ingratiate himself with the fair and 
 trusting sex. 
 
 Not a few of Punch's jokes have been sent in by men who 
 were destined a little later on to become members of the Staff 
 and diners at the Table. Mr. Furniss's first drawing, as is 
 duly explained elsewhere, was re-drawn b}' Mr. du Maurier, and 
 Mr. Burnand's initial contribution — a little sketch of 'Varsity
 
 An Unconscious Joker. 147 
 
 life — was re-drawn b}- Leech. But quite a number of non-pro- 
 fessional wits and humorists have acted as disinterested friends, 
 whose benevolent assistance has gone far to colour Punch with 
 the characteristics of their own vis, comica. The chief of 
 these no doubt is Mr. Joseph Crawhall, of Newcastle, whose 
 devoted service to his friend Charles Keene was an im- 
 portant factor in the artist's Punc/i-Wfe. From his other friends, 
 Mr. Birket Foster and Mr. Andrew Tuer, Keene was in receipt 
 of a great number of jokes — from the latter they came almost as 
 regularly as the weekly paper. It was also from Mr. Tuer that 
 he received, among many others, that happy thought, so happily 
 realised, of the gentleman who one day paid an unaccustomed 
 visit to his stables to give an order, and asking his coachman's 
 child, " Well, my little man, do you know who I am ? " 
 received for answer, " Yes, 3'ou're the man who rides in our 
 carriage." This stor}- was quoted seven years later by Lord 
 Aberdeen in a public speech, in which he attributed the 
 adventure — though on what gi'ounds did not appear — to " a 
 celebrated physician," apparently Sir Andrew Clark. 
 
 After Charles Keene's death Mr. Tuer's humorous vein was 
 turned on to others of the Staft^ One of his contributions 
 may be quoted as illustrating how unintentional are the originals 
 of some of Punch' s jokes. In 1889 appeared a picture entitled 
 "A New Trade," in which a country maid, on being asked 
 what her last employer was, replied, " He kept a Vicarage." 
 The circumstance had actuall}' taken place in Mr. Tuer's own 
 house. When the number appeared, the legend was read out 
 to the maid, and it was explained to her that it was Jur 
 joke. She showed no enthusiasm, not even appreciation ; but 
 on seeing the others laugh, she said, with perfect gravity, }'et 
 still with hopeful perseverance, "Well, I must try and make 
 some more ! ' ' 
 
 To Canon Ainger, also, among a crowd of willing helpers, has 
 Mr. du Maurier often been indebted — for jokes rather scholarly 
 than farcical, such as the parod}' spoken by a wretched passenger 
 leaving the steamboat — 
 
 " Take, O boatman, thrice thy fee — 
 I've been as ill as any three ! " 
 K 2
 
 148 
 
 The History of "■ Punch!' 
 
 Most, perhaps, resembling the " Unknown Man " of the 
 United States ah-eacly spoken of is INIr. Henry Walker, of 
 Worcester, a gentleman of wit and artistic knowledge. It had 
 for many years been his practice, whenever inspired with a 
 good idea for a humorous drawing, to make a sketch of it in 
 his album ; and thus he had collected a goodly number. At first 
 
 .' 
 
 " >•'. 
 
 
 
 
 .,- 
 
 
 - ■ - ' '"f"^, 
 
 ■) 
 
 
 
 ^ • ^K V^fe^ 
 
 S • 
 
 "N. ^. 
 
 
 V 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 : ■ r . 
 
 ! '' \ 
 
 A ^■--/'-■\-'* 
 
 " MUSICAL." 
 
 Eminent Musician : "You play, I believe ? " 
 S'ii'dl Amateur : " Ya-as ! " 
 Eminent Musician : " The concertina ? " 
 S'.t'ell Amateur : " No — the comb ! " 
 
 {From the Sketch by Henry Waiker.) 
 
 he would send his sketches to Keene from time to time, receiving 
 due pecuniary acknowledgment in return, but later on he left 
 the whole book with jVIark Lemon to draw from as he listed. 
 Altogether, between the vears 1867 and 1869, Keene made 
 fifteen drawings from Mr. Walker's book, in some cases keeping 
 close to the original designs, in others entirely altering them ; 
 but in that re-drawn by Mr. du Maurier from the sketch here 
 reproduced, the original has been greatly departed from and 
 improved. 
 
 It may be added that when Punch artists re-draw and touch
 
 C0V.V£SS OF THE EPlGRAM ClUB. 
 
 149 
 
 up an outsider's sketch, it is their usual practice not to sign their 
 drawings, but to leave them without any indication of their 
 authorshi]). 
 
 Apart from these willing contributors are those from whom 
 the Editor, always on the look-out for new blood and fresh wit, 
 invites contributions, having seen good work of theirs elsewhere. 
 
 Eminent Musician : " You play, 1 believe ? " 
 Swell Amateur : " Ya-as ! " 
 Eminent Musician : " Concertina ? " 
 S'd'ell Amateur : " No — comb ! " 
 
 {Reduced frotn the Drawing- by G. dii ATaiirier in " P7inch," 10th June, i858.) 
 
 It is often thus that PiiiicJis ranks are recruited, and that 
 Mr. Lucy, Mr. Lehmann, Mr. Partridge, Mr. Phil May, and 
 others have been drawn into the agreeable vortex of White- 
 friars. 
 
 On at least one occasion, however. Punch threw his ker- 
 chief in vain, for Mr. Bristed tells us, in his " Five Years at an 
 English University," how the Epigram Club, of Oxford, was 
 invited by the Editor to send its productions to Punch, but 
 that " with true English reserve " the Society came to an agree- 
 ment that all their transactions should remain in manuscript. 
 
 b
 
 I50 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Beside the editor o£ a comic journal stalks a demon on either 
 hand — the Belial of Plagiarism and the Beelzebub of Repetition. 
 The public looks to him to be a wit and a humorist, with a 
 knowledge of every witticism that ever was made. If he suffer 
 an old joke to appear, some "constant reader" will surely find 
 him out, and publish the fact abroad with malignant glee. There 
 are few vices so deeply resented as the telling of an old joke ; 
 in an editor it is recognised as amounting to crime. But those 
 who judge so severely have clearly never made a scientific study 
 of the Joke. It is not sufficient to analyse a witticism and dissect 
 it, in the cold spirit of that terrible book called " A Theory of Wit 
 and Humour," till its humour flies, like the delicate bouquet from 
 uncorked wine. The genealog}' of jokes and twists of humour 
 and of thought, of form and application, must be traced ; and 
 the student will find that in respect to a great proportion of our 
 verbal jests of to-day they may be tracked up to the ^Middle 
 Ages, back to Classic times, and lost perchance in the Oriental 
 recesses of a jocular past. It is not only a case of mere 
 unconscious repetition or of brazen-faced plagiarism that is the 
 principle involved ; it has its root in the chameleon-like variety 
 of aspect possible to a piece of fooling or a flash of wit. Jokes 
 are as adaptable to times and circumstances, as the human race 
 itself; and to identifS' them and pin them down on a speci- 
 men card, one must be another Pastor Aristaius, alert and 
 skilful, in pursuit of a lightning Proteus, infinitely ^■arious and 
 hopelessly volatile. 
 
 But even that is not enough. Suppose the editor to be a 
 scholar, deeplv read in the Classics and in Oriental writings, and 
 endowed besides with a memory so prodigious as to be able to 
 recognise every joke that turns up, he has still to guard against 
 the contributor, on whom he is to a considerable extent depend- 
 ent. The jest-purveyor may be honest when he unwittingly sends 
 in a joke that has already gone the rounds, and has appeared 
 perhaps in some countrv paper ; or he may be deliberatelv dis- 
 honest ; or he may simply be impatient at not seeing his con- 
 tribution printed (perhaps, after all, it is only being kept back 
 for an illustration to be drawn to accompany it), and may send 
 it off elsewhere — anticipating its publication in the paper of his
 
 Mr. Beth ell Obtains His Injunctions. i 5 1 
 
 original choice. Or a gi-oup of jokes may form the stock-in- 
 trade of a newly accepted contributor, who, as the seaside land- 
 ladies sav, "must have brought them in his portmantel." And 
 then there are recurring events that naturally give recurring 
 birth to jokes they almost necessarily suggest. There is thus 
 no standard, no system of identification for the thousand dis- 
 guises in which a joke may lurk ; and unconscious plagiarism 
 and repetition deserve greater indulgence than that which the}' 
 commonlv receive. Mr. Burnand, probably the most prolific 
 punster of the age, once wrote to a contributor, " For good- 
 ness' sake, send no more puns ; they have all been made ! " 
 Indeed, Puncli has given us more " pre-historic peeps" of 
 humour than he or Mr. Reed have any notion of. " Bless 
 3^ou," said Punch in his third number, ''half the proverbs given 
 to Solomon are mine ! " 
 
 It was the fashion when Punch was young for the comic 
 papers to indulge in fierce recrimination and bitter charge and 
 counter-charge of plagiarism. At that time it was thought that 
 a satirical paper could be launched into public favour on its 
 abuse of rivals — so that all the drowning journals caught at the 
 straws of the others' reputations. Nowadays they more prac- 
 ticallv apply for an injunction. Punch, in point of fact, has 
 sought the protection of the law on more than one occasion. 
 As early as 1844 the Vice-Chancellor's Court was the scene of 
 the action of the Proprietors of Punch v. ^Marshall and Another, 
 when Mr. Bethell, afterwards Lord Westbury, complained that 
 the defendants had published a " Punch's Steamboat Com- 
 panion " (an excessively vulgar production) with intention to 
 deceive the public. The judge brilliantly remarked, " Well, 
 this certainly is an excuse for the Court taking punch in the 
 morning. (Great laughter.) I think you have made out a 
 sufficient case for your injunction, 'Sir. Bethell ; " and the 
 injunction was accordingly granted. In the following year 
 (Julv, 1845) steps had to be taken to protect Mr. and ]Mrs. 
 Caudle from the wholesale pirac>- to which they were subjected 
 on everv side. Mr. Bethell again made a comic speech, 
 directed primarily against the " Hereford Times" and the " St)uth- 
 port Visitor," in which the eighth and ninth lectures, illustrations
 
 152 The History of "Punch." 
 
 and all, had been coolly reproduced, without a word of acknow- 
 ledgment. As before, the serio-comic pleader was successful, 
 and obtained the desired injunctions. Again, in 1872 Mr. J. C. 
 Hotten was stopped ft'om publishing '' The Story of the Life of 
 Napoleon, told by the P'opular Caricaturists of the Last 30 
 Years," inasmuch as the compiler had annexed from Punch all 
 he desired for the work. (Law Reports 8, Exchequer 7.) Sir 
 Henry Hawkins was for Punch, and Serjeant Parry defended. 
 The- judge, Lord Bramwell, and jury, too, believed in the sacred 
 rights of property, and a farthing damages was awarded in 
 addition to the fort}' shillings paid into Court. So Punch won 
 his case and gained his costs — and Hotten went on publishing 
 his book just as if nothing had occurred. Another case, against 
 the *' Ludgate Monthly," need only be mentioned for the sake 
 of a rival's remark that the idea of Punch having published a joke 
 worth copying and going to law about was the gi'eatest joke of all. 
 During his minority Pu^nch made and sustained many an 
 open charge of plagiarism. They were the amenities of comic 
 literature, of which, however, the public soon tired ; and Punch, 
 recognising that newspaper readers will not be troubled 
 to take part or sides in an Eatanswill warfare that does not 
 concern them, practically dropped a campaign with which 
 the rest continued to persevere. But PuncJi s silence was 
 misunderstood, hi any rate, it was presumed upon. When 
 he could stand the audacity of the poachers no longer, he 
 broke out, as recounted, in the summer of 1844, again in 
 the following vear, and once more in 1847, into a practical 
 prosecution. Douglas Jerrold's caustic pen had full pku' in his 
 all-round denunciation of the pilferers, and in PuncJis name 
 he let fl}' at big game. "First and foremost," he declared, 
 "the gi^eat juggler of Printing-House Square walks in like 
 a sheriff and takes our comic effects ; " and Newman's 
 pencil added point to the comprehensiveness of the assault. 
 Of numerous frauds, too, Punch had to complain. " Punch s 
 Almanacs " of a vile and indecent sort, with which he had 
 nothing in the world to do, had been issued to his detriment, 
 and several papers were produced in close imitation of his 
 own ; but it was the circumstance of his stolen jokes that
 
 Strange Case oe ''Joe Miller" and Mr. Punch. 153 
 
 woimcled him most of all, and caused him to lay his biiton 
 about him with lusty vi,s:our. The incriminated journals, 
 thorouohlv in their element, retorted with well-feigned indigna- 
 tion. Prominent among them ''Joe Miller the Younger" had 
 professed for him at first a particular friendship which, when 
 contemptuously rejected, turned, like the love of a woman 
 scorned, to hate. It might have been retorted that Punch, 
 in the words of his prospectus, had frankh' owned that he 
 would give " asvlum for superannuated Joe Millers," and 
 even that Mr. Birket Foster had been actually employed in 
 1842 in "adapting" and anglicising Gavarni's drawings lor 
 Punch's pages. Instead, ''Joe Miller" defended the size of 
 his page, which was, he said, like Punch's own, copied from 
 the " Athenajum," and protested against any attempt at 
 monopoly, pointing out that the sub-title " Charivari " was 
 itself a plagiarism. If anyone, he went on, could ])rove that 
 he bought a Punch in mistake for a "Joe Miller," he would 
 willingly pay £z^ for each copy so sold, in order "to com- 
 pensate the Punch purchaser for his disappointment." 
 
 From this moment until his death he never left Punch 
 alone, and constantly pointed out many of his delinquencies, 
 plagiarisms apparently so gross and frequent that it can hardly 
 be doubted that some intrigue was afoot. For example, on 
 August 2nd, 1845, there appeared in both papers a cartoon 
 almost identical, with the attitudes reversed, entitled "The 
 Political Pas de Quatre "—after the existing ballet at Her 
 Majesty's Theatre, danced by Grisi, Taglioni, Grahn, and 
 Cerito — representing four ballet - skirted danseuses in a 
 grotesque pose or tableau. Those in the Punch cartoon 
 (which, by the way, was suggested at the Table by Gilbert 
 a Beckett, and was executed by Leech) were impersonated 
 by Lord Brougham, Lord John Russell, Sir Robert Peel, and 
 Daniel O'Connell ; while in the other appeared Lord Brougham, 
 the Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and Daniel O'Connell ; 
 but, unless carefully compared, the one might certainly be 
 mistaken for the other. The "Joe Miller" block was drawn 
 by A. S. Henning, who had quitted the service of Punch three 
 years before ; and it was claimed by his paper that the original
 
 154 
 
 The History of ''Punch: 
 
 drawing was exhibited in their window a week before PuncJis 
 appeared. But abuse of Punch for this and other curious 
 coincidences did not save him, and "Joe Miller the Younger " 
 soon announced his metamoi-phosis into " Mephystopheles/' 
 which proved an inferior and still shorter-lived concern. 
 
 CARTOON ENTITLED " THE POLITICAL PAS DE QCATRE. 
 (Drawn by A. S. Henning. From ''Jot Miller ilie Vounger," 2nd August, 1845.) 
 
 Then followed the bright and able little monthly "The 
 Man in the Moon," from which Piaic/i had some of the 
 hardest knocks he ever received, for on its Staff were to be 
 found most of the clever men of the day (including Shirley 
 Brooks) for whom Piaich could find no room. Month after 
 month examples were given of Punch's alleged pilfering, 
 which really only proved how the minds of humorists run in 
 grooves, especially when dealing with topical subjects ; and 
 a cutting representation of Punch as an old clo'man begging 
 bits of comic manuscript, with the plaintive cry of "Any Jo', 
 jo'_anv old Jo' ? " scored a great success. " The Man in the
 
 What the IVjld Waves Sajd. 
 
 03 
 
 Moon " chaffed Buhver Lytton on his initials, " E.L.B.L.B.L.B.," 
 and Thackeray followed in Punch with " E.L.B.L.B.L.B.B.L.L. 
 B.B.B. " And one of Leech's sketches of " The Rising 
 Generation " — a small boy saying, " Aw — hairdresser, when 
 you've finished my hair, just take off my beard, will you ? " 
 
 CARTOON ENTITLED "THE POLITICAL PAS DE QUATRE." 
 {Drawn by John Leech. From •'Punch," 2nd August, 1843.) 
 
 (Vol. XII., p. 104, 1847) — was also represented as a gross 
 infringement. The title of a poem, " What are the Wild 
 Waves Saying?" (with the reply, "We'd better have stayed 
 at home"), issued in "The ^lan in the Moon," was seen 
 in Punch soon after ; while the superiority of our " Xew Street- 
 Sweeping Machines " over those then in use abroad (by which, 
 of course, cannon was intended) appeared in Punch's pages 
 a fortnight afterwards. It is an interesting fact that this 
 selfsame idea of the Street-Sweeping ^Machines gave Charles 
 Keene the subject for his first Punch drawing just three years 
 later.
 
 156 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 But, apart from charges of direct plagiarism, *' The Man 
 in the Moon" certainly anticipated PiincJi in some of his 
 well-known cuts. The " Patent Railway-Director Buffer," 
 which consisted in the tying of a railway director on the front 
 of the locomotive, was certainly the "Moon's" invention in 
 February, 1847. In March, 1853, Leech showed the world 
 in his cartoon " How to Ensure against Railway Accidents," 
 by lashing a director across the engine a la Mazeppa ; and 
 as late as 1857 (p. 24, Vol. XXXIII.) Sir John Tenniel showed 
 a "Patent Railway Safet}' Buffer" preciseh^ similar to the 
 original device. Again, in " The Man in the Moon" (January, 
 1848) the little joke — Park-keeper {St. James's Park) : 
 " You can't come in ! " B03' : " Vot do yer mean ? Ain't 
 it us as keeps yer ? " — is surely related to Sir John Tenniel's 
 cut (p. 181, Vol. XXXIL, 1857), in which a delightful Hodge 
 gazes open-mouthed at the sentry at the Horse Guards, and 
 replies, when asked what he's staring at, " Wy shouldn't I 
 stare ? I pays vor yer ! " 
 
 The " Puppet Show," too, kept up a running fire at Punch, 
 and delighted in retorting upon his charge of "picking and 
 stealing " by printing their jokes and his alleged belated ones in 
 parallel columns. Among the pictures, too, the " Puppet Show "- 
 man was sometimes first, as in the sketch of the fat old lady who 
 enters an omnibus and, sitting down promiscuously somewhere 
 between two gentlemen, says, "Don't disturb yourselves; I'll 
 shakedown" — an idea textually repeated in Punch in 1864 by 
 Mr. Fred Barnard. The "Puppet Show" (1848) is also to be 
 remembered for its joke of the choleric old gentleman, indig- 
 nant at the delay of an omnibus in which he has taken his 
 seat, crying impatiently to the conductor, '"/s this omnibus 
 going on ? " and being quietly answered, " Xo, sir ; it's 
 stopping perfectly still " — a joke illustrated by Mr. du Maurier 
 in Punch for 1871 (p. 208, Vol. LXI.) ; and for the picture of 
 the City clerk in pink, who, surprised by his employer, is ac- 
 costed with the significant words, " So that's the costume you 
 are going to your uncle's funeral in ? " Charles Keene used a 
 similar joke fort3'-one years later, only with time the festival 
 had changed into that of an aunt. In the " Showman's " pages,
 
 H. S. Leigh'' s Advice to Mr. Banting. 157 
 
 too, first appeared the Frenchman who accounts for his sore- 
 throat bv explaining that ** Yesterday morning I have wash my 
 neck ! " And the Duke of Welhngton, in one of the cartoons 
 (Mav, 1849), cries, " Cobden, spare that tree," just as 
 Beaconsfiekl pleaded with Gladstone in Tenniel's picture of 
 thirty years later. Again, a man with a gorgeous black-eye 
 enters a room, and when it is remarked on, expresses his surprise 
 that anyone should ha\e noticed it. Six years later Leech 
 repeated the idea in Punch. In his parting shot the " Show- 
 man " says, " The Punch writers say they can't understand our 
 jokes. We feel assured that the world will admit that they take 
 them fast enough " — itself a pun, b\- the way, which Punch 
 had himself used in the postscript to his first volume : " Ours 
 hasn't been a bed of roses — we've had our rivals and our 
 troubles. We came as a great hint, and everybody took us." 
 In " The Arrow," a clever fortnightly rival which existed (it 
 cannot be said to have ''flourished") in the year 1864, P//;/c7/ 
 was severely handled for " plagiarising " two of tliat journal's 
 jokes two or three weeks after their original publication. One 
 of these had reference to the " Fight with Fate," which was then 
 being played at the SuiTey Theatre ; and as Mr. Banting and his 
 famous cure (the stout undertaker li^-ed but two doors from 
 Leech, in The Temice at Kensington, and struck up a pleasing 
 friendship with the artist) were then the talk of the town, 
 " The Arrow " suggested a revised version, " A Fight with 
 Fat," with a disciple of Mr. Banting as the chief character. 
 Punch followed suit with the entire idea. Thereupon the rival 
 editor, Henry S. Leigh — the lines are manifestly his — apo- 
 strophised Mr. Banting thus : — 
 
 " Take mental exertion — fight shy ot diversion 
 
 (Remember, the proverb says ' Laugh and grow fat ') ; 
 You may venture securely on Punch, because surely 
 There can't be much fear of your laughing at thatP 
 
 Anyone who possesses the original "Joe Miller's Jest-book" 
 will be able, if he cares to look, to recognise a goodl\- number of 
 the most popular jokes of the day, even including a number of 
 Punch jokes. He will there find set forth in quaint terms the
 
 158 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 retort of the non-churchgoer that if he is not a pillar of the 
 church, he is certainly one of the buttresses, for he stops outside 
 — used in due time by Charles Keene ; he will find the repartee 
 placed by Punch in the drawing by the same artist (May 4th, 
 1872) in the mouth of an Irish beggar-woman who had been 
 refused alms bv a pug-nosed gentleman, " The Lord preserve 
 your eyesight, for you've no nose to carry spectacles ; " as 
 well as that witticism usually ascribed to Curran when 
 addressing a jury in the face of a dissenting judge, " He 
 shakes his head, but there's jwthijig i?i it ; " besides other 
 favourite jokes of similar antiquity and renown. Robert 
 Seymour, too, in whose work, strangely enough. Leech is said 
 to have found no humour, shines out posthumously now and 
 again from Punch's pages. " Move on — here's threepence," 
 says a butler. " Threepence ? " retorts the street-flutist con- 
 temptuously, " d'you think I don't know the %alue of peace and 
 quietness ? " That was originally Se^-mour's, together with the 
 drawing of an Englishman's notion of "A Day's Pleasure" — a 
 labouring-man dragging a cartload of children up a steep hill on 
 a hot Sunday — an idea which was afterwards the subject of a 
 Punch cartoon. 
 
 Two jokes which from their universality of treatment 
 and the unfailing welcome accorded them at every reappear- 
 ance might almost be considered classic and generic jests, 
 were gi^eath' assisted in their popularity by Seymour's pencil, 
 before Punch obtained for them still wider recognition. The 
 first represents a fat man, between whose legs the dog he is 
 whistling to has taken his faithful stand. The old gentleman 
 whistles and whistles again, anxiously exclaiming, " Wherever 
 can that dog be ? " After Seymour had done with it, Alfred 
 Crowquill took it up ; and in 1854 (p. 71 of the second volume) 
 Sir John Tenniel introduced it into Punch under the title of 
 " Where, and oh where ! " It was not yet worn out, however, 
 though it doubtless had seen its best days ; and so the 
 *' Fliegende Blatter" revived it in 1894 as a typical example of 
 recent German humour. For the other joke two men are 
 required : the one an unmistakable ruffian, a grim and dirty 
 robber, and the other a weak, nervous, timid youth of insignificant
 
 Generic Jokes. 159 
 
 stature, the scene representing the entrance to a dark lane as 
 night closes in. " This is a werry lonely spot, sir," says Seymour's 
 footpad ; " I wonder you ain't afeard of being robbed ! " — and 
 the young man's hair stands on end, and lifts his hat abo\-e his 
 head. Leech in 1853 (p. 100, first volume) alters the dialogue 
 for Punch by introducing the pleasing possibility of a greater 
 tragedy, by the footpad asking the youth to buy a razor ; and 
 Captain Howard the following spring makes the ruffian inquire 
 if he may accompany his victim " to hear the nightingale." In 
 "Diogenes" (December, 1854) the pristine simplicity is restored 
 by the 7mi/ request that he " may go a little way " with the young 
 gentleman ; and finally, in 1857, Leech once more resurrects and 
 renovates it with his astonishing talent and freshness for use in 
 the Almanac. 
 
 " Are you comin' home ? " asks an indignant wife of her 
 tipsy spouse, in Mr. Phil May's admirable drawing of February 
 i6th, 1895. "I'll ^lo ellythik you like in reasol, M'ria (hie). 
 But I won't come 'ome." In the previous 3'ear, however, 
 the following had appeared in " Fun " : — '' Guid Wife. — 
 ' Come hame, Jock ; ye'll be doing nae guid here.' Jock. — 
 ' Onything in reason, Jenny, ma woman, but hame I wall nae 
 gang ! ' " On the other hand, in the " Echo," in March, 
 1895, appeared the following item of news: — "There is a 
 curious report of a dialogue in a Chinese medical paper : — 
 Doctor : ' H'm. You are run down, sir. You need an ocean 
 voyage. What is your business ? ' Patient : ' Second mate of 
 the A7ina Maria, ]ust m from Hong Kong.'" But more than 
 a quarter of a century before. Punch had treated his readers 
 to the same. — " Doctor Cockshure {advising a nervous patient) : 
 ' My good sir, what you want is a thorough alteration of 
 climate ; the only thing to cure you is a long sea-vo\'age.' 
 Patient: 'That's rather inconvenient. You see, I'm only just 
 home from a sea- voyage round the world ! ' " 
 
 It is amusing for one endowed with a taste for the history of 
 humour, and gifted with the requisite memor}-, to follow some of 
 these interesting revivals or re-births of comic ideas. Sir John 
 Tenniel's vision of " The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street," in 
 the "Pocket Book" of 18S0, was a familiar conception to those
 
 i6o The History of ''Punch" 
 
 \vhoremembered"Cruikshank's Omnibus" of 1841 ; while Leech's 
 sea-sick Frenchman, in p. 76 of the second volume for 1851, was 
 almost the counterpart of "Glorious George's" important etching 
 " A very good man, no doubt, but a Bad Sailor." Again, one of 
 the most brilliant things that ever appeared in a comic journal 
 was the short dialogue supposed to pass between an inquiring 
 child and his philosophical though impatient parent : — 
 
 " What is mind ? " " No matter." 
 
 " What is matter ? " '' Never mind." 
 
 "This well-known definition," says Dr. Furnivall, "accord- 
 ing to the ' Academy,' was by Professor T. Hewitt Key ; he 
 sent it to Punch, and of course it was printed forthwith — I sup- 
 pose, somewhere about the 'Sixties." But as a matter of fact this 
 mot, which has also been attributed to Kenn}-, had already been 
 published in "The Month" as early as August, 185 1 (page 
 147, Vol. I.) ; and I may add that though I remember hear- 
 ing Professor Key quote it more than once, I never heard 
 him pretend to its authorship. 
 
 Then, the belated Foozle returning home drunk, and offering 
 to fight his aggressive-looking hat-stand, appeared in H. J. 
 Byron's "Comic News" (October 3rd, 1863), as well as in 
 Punch by Keene's pencil (1875) ; and the humorous chess- 
 problem in the latter paper, in which White had to mate in a 
 certain number of moves, if Black interposed no serious 
 obstacle, was an echo of " White to play and check if Black 
 doesn't prevent him " in "The Man in the Moon " of 1847, and 
 of " White to play and check if Black doesn't mate him before" 
 in "The Month" of October, 185 1. 'Mr. Sambourne's famous 
 "cartoon junior" of Mr. Gladstone in the character of the 
 child in the soap advertisement, who "Won't be happy till he 
 gets It" (i.e. the cake of Home Rule, just out of his reach), was 
 found, to his subsequent annoyance and surprise, to have been 
 anticipated by a week or two by the now defunct " Funny 
 Folks ; " and Sir John Tenniel's cartoon representing Mr. 
 Goschen, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, as a hen sitting 
 on her eggs — an idea which was not new even to him, as he 
 had used it in 1880, ten years before — appeared some days 
 after a similar one had been issued in the " Pall Mall Budget ; "
 
 A Notable Blunder. i6i 
 
 though, of course, Punch's picture had, in accordance with the 
 mechanical routine of the office, been decided on a week before 
 pubhcation. 
 
 Punch's advice to vocahsts, "Take care of the sense, and 
 the sounds will take care of themselves" (November, 1892), 
 had, curiousl}' enough, been spoken years before by the eccentric 
 Duchess in "Alice in Wonderland;" and his conceit that there 
 is no fear for the prosperity of Ireland under Home Rule " so 
 long as her capital's D(o)ublin' " dates from still earlier times. 
 Then there was the fine old Scotch joke of a Glasgow baillie 
 who, replying to the toast of the " Law," remarked that " all 
 our greatest law-gi^•ers are dead — Aloses is dead, Solon is dead, 
 Confucius and Justinian are dead — and I'm nae fcelin that vera 
 zveel Diysel' ," which in March, 1893, Pimf^h republished, adapt- 
 ing it, however, to modern literature — the speaker quaintly in- 
 cluding George Eliot amongst our deceased " best men." More 
 recently a precisely parallel anecdote has been attributed to 
 Dr. McCosh, apropos of Leibnitz's theory of evil (" Westminster 
 Gazette," January, 1895). ^^^^l again, there is an old story of 
 Baron Rothschild, who when \ex\ h\\^\ received the visit of 
 a business acquaintance. "Take a chair," quoth the Baron. 
 "Can't," said his visitor, "I'm in a hurry." "Then take two 
 chairs," suggested the Baron, still engi'ossed. In 1871 the same 
 joke was sent in to Punch in a remodelled form, and duly 
 published. "Call me a cab!" says an excited gentleman. 
 "You're too late, sir," replies the servant; "a cab couldn't do 
 it." " Confound you ! " cries the other, "call two cabs, then ! " 
 
 In 1892 a catastrophe befell PuncJi, a double faux pas. An 
 excellent child story had been printed in " Vanity Fair " of 
 October 15th, in which a little girl at a Sunday-school class was 
 asked to define a parable : " Please, miss," replies the child, 
 "a parable's a 'eavenly stor}- with no earthly meaning!" A 
 fortnight later Punch, who had been victimised, had the mis- 
 fortune, not onlv to come out with the same joke, but by a 
 typographical slip to spoil it by making the child define a 
 parable as "a heavenlv story with an earthly meaning" — the 
 result being to evoke a pasan of exultation from the few papers 
 whose fa^'ourite sport it is to keep a male^'olent weatlier-e^'e on 
 I.
 
 1 62 The History of "Punch." 
 
 Punch in perpetual hope of catching him tripping. Just such 
 a httle chorus of mischievous dehght greeted the pubUcation 
 of Mr. du Maurier's joke in which an old maid complains that 
 a serious drawback to the charming view from her windows is 
 the tourists bathing on the opposite shore. It is true, as her 
 friend reminds her, that the distance is very great — " biU with 
 a telescope, yon knoiv /" But years before, Charles Keene had 
 illustrated the same idea, taking, however, a cricket dressing- 
 tent instead of a bathing shore ; and long before that it had 
 been scoffed at for its antiquity. 
 
 In like fashion another Pnnch-hdMer complained a quarter 
 of a century ago that an American paper printed a joke which 
 Punch duly used as a " social," and which has since been re- 
 vived as follows : " Harriet Hosmer tells of an incident which 
 occurred in her studio, where her statue of Apollo rested. 
 An old lad}" was being shown around, a Mrs. Raggles, and she 
 paused before this masterpiece a long time. Finally she 
 exclaimed, * So that's Apoller, is it ? ' She was assured that 
 it was. ' Supposed to be the handsomest man in the world, 
 warn't he ? ' The surmise was assented to. Then turning 
 away disgustedly, ' Wal,' she said, ' I've seen Apoller and 
 I've seen Raggles — an' I say. Give me Raggles ! ' " 
 
 One of the stories told of Dominique was once printed 
 in Punch as original. This was when he took a bath 
 by the doctor's order, and being asked how he felt, replied, 
 " Rather wet." The jokelet, curioush' enough, had already 
 been printed in '' Mark Lemon's Jest-Book," and was so far 
 a classic that it is to be found in the ''Arlequina" of 1694. 
 Again, the story of the boy who, when ordered b}' a " swell " 
 to hold his horse, asked if it bit, or kicked, or took two to 
 hold, and when reassured on each point, replied, '' Then hold 
 him yourself," is older still ; for it is to be found in '' Mery 
 Tales, Wittie Questions and Quicke Answeres \^ery pleasant 
 to be Readde" (published by H. Wilkes in 1567), under the 
 heading, " Of the Courtier that bad the boy holde his horse, 
 xliii." This little book, by the way, is included in Hazlitt's 
 collection of Shakespeare's Jest-books. 
 
 In drawing attention to these incidents in Punch's career
 
 Old Jokes for New. 163 
 
 — examples of which might easily be multiplied — it is not 
 my pm-pose to expose shortcomings, but rather to insist 
 on the difficulty of the humorist's path and the pitfalls that 
 beset genuine originality. ''The late Mark Lemon," wrote 
 Mr. Hatton, " had a kind of editorial instinct for an old joke. 
 He could identify the spurious article as easih' as an expert 
 detects counterfeit money. Lemon's soul was in Punch, and 
 he had a keen memory for every line that liad appeared in 
 its columns. He edited a book of humorous anecdotes, but 
 even he overlooked numerous doubles, and left not a few 
 errors for the detection of the critics ;" in fact, was fallible too, 
 as in the nature of things he was bound to be. And Shirle}' 
 Brooks, although with his wide knowledge of comic literature 
 and "happy thoughts" he was successful too, had never- 
 theless humiliation to bear for blunders not a few. Tom 
 Taylor neither knew nor cared ; as Mr. Labouchere severely 
 said, "he had no sense of humour," and the jokes had to 
 take their chance. But to-day a careful eye is kept to this 
 question of originality, and so far as cartoons are concerned, 
 Sir John Tenniel has always been trusted to see that subjects 
 for cartoons are not used over again. 
 
 Although Punch has tripped now and again, he has been 
 the comic quarry which the nation and the nation's press 
 have worked for half a century, quoting, borrowing, stealing, 
 a thousand times to his once. His best ideas are enjoyed and 
 used, and in due time are sent back, often quite innocently, 
 for re-issue. Xa}', even what is popularly known in England 
 as "modern American humour" has been claimed as a leaf 
 out of PuncJi s book, quaint exaggeration forming its staple 
 feature, as in the case where we are told that " a young artist 
 in Pica3'une takes such perfect likenesses that a lady married 
 the portrait of her lover instead of the original." 
 
 Lastly, a couple of drawings by Mr. du Maurier may be 
 referred to (second volume for 1872, and first volume for 1894), 
 which created a good deal of amusement at the time of their 
 publication. In the first case a visitor calls to inquire 
 after the condition of a happy mother. And the babe, is it 
 a boy? " Xo," says the page. Ah! a girl. " Xo," repeals 
 
 L 2
 
 164 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 the lad. What is it, then ? asks the startled visitor. " If 
 you please," replies the intelligent retainer, " the doctor said 
 it was a Heir ! " Now, this joke almost textiially repro- 
 duces a circumstance attending the birth of that Earl of 
 Dudley of whom Rogers wrote the epigram which Byron 
 thought '' unsurpassable " : — 
 
 " Ward has no heart, they say ; but I deny it ; 
 He has a heart, and gets his speeches by it." 
 
 The second drawing reproduces a story (long since for- 
 gotten) of the first Duke of Wellington, who joined a notorious 
 gambling club, with the express view, it was said, to black- 
 balling his son, the Marquis of Douro, a likely candidate — 
 and then went complacently and told him so. 
 
 Much the same difficulty attending the identification and 
 indexing of the jokes of the past is experienced in respect 
 to P/^icA itself. Consider for a moment. That work consisted 
 in the summer of 1895 of 108 volumes. At the moderate esti- 
 mate of four jokes per column, attempted and made, we 
 reach a gi"and total of nearly 270,000 jokes — a total bewilder- 
 ing in its vastness, and representing, one would think, all the 
 humour that ever was produced since this melancholy world 
 began. The mind refuses to grasp such a mass of comicality ; 
 how, then, would you classify this prodigious joviality and 
 sarcasm ? How detect a joke that may reappear under a 
 hundred disguises of time, place, condition, and application — 
 yet the same root-joke after all ? Is it surprising that the 
 same ideas recur — and, recurring, sometimes escape the shrewd 
 eye of Puncli s investigation department ? 
 
 It has already been said that to Sir John Tenniel it has 
 fallen to prevent the repetition of subjects in respect to the 
 cartoons. Yet it must not be imagined that others on the 
 Staff are not as earnest students of Puncli & pages, that they 
 have not graduated as ]\I asters of his Arts. Yet, for all their 
 vigilance, repetitions have often recurred. You remember 
 Tenniel' s superb cartoon of the noble savage manacled with 
 the chains of slaver}^ taking refuge on a British ship with 
 clasped hands uplifted to the commander 'i It was at the time
 
 Pictures Re-pictured. 165 
 
 of Mr. Ward Hunt's slavery circular, and was entitled " Am 
 I not a Man and a Brother ? " A like subject with the 
 same title was contributed by Leech on June ist, 1844, 
 when a manacled negro appeals to Lord Brougham, who, 
 making ''a long nose," hurries off to the Pri\y Council Office. 
 Similarh^ have we had two "Vigils" — one in the spring of 
 1854, and the other thirty-four years later. And Punch's ex- 
 clusion from France, figuratively at Calais Pier, has been the 
 subject of two drawings — the first in 1843,* and the other, by 
 Mr. Linley Sambourne, on January 12th, 1878. The repe- 
 titions at such long intervals lose, of course, any such 
 significance as the critical might feel inclined to attribute ; 
 but in Punch's nonage the self-same engi'avings have more 
 than once been actually used a second time, such as " Deaf 
 Burke" — the celebrated prize-fighter of Windmill Street — who 
 was shown twice in the first ^'olume, certainly not for his 
 beauty's sake ; a drawing by Hine, which was similarly 
 employed in the same 3"ear ; and in 1842 a cut by Gagniet, 
 which had been bought from a French publication. Perhaps 
 the nearest modern approach to this was when in 1872 Mr. 
 Sambourne practically repeated his figm^e of ]Mr. Punch 
 turning round from his easel to face the reader. 
 
 At the time when the Russo-Turkish War was drawing to 
 a close, one of the most powerful of Tenniel's cartoons — 
 which made a great impression on the country, as giving keen 
 point to Mr. Gladstone's agitation against Lord Beaconsfield's 
 attitude at that period — was the drawing of the Prime IVIinister, 
 leaning back comfortably reading in his armchair, declaring 
 that he can see nothing at all about " Bulgarian Atrocities " in 
 the Blue Books, though the background of the picture itself 
 is all violence and butchery. Yet nobody recalled the fact that 
 the artjst had made a similar cartoon of Cobden and Pal- 
 merston in the spring of 1857. 
 
 Charles Keene certainly had not studied his Punch as he 
 ought. Of that there is abundant proof; for although the care 
 he took to obtain good and original jokes was conscientious 
 in the extreme, he over and over again re-drew his own and 
 
 * See p. 191.
 
 i66 The History of "Punch" 
 
 other people's drolleries. The British grumble of the British 
 famier who under no circumstances can be appeased or con- 
 tented was t5'pified by Leech in a picture wherein the famier 
 was represented as looking at a splendid field of heavy golden 
 corn (p. 96, Vol. XXVII. , 1854), but was not satisfied even 
 then. '' Ah ! " he grumbles, " see what it'll cost me to get it 
 in!" The idea tickled Keene so greatly when he heard it 
 that, entirely unmindful of Leech's page, he made a drawing of 
 the same subject on p. 268 of the first volume for 1878 ; and 
 then, forgetting all about it, eleven years later (p. 35 of the 
 second volume for 1889) he actually did it all over again ! 
 
 " What do you mean by coming home at this time of 
 night ? " asks an indignant wife of her tipsy husband. " My 
 dear," replies the prodigal, with a generous attempt at 
 candour and conciliation, " all other places shu'rup ! " Keene 
 drew this admirably in 1871 (p. 71, Vol. LXL), and Mr. du 
 Maurier most delightfully again in 1883 (p. 14, Vol. LXXXIV.). 
 These and many more examples of unconscious receptivity and 
 reproduction by professional humorists will strike the atten- 
 tive reader of Punch's pages. He will see how to both 
 Leech and Mr. Ralston occurred the idea of an over-dressed 
 vulgarian in morning clothes protesting in angr}^ dismay against 
 the opera-house officials' suggestion that he is not in " full 
 dress ; " how both Miss Georgina Bowers (1870) and Mr. du 
 Maurier were tickled by the retort to the economical dictum 
 that it is extravagant to have both butter and jam on a slice 
 of bread — " Extravagant ? Economical ! — same piece of bread 
 does for both ! " ; how " Childe Chappie's Pilgrimage " of 
 our day was preceded by "■ Child Snobson's Pilgrimage " of 
 1842 ; how Mr. du Maurier in November, 1888, and again in 
 the Almanac for 1895 repeated the joke of a husband declaring 
 that he would be "extremely annoyed" if in the event of 
 his death his wife did not invite certain of his particular friends 
 to his funeral ; how Poe's '' Bells " maintain their power to 
 attract the parodist ; how curiously tempting to the punster is 
 the idea of a bashful policeman in the National Gallerv being 
 asked where " the fine new Constable is " (for Mr. Burnand, 
 Charles Keene, and Sir Frank Lockwood have all done it,
 
 A Jest from Different Points of View. 167 
 
 in the order indicated) ; and many other amusing sHps of 
 the sort. And he must not on any account miss those twin 
 jokes — for they are both of them good and in their essence 
 identical — of John Leech and Mr. du Maurier. 
 
 In Mr. du Manner's version we have a poor woman touting 
 for a bottle of wine for her sick husband. The doctor had 
 recommended port, she says — " and it doesn't matter how 
 old it is, sir ! " In Leech's the host is impressing on his 
 youthful guest that "that wine has been in ni}' cellar four- 
 and-twenty years come last Christmas — four-and-twenty years, 
 sir ! " And the guileless youth gushingly makes answer, in 
 the belief that he is making himself remarkably pleasant, 
 "Has it really, sir? What it must have been when it was 
 new !"
 
 1 68 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CARTOONS — CARTOONISTS AND THEIR WORK. 
 
 The Cartoon takes Shape — "The Parish Councils Cockatoo'" — Cartoonists 
 and their Relative Achievements — ^John Leech's First — Rapidity in Design 
 — "General Fe\Tier turned Traitor" — "The United Service" — Sir John 
 Tenniel's Animal Types — "The British Lion Smells a Rat" — The Indian 
 Mutiny — A Cartoon of Vengeance — Punch and Cousin Jonathan — " Ave 
 Caesar!" — The Franco-Prussian War — The Russo-Turkish War — "The 
 Political ' Mrs. Gummidge" " — " Dropping the Pilot,"' its Origin and Present 
 Ownership — "Forlorn Hope'" — "The Old Crusaders" — Troubles of the 
 Cartoonist — The Obituary- Cartoon. 
 
 In describing the Punch Dinner I show how the merr}- meeting 
 lapses, by a natural transition, from pleasure to work, and ends 
 Avith the evolution of the cartoon ; how the mist of talk, vague 
 perhaps and undecided at first, slowly develops a bright 
 nebulous point, round which the discussion revolves and 
 revolves, until at last it takes form, slowly and carefully, 
 though changed a dozen times, and finallv, after being threshed 
 and threshed again, stands in the ultimate form in which next 
 week it meets the public eye. 
 
 For when the meal is done, and cigars and pipes are duly 
 lighted, subjects are deliberately proposed in half-a-dozen 
 quarters, imtil quite a number may be before the Staff. They 
 are fought all round the Table, and, imless ob^^ously and 
 strikingly good, are probably rejected or attacked with the 
 good-humoured ridicule and withering scorn distinctive of true 
 friendship and cordial intimacy. Then is each fully and form- 
 ally debated, every tussle advancing it a stage, and none finally 
 accepted until all the others have fallen in the battledore-and- 
 shuttlecock process to which they have been subjected. Then, 
 when the subject is settled, comes the consideration of the 
 details — what should the grouping be ? what the accessories ? 
 how many figures ? — ( diu"ing the hunting season John Leech 
 would decline to introduce more than two, as his week-end
 
 A Happy Thought. 169 
 
 would otherwise be spoiled^ — and other minor yet still im- 
 portant considerations ; and then each man's opinion has its 
 proper weight in the Council of Punch. In this year of grace 
 Mr. Lucy is listened to with the respect due to his extraordinary 
 Parliamentary knowledge ; Mr. Milliken is the chief literary- 
 authority since " the Professor " (Percival Leighj went to his 
 rest ; and so each man is counted upon for the special or expert 
 knowledge he may bring to bear on the particular subject then 
 before the meeting. 
 
 And when the subject of the cartoon is a political one, the 
 debate grows hot and the fun more furious, and it usually ends 
 by Tories and Radicals accepting a compromise — for the parties 
 are pretty evenly balanced at the Table ; while Mr. Burnand 
 assails both sides with perfect indifference. At last, when the 
 intellectual tug-of-war, lasting usually from half-past eight for 
 just an hour and three-quarters by the clock, is brought to a 
 conclusion, the cartoon in all its details is discussed and deter- 
 mined; and then comes the fight over the title and the 
 "cackle," amid all the good-natured chaff and banter of a 
 pack of boisterous, high-spirited schoolboys. 
 
 More than once it has happened that notwithstanding a 
 subject being well on the way to becoming a cartoon — the raw 
 material of an idea ha^^ng been almost hammered into a 
 presentable political missile or social criticism by the heads of 
 the company — a side remark may arrest further labour, and 
 turn attention in an entirely different direction. Such was the 
 case with one of the most successful cartoons of recent years. 
 The topic of the week was the Parish Councils Bill, which was 
 then before the Lords, and was receiving severe handling in that 
 House. In the course of discussion came an "aside " from Mr. 
 Arthur a Beckett, to the effect that " Gladstone is having a 
 deuce of a time." "Like the cockatoo," assented Mr. Lehmann, 
 referring to the story of the unhappy bird which was left for 
 a short while alone with a monkey, and which, when the owner 
 returned to the room and found his bird clean plucked of its 
 feathers by the monkey— all but a single plume in the tail- 
 looked up dejectedly, and croaked in tones of almost voiceless 
 horror, " I've been having a doose of a time ! " The remarks
 
 I/O The History of "Punch." 
 
 were caught at by Mr. Bnrnand as a happy thought, and the 
 new idea was tossed hke a ball from one to another until there 
 issued from it the well-known design of the monkey in its 
 coronet, as the House of Lords, having plucked the cockatoo- 
 Bill of most of its feather-clauses — a drawing which, under 
 the title of 'The Parish Councils Cockatoo," hit off the 
 situation with singular felicit}', and reaped the reward of 
 the public applause. In a similar manner there developed Mr. 
 Sambourne's peculiarly happy " Cartoon Junior," representing 
 Mr. Gladstone, newly retired, looking up from the perusal of 
 the first speech made b}' Lord Rosebery on his promotion to 
 the Premiership — a speech some of the points of which he 
 afterwards had to withdraw or explain awa}^ — with the words, 
 " Pity a Prime Minister should be so ambiguous ! " In the 
 arrangement of these second cartoons, which, as is elsewhere 
 described, immediately follows the handing of the written-out 
 subject of the main picture to Sir John Tenniel, a contrast is 
 always the first thing sought for. If the first deals with foreign 
 politics, the second must treat of home matters, political or 
 social ; if the "senior" is social, the "junior " will be political ; 
 if Sir John is realistic, Mr. Sambourne is idealistic. And if it 
 is impossible so to differentiate them, the prominent figures 
 at least which appear in the one are carefully avoided in the 
 other. 
 
 But in the early years of Punch the method was not so 
 democratic. The matter was discussed, but the preponderance 
 of two or three of the Staff made their opinions felt to such a 
 degree that when a subject was proposed by one of them, that 
 subject, when it appeared, was unmistakably theirs and nobody 
 else's. I have before me the full details of these matters during 
 a considerable period, and I find that on the whole Douglas 
 Jerrold was the most prolific of suggestors, while Henry 
 Mayhew (so long as he remained), Gilbert Abbot a Beckett, 
 Mark Lemon, and Horace Mayhew, roughly speaking, divided 
 the honours between them. Thackeray seldom made a sug- 
 gestion, and it is not very often that the entry " Leech solus " 
 is credited to the gi^eat cartoonist before 1848. During the 
 years 1845, 1846, and 1847, for instance, Leech alone proposed
 
 " Punch 's " Cartoonists. i 7 1 
 
 eleven subjects, Mark Lemon thirty-five, Henr}- ^Vlayhew 
 twenty, Horace Mayhew fifteen, Douglas Jerrold sixteen, 
 Thackeray four, Tom Taylor four, Gilbert a Beckett two, and 
 Percival Leigh two, leaving the rest to be shared by the united 
 Staff. 
 
 The men who have borne the title of Ptinch's Cartoonist are 
 fifteen in number. Taking them in the chronological order of 
 their first contribution, not of drawings, but of cartoons to the 
 paper, they are : 1841, A. S. Henning, \V. Newman, Brine, 
 John Leech, and Birket Foster; 1842, A. "Crowquill," Kenny 
 Meadows, H. G. Hine, and H. Heath ; 1843, R. J. Hamerton ; 
 1844, R. Doyle; 1851, John Tenniel ; 1852, W. McConnell ; 
 1864, Charles Keene ; and 1884 and 1894, Linley Sambourne.* 
 
 From March 4th, 1843, to September 30th, 1848 (after which, 
 with the exception of one cartoon in 1849 from Newman, and a 
 few from McConnell in 1852, John Leech and John Tenniel 
 shared the cartoon-drawing absolutely between them — no other 
 hand making one at all for six-and-thirty years), there appeared 
 314 cartoons in about 286 weeks. It sometimes happened that 
 Punch appeared without a cartoon at all, especially in those 
 parlous cashless days of 1842, and again in 1846 and 1848 ; but, 
 on the other hand, two cartoons were frequently given in the 
 same number, usually from different hands, though occasionally 
 Leech would do both. The 314 designs were made up thus :— 
 
 J. Leech 
 
 ... 223 
 
 R. Doyle 
 
 ... 53 
 
 Kenn}' Meadows 
 
 ... 14 
 
 R. J. Hamerton 
 
 ... 10 
 
 H. G. Hine 
 
 ... 8 
 
 W. Newman ... 
 
 ... 6 
 
 
 314 (exclusive of 
 
 
 the Almanacs) 
 
 —Hamerton having taken Hine's place, Doyle haN'ing super- 
 seded Hamerton, and Meadows, after 1844, having disappeared. 
 
 * Contributed one cartoon on July 12th, 18S4, and another November 3rd, 
 1894, when the expected death of the Tsar Alexander III., on the subject of 
 which Sir John Tenniel's cartoon had been prepared, did not occur. " Cartoon 
 Junior" was then promoted to "Cartoon Senior."
 
 1/2 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Roughly speaking, from the commencement of Punch to the 
 end of 1894, there have been 2,750 cartoons in all, and these 
 have been contributed approximately thus : 
 
 Sir John Tenniel ... ... ... 1,860 
 
 John Leech ... ... ... ... 720 
 
 R. Doyle ... ... ... ... 70 
 
 Other Cartoonists ... ... ... 100 
 
 -.750 
 
 — representing an amount of thought and artistic achievement 
 colossal in the aggregate, and perfectly appalling in the case of 
 Leech and Tenniel. 
 
 Does it not speak well for the good sense and good digestion 
 of these men that in all these hundreds and thousands of skits 
 — satires going by their -sery nature into personal motives and 
 perhaps into private actions — that the lapses and the mistakes 
 have been nearly as rare as great auks' eggs ? Mr. Gladstone had 
 good reason to say, as he did one day at dinner, that " in his 
 earlv days, when an artist was engaged to produce political satires, 
 he nearlv always descended to gross personal caricature, and 
 sometimes to indecency. To-day he noted in the humorous press 
 (speaking more particularl}' of Punch) a total absence of wX- 
 garitv and a fairer treatment, which made this department of 
 warfare always pleasing" — which is all very true if we admit 
 that the function of ridicule and banter as political weapons is 
 to be merely ** pleasing." At any rate, if it be so, it is the knell 
 of all great satire — with the corresponchng effect of making the 
 more caustic and grosser sides of men like Swift impossible. Yet, 
 on the other hand, so late as 1S60, according to Sir Theodore 
 ]Martin, Punch more than any other paper reflected the national 
 feeling in such matters as our naval defences ; so that in its 
 support of Lord L}Tidhurst in his patriotic agitation it greatly 
 assisted in strengthening the hands of the Government. 
 
 It is interesting, when you know your Punch as you should 
 your Bible, to lean back in your chair and recall the most 
 striking and important among the three thousand designs, more 
 or less, that stand out as landmarks in Punch's pages. 
 
 The first, of course, for association's sake, is that pageful
 
 Leech's First "■Big Cut." 173 
 
 of "Foreign Affairs" which introduced Leech to Punch's 
 readers. It appeared in the fourth number, on August 7th, 
 1841. The ''Foreign Affairs" consist chiefly of groups of 
 foreign refugees to be seen at that time, and even now in some 
 measure, in the \-icinity of Soho and Leicester Square — the 
 pohtical scum of Paris ("Parisites," may they not be called?) 
 and of Berlin. The scroll bearing the title in the middle of 
 the page is fully signed, with the addition of the artist's sign- 
 manual, which was aftenvards to become known throughout 
 the whole artistic and laughter-lo-ving world — a leech wriggling 
 in a water-bottle. This debut did little justice to Percival 
 Leigh's introduction, for the block was delivered so late that, 
 containing as it did a considerable amount of work, it made 
 it impossible for the engi'aver to finish it in time for the 
 ordinary- publishing hour. The usual means of pubhcation and 
 despatch were consequently missed, and the result was a ver}- 
 serious fall in that week's circulation. For some time after 
 that Leech drew no more, learning meanwhile the elementary 
 lesson that large blocks take longer to cut than small ones — or, 
 at least, did then, before Charles Wells had introduced his 
 ojeat invention of a block that could be taken to pieces in 
 order that each small square might be given to different hands 
 to ensrave. Nevertheless, even to the end Leech alwavs had 
 a tendencv to be late with his cartoons, and half ]Mark Lemon's 
 time, according to Edmimd Yates and others, was passed in 
 hansom-cabs bowHng awa}- to Xotting Hill, Brunswick Square, 
 or to Kensington,' where in succession Leech resided. 
 
 Yet he could be astonishingly rapid when he liked, and 
 often would he complete a cartoon on the wood while his 
 Editor smoked a cigar at his elbow. Such a drawing— such a 
 feat— was that remarkable block of "L'Empire c'est la Paix" 
 (1859), representing Louis Xapoleon as a hedgehog bristling 
 with bavonets, admirable in expression and execution, yet not 
 original in idea — though it is as likely as not that Leech had 
 never seen, or else had forgotten, the cartoon in the " Puppet 
 Show" (June, 1854"), wherein the Tsar Nicholas appears in a 
 manner precisely similar. The Dinner had by exception been 
 held on Thursckiv < March loth, 1S59) instead of on the pre\ious
 
 174 The History of "Punch." 
 
 day ; every moment was precious ; and Leech proposed the 
 idea for the cartoon, drew it in two hours, and caught his 
 midday train on the following day, speeding away into the 
 country with John Tenniel for their usual Saturda}' hunt. 
 
 But in accordance with that strange law of memory that 
 horror, ugliness, and power should spring to the mind before 
 humour, grace, or beauty, it is the tragic side and passionate 
 purpose of Punch's career as shown in his cartoons that first 
 arise in one's recollection. And it is (with but one or two 
 exceptions) exclusively in his cartoons that Leech showed his 
 tragic power. "The Poor Man's Friend" (1845), in which 
 Death, gaunt and grisly, ■ comes to the relief of a wretch in 
 the very desolation of misery and poverty, tells as much in 
 one page as Jerrold's pen, with all its strength and intensity, 
 could 'make us feel in a score. Ten years later the same 
 idea was splendidly developed and magnificentl}' realised in 
 the cartoon entitled " General Fevrier turned Traitor," which 
 not more than once or twice in the whole of Punch's history 
 has been surpassed either in loftiness of conception or depth 
 of tragedv, or in the tremendous effect that immediately 
 attended its publication throughout the country. 
 
 During the Crimean War the winter of 1854-55 was 
 terrible in its severit}', and the sufferings of our soldiers were 
 appalling. The suspense at home increased the country's 
 emotion as to the terrors they knew of in the field. The 
 callous statement of the Tsar, therefore, about that time 
 reported, that " Russia has two generals in whom she can 
 confide — Generals Janvier and Fevrier," struck indignation 
 and disgust into every British soul. On February 2nd the 
 news arrived of the death of the Emperor. Popular excite- 
 ment was intense. Consols rose 2 per cent., and the foreign 
 market was in a state of such confusion that brokers refused 
 to cite even a nominal quotation. Eight days later appeared 
 Leech's cartoon, with its double meaning of superb power, 
 though it was, no doubt, not the most favourable specimen of 
 the draughtsman's art. Received by most with wild enthusiasm, 
 bv others with condemnation as a cruel use of a cruel fate, 
 it none the less electrified the countrv. " Never," writes
 
 A Tremendous Cartoon. 175 
 
 Mr. Frith, "can I forget the impression that Leech's drawing 
 
 GENERAL FEVRIER TURNED TRAITOR. 
 {Reduced from the Cartoon by John Leech. '''Punch" loth February, 1S55.) 
 
 made upon me ! There lay the Tsar, a noble figure in 
 death, as he was in life, and by his side a stronger King
 
 176 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 than he — a bony figure, in General's uniform, snow-be- 
 sprinkled, who ' beckons him awa}^' Of all Leech's work, 
 this seems to be the finest example. Think how savage 
 Gillray or A'ulgar Rowlandson would have handled such a 
 theme ! — the Emperor would have been caricatured into a 
 repulsive monster, and Death would have lost his terrors." 
 
 Ruskin compares this cartoon for impressiveness in the 
 perfect manifestation of the grotesque and caricature in art 
 with Hood's " Song of the Shirt " in poetry. '' The reception 
 of the last-named wood-cut," says he, '' was in several 
 respects a curious test of modern feeling. . . . There are 
 some points to be regretted in the execution of the design, 
 but the thought was a gi'and one ; the memory of the word 
 spoken and of its answer, could hardly in any more impres- 
 sive wa}^ have been recorded for the people ; and I believe 
 that to all persons accustomed to the earnest forms of art 
 it contained a profound and touching lesson. The notable 
 thing was, however, that it offended persons not in earnest, 
 and was loudly cried out against by the polite journalism of 
 Society. This fate is, I believe, the almost inevitable one of 
 thoroughly genuine work in these days, whether poetry or 
 painting ; but what added to the singularity in this case was 
 that coarse heartlessness was even more offended than polite 
 heartlessness." 
 
 Just before this Tenniel had given us a fine drawing of 
 England and France — the new allies — as typified by two 
 splendid specimens of Guards of both nations, standing back 
 to back in friendly rivalry of height ; and the cut achieved 
 such popularity that, under its title of "The United Service," 
 it was reproduced broadcast on many articles of use, and 
 decorated the backs of playing-cards. 
 
 The following year Sir John Tenniel (who though hardly more 
 convincing than Leech, yet by his power of draughtsmanship 
 and bigness of conception could be far more imposing) pro- 
 duced the earliest of his magnificent studies of what may 
 be called his "Animal Types" in "The British Lion Smells 
 a Rat" (1856). This heralded what are in some respects his 
 masterpieces, the Cawnpore cartoons (1857), the chief of which
 
 Cawnpore and American Cartoons. 177 
 
 is " The British Lion's Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger." Once 
 this fine drawing is seen, of the royal beast springing on its 
 snarling foe, whose victims lie mangled under its paw, it can 
 never be forgotten. It is a double-page cartoon, splendidly 
 wrought by the artist at the suggestion of Shirley Brooks ; and 
 while it responded and gave expression to the feelings of 
 revenge which agitated England at the awful events that had 
 passed at the time of the Indian Mutiny, and served as a 
 banner when the}- raised the cry of vengeance, it alarmed the 
 authorities, who feared that the}' would thereby be forced on 
 a road which both policy and the gentler dictates of civilisation 
 forbade. Vengeance was the cry ; and the wise and humane 
 counsels of Lord Canning met only with contempt and anger, 
 and rendered him the most unpopular man of the dav. 
 
 Soon it was Tenniel's destiny to shine alone in the cartoons 
 of Punch. Leech, in the last few years of his life, tired with 
 the strain of over-work and ill-health, withdrew more and more 
 from the making of "big cuts," till towards the end thev were 
 left almost entirely in the hands of his well-loved colleague. 
 Tenniel rose to the position and tq_the full height of the great 
 events that courted his pencil. .-The great American struggle of 
 North and South gave unlimitedopportunity, and for four vears 
 Punch, first taking sides hotly against slave-trading, became 
 at times simply pedagogic in his attitude towards both the 
 combatants. From the time (January 26th, 1861) when there 
 was published *' ]\Irs. Carolina asserting her Right to Larrup 
 her Nigger," down to the crowning cartoon of "Habet" — the 
 combatants as gladiators before the enthroned and imperial 
 negroes (" Ave Cccsar ! " ) — many fine cartoons were issued ; but 
 the last-named has been held by manv to be the finest that has 
 ever issued from the artist's pencil. But, in sentiment at least, 
 a greater was to come — one which helped to melt for us in a 
 measure the hardened heart of the American nation, at that time 
 distrustful of England, and righteously indignant at many a taunt 
 that had been launched against her. This was the affecting 
 picture of Britannia's tribute and Pniich's amende honorable, 
 called simply, " Abraham Lincoln : Foully Assassinated April 
 14th, 18657'i while Shirley Brooks's verses which accompany
 
 1/8 The History of "Punch." 
 
 them take highest rank among poetry of its kind — hnes which, 
 
 
 
 *- 
 
 < 
 
 
 V 
 
 .' '■ , ''^y 
 
 
 
 
 
 -,\^^._ 
 
 ^ 
 
 »^ 
 
 
 L: 
 
 ■'-C 
 
 ■■-■ 
 
 
 
 .^^ 
 
 iS- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 e. 
 
 r- ' 
 
 ': 
 
 - ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 .t\-S 
 
 THE " PAS DE DEUX. 
 
 From the " Scene de Triomphe" in the Grand Anglo-Turkish Ballet d' Action. 
 {The Finished Sketch by Sir John Tenniel for the Cartoon in '^ Punch,' yd August, 1878.) 
 
 rugged perhaps in themselves, come straight from the heart, ancl^ 
 speak to a whole nation with true emotion and deep sincerity
 
 Mrs. Gummidge-Gladstone. 179 
 
 Then came "A Leap in the Dark" (1867) — Britannia on 
 her hunter, Dizzy, "going bhnd" through the hedge of Reform ; 
 and soon after the series on the Franco-Prussian War and 
 the situation that immediately preceded the outbreak of 
 hostihties, more particularly that (proposed by Mr. du Maurier) 
 in which the shade of the great Napoleon stands warninglv in 
 the path of the infatuated Emperor ; while those that illustrated 
 the close of the struggle, aroused a deeper sympath}- for France 
 than all the leading-articles and descriptive essays put together. 
 Tenniel's hell-hounds of war, who menace the fallen figure 
 of France distraught, are again seen in the series, almost as 
 fine, that accompanied and followed the Russo-Turkish struggle. 
 A few months later heroics were once more set aside for 
 humour, and the celebrated cartoon representing the successful 
 termination of the Berlin Treaty was given forth — " The Pas 
 de Dcu.x " (1878) — in which Lords Beaconsfield and Salisbury in 
 official dress are executing their pas de triomphe with character- 
 istic grace and ineffable mock-seriousness of mien. 
 
 Another cartoon that attracted general attention for its 
 exquisite fooling, and that still haunts the mind of those who 
 can appreciate a completely happy adaptation of text to subject 
 and situation, is "The Political ' Mrs. Gummidge ' " (May, 1885). 
 Mr. Gladstone, as Mrs. Gummidge, sits in the Peggotty boat- 
 house by the fire, on which a pot of Russian stew is simmering, 
 while her knitting, marked " Egypt," has fallen 4rom her 
 weary hands, and, the very picture of misery, moans out : " I 
 ain't what I could wish to be. My troubles make me con- 
 trairy. I feel my troubles, and they make me contrairy. 
 I make the House uncomfortable. I don't wonder at it ! ! ! " 
 To which Mr. John Peggotty-Bull, pointing with his pipe- 
 stem at the portrait of Beaconsfield on the wall, mutters 
 (deeply sympathising, aside), " She's been thinking of the old 
 'un ! " It was proposed by Mr. Burnand. 
 
 But Sir John Tenniel's gi-eatest success of all in recent years 
 — artistically and popularly successful — is undoubtedly the gi'eat 
 picture illustrative of Prince Bismarck's resignation in 1889, entitled 
 " Dropping the Pilot." The subject, it may be stated, was not 
 a suggestion made at the Table, but it was handed in from the 
 M 2
 
 i8o The History of ''Punch." 
 
 late Gilbert Arthur a Beckett, who was too ill to attend the 
 Dinner — (he died very soon after) — and who thus, as so many 
 other Punch contributors have done — Thomas Hood, Artemus 
 Ward, Leech, Gilbert Abbott a Beckett, Charles Bennett, and 
 others — sent in one of the most valuable of all his suggestions 
 just as his career was drawing to its close. The idea was imme- 
 diately accepted, and its excellence fully appreciated. It was 
 decided that it should occupy a double-page; and Sir John 
 Tenniel, who has always risen to a great occasion, did the fullest 
 justice to the subject. When the paper was sent round to the 
 Staff, as it always is, on the Monday night, they foresaw with 
 delight that here was a great coup, and their con\-iction received 
 ample confirmation on the publishing-day from the countr}" at 
 large. There was a world of pathos in the weather-beaten old 
 mariner who goes thoughtfulh', full of doubt and care, down 
 the side of the ship he had originally designed and had since 
 piloted so long and so well — now discharged as no longer 
 wanted ; and there was a world of meaning in the ambitious 
 and self-reliant young Commander who looks over the ship's 
 bulwark and gazes at the bent figure of his departing coun- 
 sellor. The cartoon, said Mr. Smalley, pleased equally the 
 Emperor and the Prince, for there was that in it which both 
 felt and sought for. The original sketch for the drawing on 
 the wood was finished by the artist as a commission from 
 Lord Roseberv, who then presented it to Prince Bismarck. 
 In acknowledging the drawing the ex-Chancellor declared, " It 
 is indeed a fine one!" "The Hidden Hand" — a criticism on 
 Irish political crime and its incitement — was another of Gil- 
 bert a Beckett's most striking suggestions. It appears on p. 103, 
 Vol. LXXXIV., 1883. 
 
 Xext I would mention — besides ]Mr. Sambourne's admirable 
 Jubilee picture of "The Mahogany Tree," in which the Pro- 
 prietors and Statf are gathered round the Table as thev toast 
 triumphant Punch {sec Frontispiece) — another cartoon which, 
 nobly conceived, if not quite so fine in execution, under the 
 title of "Forlorn Hope" (October, 1893— proposed by Mr. 
 Milliken), has been held by some as second only to " Drop- 
 ping the Pilot." It is the pathetic picture of jNIr. Gladstone
 
 Other Notable Cartoons. 
 
 i8i 
 
 at the moment of his retirement leading the attack against 
 the House of Lords. A grand old fortress crowning an 
 
 1 
 
 .-^ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 J' 
 
 
 /- 
 
 ¥■ 
 
 l STirr. 
 
 ^^:^;^^r- 
 
 ^ 
 
 .•'i'i 
 
 jfe-.-,-: 
 
 ..^-' 
 
 THE POLITICAL MRS. GUMMIDGE. 
 
 (The finished Sketch by Sir John Tetmiel for the ''''Punch" Cartoon, ind May, 1885. By 
 Pcriiiissioji of Gilbert E. Satmtel, Esg.) 
 
 enormous cliff stands out strongly in evening light against the 
 distant sky, and the grand old waiTior, in coat of mail, is
 
 1 82 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 struggling up the steep and slippery side — a hopeless task, 
 eloquent of the courage of despair. 
 
 Last of all upon this list, on May 15th, 1895, was the 
 grand design, also suggested by Mr. Milliken, entitled " The 
 Old Crusaders ! " — Mr, Gladstone and the Duke of Argyll 
 " brothers-in-arms again " in their crusade against the Turkish 
 persecutions in Christian Armenia — the full significance being 
 insisted on by parallel dates — ''Bulgaria 1876 : Armenia 1895." 
 There is an air of unsurpassable dignity in the design of the 
 two old comrade-statesmen, mounted knights armed cap a pie, 
 riding forth, representative of Christendom and the nation's 
 conscience. Immediately on seeing the week's Punch the 
 Marquis of Lome telegraphed from Windsor to Sir John 
 Tenniel, asking to be allowed to acquire the original draw- 
 ing ; but he had been forestalled by the other Champion's 
 son, Mr. Henry Gladstone, who was then in town, and 
 had secured the prize for his family an hour or two 
 before. 
 
 It must not be imagined that the Punch cartoons have 
 alwavs been matters, so to speak, of routine. The un- 
 expected has more than once left Punch in a terribly 
 awkward fix. On one occasion, in 1877, it was confidently 
 expected that Lord Beaconsfield's Government would be 
 thrown out on the Monday night or Tuesday morning, 
 when, of course, it would be too late to begin to think 
 of drawing and engraving a cartoon ; besides, the niatter was 
 a foregone conclusion. So Beaconsfield was represented 
 in his robes, leaning back ''in a heap" upon his bench, his 
 chin on his breast, and his hands thrust deep into his breeches 
 pockets, the very picture of a beaten Minister. But, as it 
 happened, the Government was not defeated — and there was 
 the cartoon ! Pro^•identially, however, the Government had 
 been severely badgered about some matter of trivial im- 
 portance, such as the amount of sealing-wax employed in 
 Her Majesty's Stationery Office, and the cartoon was used 
 with a legend to the effect : " After all the big things I have 
 been in, to be pulled up for tJiis !" The public wondered, 
 and thought that Punch had taken the situation a little too
 
 Perversity of Events. 183 
 
 seriously ; but it was a pis-alkr, and the best had been made 
 of a shocking bad job. 
 
 jVIr. Linley Sambourne, writing on this very matter in the 
 " Magazine of Art," tells something more of Punch's tribulations : 
 " Difficulties in the production of cartoons sometimes arise 
 in the impossibilities of foretelling what, not a day only, 
 but a week may bring forth. In December, 1871, when His 
 Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to the profound sorrow 
 of the entire nation, hovered between life and death, Tenniel 
 drew two cartoons, to be used as events might dictate. To 
 the intense relief and joy of all, the one that was issued was 
 called ' Suspense,' with some beautiful verses entitled ' Queen, 
 People, and Princess: "Three Hearts in One";' while the 
 other, a grief-stricken figure of Britannia, lay almost forgotten 
 in the engraver's bureau, but was remembered, and had un- 
 happily occasion to appear thirteen years after, on April 5th, 
 1884, to note the sudden loss of His Royal Highness the Duke 
 of Albany. Punch is not infallible. The most serious slip he 
 ever made in the ' cock-sure ' line was a cartoon appearing 
 on February 7th, 1885, representing the lamented General 
 Gordon shaking hands with General ^r Henry Stewart (who 
 himself lay stiff and cold after glorious action) inside the fated 
 citv of Khartoum. When the number appeared (although at 
 the moment unconfirmed), Gordon himself had been butchered 
 by the Mahdi's fanatics ; and another whole week had to 
 elapse before it could be corrected by a cartoon of bafiied 
 Britannia, with the heading ' Too Late ! ' I well remember 
 being inside a picture gallery in Bond Street with the Editor, 
 and hearing newsboys shouting without ; the Editor turned 
 to me and smilingly said, ' All right for our cut. There ! they're 
 shouting "The fall of Khartoum" !' When we got outside, 
 our faces fell on finding the boot was on the other leg with 
 a vengeance." 
 
 A more recent example of the tricks played upon Punch 
 by Fate was on August irth, 1894 (p. 66, Vol. CVH.), when Sir 
 William Harcourt was represented as an artilleryman mowing 
 down the host of amendments put upon the paper against 
 the Irish Evictions Bill with a Catling gun labelled " Closure."
 
 184 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Closure had, indeed, been promised, and upon that the cartoon 
 was based ; but the Tory tactics threw out all calculations, 
 for the party declined to move their amendments, and took 
 no further part in the proceedings, so that there was no 
 question whatever of closure. The Bill passed en bloc, and 
 the Catling remained silent. 
 
 Finally, there is that class of cartoon always graceful in 
 intention, and invariabl}^ received by the public with respect 
 and approval — the Obituary Cartoon. It was invented by 
 Punch when Wellington died. The nation was overpowered 
 with a sense of its loss, and Punch, with his finger, as ever, 
 on the public pulse, reflected the national emotion with a 
 deep and noble sincerit}^ that was gratefully felt and recognised. 
 From that day onwards the great occasions of a people's loss 
 — either of our own mourning or of our sympath)- with that of 
 others — have been touched with a dignity and grace in accord 
 with their lofty and solemn purpose, in drawings which have 
 rarely failed to touch a responsive chord in the people's heart, 
 and which, judged as compositions, have often marked the 
 highest point to which Sir John Tenniel's art has reached.
 
 i85 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CARTOONS AND THEIR EFFECT. 
 
 Origin and Growth of the Cartoon— Origin of its Name— Its Reflection of Popular 
 Opinion— Source of PuncWs Power— Punch' s Downrightness oflends France- 
 Germany— And Russia— Lord Augustus Loftus's Fix— Lord John Russell 
 and " No Popery "—Mr. Gladstone and Professor Ruskin on Punch's Car- 
 toons—Their Effect on :Mr. Disraeli— His Advances and Magnanimity — 
 Rough Handling of Lord Brougham— Sir Robert Peel— Lord Palmerston's 
 Straw— Mr. Bright's Eye-glass— Difficulties of Portraiture— John Bull alias 
 Mark Lemon — Sir John Tenniel's Types. 
 
 Were }-ou to ask the Editor, Staff, or Proprietors of Pie?ic/i 
 whether they regarded the political or the social section of the 
 paper as the more important, fi-om the public point ot view and 
 their own, the answer would probably be— that they could not 
 tell you. Power and popularity, exen in a newspaper— r^/rr/rtZ/y 
 in a newspaper — are not synonymous terms, and a great circula- 
 tion does not necessarily carry influence along with it. It may 
 safely be taken that while the social section of Punch, artistic and 
 literar}' combined, earned for him his vast popularity, his power, 
 which at one time was great almost beyond present belief, was 
 obtained chiefly by his political satires with pen and pencil. 
 Nowadays, no doubt, their relative importance is more evenly 
 balanced, and what preponderating interest the cartoon may have 
 for ''Pater" is equalled by the special fascination exercised 
 b}' the social picture over "familias." 
 
 It has been the mission of Punch, as of many another great 
 and original writer, to invent and import into the language 
 words and expressions which are surely destined to remain. It 
 has already been recorded how it was he who christened the 
 great conservatory now at Sydenham "The Ciystal Palace" 
 — though he was not so complimentary until he had cultivated 
 the personal friendship of Sir Joseph Paxton over the " Daily 
 News" affair. It is he who, in his most laconic manner, has
 
 1 86 The History of "Punch." 
 
 given his immortal counsel for all time to intending inaries ; it 
 is he who has crystallised the exaggerated idea of Scottish thrift 
 and economy in "bang went saxpence " — to the circumstances 
 of all of which I have already referred. Mr. Punch, in short, 
 has left the English language richer than he found it, not only 
 in word, but in idea. So, again, the present application of the 
 word "cartoon" is in realit}' a creation of Punch' s. 
 
 At the birth of the modern satirical print — that is to say, in 
 the reign of Charles I. — we see it called " A Mad Designe ; " 
 eighty years later, when George II. was King, it was known 
 as a " hieroglyphic ; " and then onwards, through the caustic 
 and venomous days of the mighty Gillray and Rowlandson, 
 and even of George Cruikshank, and their contemporaries, 
 " caricature " was the term applied to the separate copper-plate 
 broadsides that were issued, crudely coloured, from the famous 
 shops of Mrs. Humphreys, of Ackermann, of Fores, and of 
 McLean, and displayed in their windows to the delight and 
 savage applause of a laughing crowd. Then "¥B" had followed, 
 Dicky Doyle's clever father, whose political lithographs had 
 begun to appear in 1830, and continued until 1851 — ceased, that 
 is to say, when Punch was ten years old. The wonder about 
 them was that, even before the days of photography, the 
 likenesses of his subjects were so admirable, and his thrusts 
 so happy, while his art, criticised strictly, was so very poor 
 and amateurish. But as exaggeration found no trace in his 
 designs, and his compositions aimed at raising little more than 
 a suspicion of a smile in the beholder (save in the subjects 
 of them), the word "cartoon" was more applicable to them 
 than to any that preceded or have followed them. Mr. 
 Austin Dobson, it is true, speaks of them as " caricatures ; " 
 but their publisher more correctly defined them as " Political 
 Sketches." 
 
 Then, after the little wood-cut "caricatures" by Robert 
 Seymoiu", came Punch with his full-page designs. Announced 
 also as " caricatures," for a long while they were known as 
 " pencillings ; " but it was some time before they became an 
 invariable feature of the paper. For several consecutive weeks, 
 indeed, in 1843 there was no full-page cut at all, until John
 
 Ironical Origin of the Term ''Cartoon." 187 
 
 Leech recommenced them with a series of "■ Social Miseries," 
 the first of which represented " Thoughts during Pastorale." 
 But the most successful and the best remembered was " The 
 Pleasures of Folding Doors" when "The Battle of Prague" is 
 being thumped out relentlessly on the other side. 
 
 Now in July of 1843 the first great exhibition of cartoons for 
 the Houses of Parliament was held. These gigantic designs 
 handled the loftiest subjects, executed in the most elevated spirit 
 of the highest art, with a view to ultimate execution in fresco on 
 the walls of the palace of Westminster. It was not in nature for 
 Punch to allow so excellent an opportunity to pass by without 
 taking sarcastic advantage of it. He — conformably with his n'^le 
 of Sir Oracle, omniscient and omnifarious — must have his "car- 
 toons " too ; and so on p. 22 of the second volume for the same 
 year (No. 105 of the journal) he appeared with No. i of his 
 series. It was from Leech's pencil, entitled "Substance and 
 Shadow," with the legend " The Poor ask for Bread, and the 
 Philanthropy of the State accords— an Exhibition." The cartoon 
 represents a humble crowd of needy visitors to the exhibition 
 of pictures on a suggested " free day," in accordance with the 
 recommendation of the Government. This design, a suggestion 
 of Jerrold's, affords an excellent example of the wami-hearted, 
 wrong-headed sympathy with the poor which led him so often 
 cruellv to misjudge and misrepresent the acts and li\-es of 
 persons in authority whose views were not, like his own, 
 spontaneously, kindly, and impulsively unpractical. The series 
 of six cartoons was directed against abuses, the last, dealing 
 with the subject of duelling, being entitled " The Satisfaction 
 of a Gentleman" — in which two duellists appear attended by 
 seconds wearing caps and bells, v^•hile the hangman awaits the 
 victor in one corner, and Death digs a grave for his ^•ictim in the 
 other. 
 
 After this series Punch for a long while dropped the word 
 "cartoon," but the public remembered it, and has clung to 
 it ever since. It is a remarkable thing that while the 
 "Encyclopaedic Dictionary" entirely ignores the word in its 
 modern application to satirical prints, Dr. Murray's monu- 
 mental lexicon has as its earliest use of the word a reference
 
 1 88 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 made by Miss Braddon to Leech's cartoons in the year 1863 — 
 or twenty years after it was first coined ! 
 
 But the very first number of Punch, as we have seen, 
 rejoiced in a cartoon as we now understand it — that is to 
 say, a large full-page or double-page block of a satirical 
 nature, usually placed in the middle opening of the paper, 
 and for the most part still further dignified by being " un- 
 backed " by other printing. It has been stated that Henry 
 Mayhew at the very beginning insisted on this being a 
 special feature of the paper, defeating the opposition of 
 "Daddy" Landells, who was all for a number of little 
 " coots," as he pronounced them, sprinkled plentifully over 
 the pages. But inasmuch as Landells was an engraver, who 
 would have delighted in the opportunity offered to his 
 apprentices by a "big cut," as he was anxious above all things 
 to follow the Paris "Charivari" (the very rai&on d'etre of 
 which was the large political cartoon), and as, moreover, 
 the original " dummy " of the paper makes provision for 
 such a cartoon, the statement is not to be accepted. 
 
 It was really a poor thing, that first cartoon — " Candidates 
 under Different Phases ; " but it possessed over the little 
 "caricatures" by Robert Seymour in Gilbert a Beckett's 
 "Figaro in London," that had gone before, the important 
 advantage of size. It was smaller than the hideouslv vulgar 
 cuts in the "Penny Satirist," but — in tone, at least — this hami- 
 less satire on Parliamentary candidates displayed a refresh- 
 ing and a highly appreciated decency and moderation. And 
 since that time, whether satirical or frankh' funny, sarcastic 
 or witty, compassionate or denunciatory, eulogistic, sym- 
 pathetic, indignant, or merely expository, the cartoons have 
 rarely overstepped the boundary of good-taste, or done aught 
 but express fearlessly, honestly, and so far as may be grace- 
 fully, the popular feeling of the moment. 
 
 It is just this happy ability of Punch's to reflect the opinion 
 of the country that gave it the great power it attained and won 
 it the respect of every successive Government. It is true that 
 of late years Mr. Punch has rather followed public opinion 
 than led it ; and it is equally true that he now represents
 
 ''Punch's" Influence with Politicians. 189 
 
 ci higher stratum of society than at first, when Jerrold 
 week after week pleaded the cause of the poor. Yet the 
 Governments of the day might have apphed to him Addison's 
 words — 
 
 '' In all th}" humours, whether grave or mellow, 
 Thou'rt such a touchy, testy, pleasant fellow ; 
 
 Hast so much wit and mirth and spleen about thee. 
 There is no living with thee, nor without thee" — 
 
 and esteemed themseh'es happ}- when Punch smiled upon 
 them. " What Punch says" appears to be a good deal to the 
 Great Ones of our world, thick-skinned though they be ; for 
 even outside politics, they have, generally speaking, accepted as 
 an axiom "Vox Punchii, vox Populi;" while Cabinet ^Ministers, 
 from the Premier downwards, have hoped from his bene- 
 volence and feared from his hostility 1 When Mr. Mundella 
 publicly declared that "Punch is almost the most dangerous 
 antagonist that a politician could have opposed to him — for 
 mvself I would rather have Punch at my back in an}- poli- 
 tical or social undertaking than half the politicians of the 
 House of Commons," he was merely expressing a conviction 
 on the part of statesmen that many of them have given 
 evidence of. It is another proof of the power of the 
 caricaturist — a very proper respect for the smile which brings 
 popularity and for the ridicule which kills. 
 
 We all know the effect of Gillray's, Rowlandson's, and 
 George Cruikshank's etching-needles upon their victims — 
 how these latter would writhe under a stab that was 
 often ^■irulent in its brutality, merciless, scurrilous, and 
 cruel. \Ye know how money passed — at least, in their earlier 
 years— to influence the political opinions of the caricaturists, 
 iess in the hope of damaging " the other side " than with 
 the view to diluting with a little milk of human kindness 
 their etchers' aquafortis ; and we know how Cruikshank's 
 sudden abandonment- of political caricature has been gener- 
 ally attributed (without drawing forth any denial) to a very 
 special communication of a remunerative sort from Windsor 
 Castle. That, however, was owing rather to his remorseless
 
 190 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 gibbeting of the follies and scandals of the Court than to 
 political attack or personal persecution ; but other circum- 
 stances of a more serious, because of an international, character 
 have now and again attended the publication of a caricature. 
 For example, like the HB-Talleyrand episode, Leech's famous 
 cartoon of " Cock-a-doodle-do ! " (February 13th, 1858) pro- 
 mised at one time — less directly, it is true — to bring unpleasant 
 consequences in its train. In the spirit of the Prince de 
 Joinville, whose bombastic language towards England -in 1848 
 had set an example not to be resisted, were the fire-eating 
 words of a few French officers, who offered to " unsheathe their 
 swords and place them at their sovereign's disposal," and so 
 forth. Leech replied with a cartoon of a GaUic cock, capped and 
 spurred, flapping its epaulettes and crowing its loudest, while 
 Napoleon the Third curses the " Crowing Colonel " under 
 his breath. '' Diable !" he says, "the noisy bird will awake 
 my neighbour ; " and the point is emphasised by a quota- 
 tion from the Moniteur. The hit, if not quite original (for 
 Doyle had made a precisely similar sketch of " Le Coq 
 Gaulois " twelve years before in "The Almanac of the Month") 
 was, at any rate, a fair one. But some unscrupulous British 
 patriot so took the matter into his own scuny hands that 
 the following advertisement was published in " The Times " 
 of March loth : — 
 
 '■' Fifty Pounds Reward.— ll having come to the knowledge of 
 the Committee of the Army and Navy Club that a caricature, 
 with most coarse and vulgar language appended thereto, was sent 
 to an officer in command of a French regiment, accompanied with 
 a forged message from the club, the above reward will, within six 
 weeks from this date, be paid by the Secretary of the Club on 
 the conviction and punishment of the offender." 
 
 And so the affair was amicably settled, but not before 
 correspondence of a lively character had passed between both 
 the insulted parties, and it was feared that the matter might 
 be taken up as "an insult to the French Amiy." 
 
 Many a time has Punch been excluded ft-om France — begin- 
 ning as early as February nth, 1843 — by reason of his political
 
 The French Emperor is Offended. 191 
 
 cuts. In the first half-volume for that year a cartoon entitled 
 " PiDuh turned out of France " — showing a A'ery sea-sick puppet 
 received on Boulogne quay at the point of a bayonet — first made 
 public the severity of his struggle with Louis IMiilippe. There is 
 no doubt that his denunciations approached about as near to 
 scurrility as ever he was guilt}' of; and it is equally true that 
 the French King winced under the attacks made with such 
 acerbit}' upon his well-known parsimon\-. In due time, on 
 April 7th, the embargo was lifted, but again in the following 
 year an article by Thackeray, entitled " A Case of Real Dis- 
 tress," in which Punch offers to open a subscription for the poor 
 beggar, with a cut b}' the same hand representing the King as 
 a ** Pauvre Malheureux," had the effect of a fresh exclusion. 
 Punch responded vigorously, his first proceeding being to 
 advertise, '' Wanted — A Few Bold Smugglers " in order that 
 he " may continue to disseminate the civilisation of his pages 
 throughout benighted France." 
 
 And so on several occasions, especially during the period 
 of his long hostility to Napoleon III., was Piinch turned back 
 from the French frontier, though later on the authorities per- 
 mitted him to enter, on the condition that, like a Mahometan 
 who leaves his slippers at the temple door, he tore out his 
 cartoon before he passed inside. Of late years, however, Punch 
 has on the whole been on excellent terms with " Mme. la 
 Republique," chiefly through his own forbearance during the 
 period of what promised to be the Anglo-Congolese Difficulty. 
 It is true that the cartoon of November, 1894, showing the 
 French Wolf about to spring upon the Madagascar Lamb, 
 aroused fine indignation in Paris at this English version of the 
 methods of French colonial expansion; and that the famous 
 picture of Marshal ]\IacMahon of a score of years before, 
 in which the President was shown stuck fast in the political 
 mud, obstinately satisfied with his impossible position (" J'y 
 suis ! — J'y reste ! " ? ), gave equal offence on the boulevards ; 
 and although in the latter case the fairness of the hit was 
 acknowledged, Punch was again, as he had several times 
 recently been, placed under ban. Again, at the time of 
 the Franco- Russian rapprochcmenl and consequent fetes, the
 
 192 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 drawing of the Bear and Republic in cordial tete-d-tete, the 
 former disclosing the true source and object of his new- 
 found affection b}^ hinting, with a sly wink and a smirk, 
 about a "little loan," gave rise to real anger, and was 
 deeply resented — probably with the more anno3'ance that the 
 cutting truth with which Punch had hit off the situation 
 was secretly and unwillingly recognised. But save on one 
 occasion no official expulsion or repulse has in recent times 
 been Punclis lot. Moreover, his splendid series of cartoons, 
 noblv conceived and full of generous S3'mpathy, which he 
 published towards the close of the Franco-Prussian War, are 
 still remembered with some approach to gi"atitude in a country 
 which has rarely, if ever, returned us the compliment of kindli- 
 ness or friendship, or even of courtesy, in its satiric press. 
 
 Even in Gemiany, though Punch has not often been denied 
 admittance, he has had at least one distinguished door closed 
 against him. This was when in March, 1892 (p. no in the first 
 half-vearlv volume), Mr. Linley Sambourne's ''cartoon junior" 
 was published, satirising the German Emperor in " Tlie Modern 
 Alexander's Feast ; or, The Power of Sound " — 
 
 " With ravished ears 
 The Monarch hears ; 
 Assumes the god, 
 Affects to nod, 
 And seems to shake the spheres." 
 
 The German Army Bill agitation — the struggle between Em- 
 peror and Reichstag, which was followed with so much interest 
 in England— was then at its height ; and the monarch had no 
 mind for trivialities. Piincli s candour in illustrating the title 
 given him in this country of " The Shouting Emperor," so it is 
 alleged, annoyed him. " For nearly forty years," said one 
 authoritv, " Punch has been regularly taken in at the Prussian 
 royal palaces in Berlin and Potsdam. The Emperor William 
 has just issued a private order that Punch is to be struck 
 off the list of journals which are supplied to him ; and the 
 Empress Frederick, Prince Henry of Prussia, and all the 
 members of the Roval Familv who are in the habit of
 
 The Germ am Emperor Displeased. 193 
 
 reading English journals, have been desired by their aristo- 
 cratic relation to discontinue the obnoxious periodical. It 
 is understood at Berlin that the Emperor's wrath has been 
 excited by some jocular allusions to his Majesty's oratorical 
 indiscretions which recently appeared in Punch." If the 
 members of the Imperial Famih- scrupulously obeyed the 
 alleged command, they lost the enjoyment of a hearty laugh 
 over Punch's retort — for it is Punch's habit always to retort in 
 matters of this sort when his fun is misunderstood or his irony, 
 in his opinion, taken in ill-part. This was the much-talked-of 
 "Wilful Wilhelm" — representing the Emperor, a la Struuwel- 
 peter, as a passionate fractious child, screaming amid his toy 
 soldiers and drums : 
 
 " Take the nasty Punch away ; 
 I won't have anv Punch to-day." 
 
 Nor would he leave him alone for a while ; but returning a 
 year later to the charge, and taking as a text the Emperor's 
 w^ords — 
 
 " It was impossible for me to anticipate the rejection of the 
 Army Bills, so fullv did I rely upon the patriotism of the Imperial 
 Diet to accept them unreservedly- A patriotic minority has been 
 unable to prevail against the majority. ... I was compelled to 
 resort to a dissolution, and I look forward to the acceptance of the 
 Bills by the new Reichstag. Should this expectation be again 
 disappointed, I am determined to use ever}- means in ni}- power to 
 achieve m}- purpose. . . .'' 
 
 Punch promptly produced his cartoon a third time, by ]\Ir, 
 Sambourne's pencil, of '' Xana would not give me a bow- 
 wow ! — A Pretty Little Song for Pettish Little Emperors," as 
 the latest Teutonic version of the music-hall ditty then in vogue. 
 And later on there was Sir John Tenniel's contribution to the 
 pretty little quarrel, in which in "Alexander and Diogenes" 
 (October, 1893) fl^^ Emperor asks, "Is there anything I can 
 do for you ? Castle ? or anything of that sort ? " and Bismarck- 
 Diogenes grunts his reply, " Xo — only leave me to my tub !" 
 But the Emperor's anger did not last long — if it ever existed at 
 all — for it was announced that he again received his Punch 
 
 N
 
 194 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 regularly, but, to save appearances, it arrived from London 
 ever}" week in an official-looking envelope, which was opened 
 by the Kaiser's own hands, and by him dul}' stowed away in his 
 library. 
 
 If Punch, by his outspoken criticism, has succeeded in raising 
 the ire of two of the most civilised of the Great Powers, it was 
 not to be expected that he should escape the blacking-roller of 
 the Russian censor of the press. The touchiness of that official 
 does credit rather to his zeal than to his judgment — and, besides, 
 he is obviously no humorist. The Russians have had little oppor- 
 tunity of learning what is thought of them and their governors 
 at %'^, Fleet Street. Time after time has the cartoon been de- 
 stroyed ; and Mr. Sambourne, journeying in the countr}^, learned 
 by personal experience that Moscow and St. Petersburg were 
 not as London and Paris. "Should it happen," he writes, "that 
 any cartoon or cut at all trenched on Russian subjects, and 
 especially his Majesty the Tsar, the page was either torn out or 
 erased in the blackest manner by the Bear's paw. I have seen 
 some of Mr. Tenniel's cartoons so maltreated, and have myselt 
 been frequentlv honoured in the same way." It is therefore 
 rather amusing that while such drawings as Sir John Tenniel 
 produced when the great Nihilistic wave was sweeping over 
 Russia, just before the renewed application of the repressive 
 S3'stem during the reign of Alexander III. and during the horrors 
 of the Jewish persecutions, Punch would appear on the Tsar's 
 table with cartoons far more severe and humiliating than the 
 majorit}' of those which appealed to the censor's sense of 
 despotism. Of this Lord Augustus Loftus gives a remarkable 
 example — remarkable, too, for the Ambassador's diplomatic 
 ingenuity — his storv referring to a period on the eve of the 
 Russo-Turkish War. 
 
 " The Emperor had a favourite dog called Milord, which 
 never left him. We were dining at the palace, and it being a 
 small party (there were only the Imperial Family and Court 
 attendants), we retired after dinner to the Empress's private 
 apartments. I suddenly heard the Emperor calling ' Milord ! ' 
 and supposed that he was calling for me ; but it was his dog 
 that was wanted, to receive the biscuits which his Majesty was
 
 The Russian Emperor Demands an Explanation. 195 
 
 in the daily habit of bestowing on his favourite. I immediatelv 
 hastened to his Majesty, and learnt the explanation from the 
 Emperor, who was highly amused at the incident. 
 
 " At the time his Majesty was seated in an inner saloon 
 (a sort of alcove), and placed near him was a small table, on 
 which was a number of Punch, with a cartoon representing the 
 Sovereigns of Austria, Russia, and German}^ at a whist table, the 
 Emperor of Russia holding down his hand with a card. The 
 Emperor put the paper in my hand, and said, ' Expliqucz-moi 
 cela.' I felt the difficulty of the situation, and to collect my 
 thoughts asked to be permitted to study it. After a short 
 time I said — 
 
 " ' Oh, sire, it is quite clear. The political European position 
 is here represented by a whist party, and your Majesty is 
 represented apparently as hesitating whether to continue the 
 game.' 
 
 *' It was a perplexing question, and I felt ver}' much as Daniel 
 ma}^ have felt when called upon to explain ' Nebuchadnezzar's 
 dream ! ' " 
 
 I was suggesting just now that to Cabinet ^Ministers the 
 attitude of Punch is often a matter of very real concern — 
 at least, that they seem usually to have attached more im- 
 portance to the matter than we who stand outside would 
 think to be reasonable ; though, from a proper sense of the 
 ridiculous doubtless, ^Ministers have rarely turned upon Punch 
 to rend him, for all they may have suffered at his hands. 
 
 There is a pretty story of Lord John Russell that is at 
 once a charming proof to the statesman's magnanimity and of 
 the paper's influence. When the excitement, already referred 
 to, of the so-called "Papal Aggression" was at its height, in 
 consequence of the action of the Pope in creating Roman 
 Catholic Archbishops and Bishops with English territorial 
 titles. Lord John, who was then in power, took an active 
 part in the House of Commons on the side of the scare- 
 mongers, by introducing the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill — in 
 respect to which he was strenuously opposed by both Bright 
 and Cobden — not m order to put repressive measures into 
 force against the Catholics, he assured the House, but simply 
 
 N 2
 
 196 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 " to insist upon our ascendency." Or, as he explained in 
 1874, ''The object of that Bill was merely to assert the 
 supremacy of the Crown. It was never intended to prosecute. 
 Accordingly, a very clever artist represented me, in a cari- 
 cature, as a boy who had chalked up ' No Popery ' upon a 
 wall * and then ran away. This was a very fair joke. . . . 
 When my object had been gained, I had no objection to the 
 repeal of the Bill." This gave Leech his chance, and he 
 executed his famous cartoon of ' No Poper}- ! ' (March 22nd, 
 185 1), which was among the greatest popular successes 
 ever published by Punch — even his smart young rival, the 
 " Man in the Moon," declaring that Punch had with his cut 
 " wakened up those whom his letterpress had sent to sleep." 
 
 In his Reminiscences the Rev. William Rogers, Rector 
 of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, tells the delightful sequel. 
 When he called on Lord John, the Minister began to talk 
 about the Charterhouse. " He said that he had lost his 
 interest in the latter since his patronage had been taken away. 
 I thought this prett}' good for Whig doctrine. ' No,' he 
 went on, ' I never abused my patronage. Do 3'ou remember 
 a cartoon in Punch where I was represented as a little boy 
 writing ' No Popery ' on a wall and running away ? ' I said 
 that I did. * Well,' he continued, * that was very severe, and 
 did ni}' Government a great deal of harm ; but I was so 
 convinced that it was not maliciously meant that I sent for 
 John Leech, and asked him what I could do for him. He 
 said he should like a nomination for his son to Charterhouse, 
 and I gave it him." This, surely, if it be true — for Mr. Silver 
 has a very different story — was a " retort courteous " that 
 would prove how deeply the cartoon went home. Were it 
 true, it would show how the independence of Leech could 
 be in no wise affected — though, going to the House one 
 day, he was greatly struck with the extraordinary dignity ot 
 the Minister during his speech in the great debate on foreign 
 policy (February 17th, 1854), when the Crimean War with 
 Russia threatened. 
 
 In Mr. Gladstone's ''great Edinburgh speech" of the 
 
 * It was on Cardinal Wiseman's door, not upon a wall.
 
 Mr. Disraeli and Mr. Leech. 197 
 
 autumn of 1893 the veteran Premier said that Punch, "when- 
 ever it can, manifests the Liberal sentiments by which jt was 
 governed from the first." And naturally, as a consistent Liberal 
 supporter, it as consistently attacked the Tory partv. Says 
 Mr. Ruskin in one of his lectures on "The Art of England :" 
 " You must be clear about Punch's politics. He is a polite 
 Whig, with a sentimental respect for the Crown, and a practical 
 respect for property. He steadily flatters Lord I'almerston, 
 firom his heart adores Mr. Gladstone. Steadily, but not viru- 
 lently, caricatures ^Ir. DTsraeli ; violently and virulently 
 castigates assault upon property in any kind, and holds up 
 for the general idea of perfection, to be aimed at by all the 
 children of heaven and earth, the British Hunting Squire, 
 the British Colonel, and the British sailor." 
 
 This persistent opposition to Disraeli throughout his whole 
 career — an hostility more bitter than perhaps might have 
 been expected from Ruskin's "polite Whig" — was esteemed 
 at its full importance by the object of it, though it was ac- 
 cepted by him, as similar attacks are accepted by all gi"eat 
 minds, in excellent part. Nevertheless, after only three or 
 four years of attack, he made a determined though unsuccess- 
 ful attempt to conciliate his pungent critic. Vizetelly, in his 
 " Glances Back through Seventy Years," tells the story with 
 all the interest belonging to a personal recollection. 
 
 "In the summer of 1845," he says, "Mr. Disraeli took 
 the chair at the annual dinner of the 'Printers' Pension Society,' 
 when the stewards, of whom I was one, received him in the 
 drawing-room of the ' Albion,' in Aldersgate Street. Immediately 
 after his entrance he posted himself in a nonchalant fashion 
 with his back to the mantelpiece, and his thumbs in his waist- 
 coat pockets, an attitude Thackeray was fond of assuming, 
 and began to chat familiarly with those near him. In a 
 minute or two he asked if Mr. Leech was present (Leech 
 was one of the stewards), as if he would like to make his 
 acquaintance. The famous Punch caricaturist thereupon 
 stepped forward, and was duly introduced. Disraeli showed 
 himself particularly gi'acious, and warmly congratulated the 
 artist, whose pencil had lately been employed in satirising
 
 198 The History of "Punch." 
 
 him in a disparaging fashion, depicting him as a nice young 
 man for a small party, i.e. the Yomig England part)', as a 
 Jew dealer in cast-off notions, and as a young Gulliver before 
 the Brobdingnag Minister (Sir R. Peel). Disraeli tried his 
 hardest to ingratiate himself with the distinguished caricaturist, 
 but Leech, proof against the wiles of the charmer, rejoined 
 some months afterwards with the famous cartoon wherein 
 Disraeli, who had latel)^ proclaimed that, although the cause 
 was lost, there should be some retribution for those who 
 betra^'ed it, figured as a spiteful ringletted viper, and Peel 
 as a smiling unconcerned old file. 
 
 " During the dinner the chairman did his best to make 
 himself pleasant, and hobbed and nobbed unreservedly with 
 his immediate neighbours. ... When the toasts had been 
 drunk and the secretary had read out the list of subscriptions 
 and the quiet family-men had hunied off to catch the last 
 suburban omnibus, Mr. Disraeli showed no disposition to 
 vacate the chair. Seeing this, the remaining guests drew up 
 to his end of the table, and a lively discourse ensued, in 
 which a casual allusion to Punch was made. Disraeli profited 
 bv this by rising to his feet, and in a clever and amusing 
 speech proposed the health of Mr. Punch, towards whom, he 
 protested, he felt no kind of malice on account of any strictures, 
 pictorial or verbal, which that individual might have passed 
 upon him. Everybody entered into the spirit of the joke, 
 and after the toasts had been drunk, calls were made indif- 
 ferently upon Lemon and a Beckett, both of whom were 
 present, to respond. Mark, however, rose, and in a brief 
 and witty speech returned thanks for the honour that had 
 been done, as he neatly put it, to an absent friend. 
 
 " Disraeli's amiable advances availed him nothing. For a 
 long time afterwards Punch gave no quarter to the * Red Indian 
 of debate' who, as Sir James Graham pithily phrased it, 'cut his 
 wa}'' to power with a tomahawk.' The time came, however, 
 when Disraeli could show his magnanimity. Leech, who had 
 satirised him weekly, and so familiarised everyone with his face 
 and figure that an aristocratic little damsel, on being presented 
 to him, exclaimed, ' I know vou ! I'v'e seen vou in Punch ! ' —
 
 "■Punch'' is Adamant. 199 
 
 Leech had had a pension given to him b}' the Liberals, and 
 when he died the pension would have died with him, had not 
 Disraeli, who had at last risen to power, interposed and secured 
 it to the famih\" And so Leech, who apparently could not 
 make an enemy, was indebted to the generosity of his victims 
 for two of the greatest services that were rendered to him 
 and his. 
 
 Lord Beaconsfield himself -acknowledged in his latest book, 
 '' Endymion," his respect for Punch's influence at that time, as 
 well as his desire to temper the ardour of its attacks if not to 
 secure its silence, for he there explains how the hero, who to 
 some degree at least is to be considered an autobiographical 
 study, "flattered himself that ' Scaramouche ' " would regard 
 him in a more friendly spirit. Punch, with pardonable pride, 
 devoted a ^ cartoon to this pointed reference, but merely 
 remarking, " H'm — he did flatter himself," abated not one 
 iot of his caustic criticism. 
 
 But for all the failure of his advances, and for all his 
 sensitiveness — so far as he could be said to be sensitive at all 
 — Beaconsfield kept a close eye on Punch, and kept many, 
 if not all, of the cartoons in which he figured. Similarly did 
 Napoleon IIL love to collect all those of himself which he 
 could obtain, and pore over them at inter^"als, even in those 
 sadly fallen times he spent at Chislehurst. And he had material 
 for reflection enough, for in no way, I take it, can a public man 
 learn what a world of savagery, hatred, cruelty, and un- 
 charitableness lies, not so much in man's mind, but in that 
 corner of it which we euphemistically term his "humour," as in 
 following the handiwork of the political caricaturist of France. 
 Mr. Spurgeon, too, used to keep all the cartoons and caricatures 
 that sought to turn him to ridicule ; and Lord Beaconsfield, like 
 the Prince Consort, Lord Randolph Churchill (who possessed 
 several of the orig^inal Punch drawings into which he had 
 been introduced), among other politicians of the day, kept these 
 artistic instruments of political torture before him, as a man 
 treasures in his locket the hair of the dog that bit him. A 
 visitor to Hughenden gave, in the " Dublin Mail," an interesting 
 illustration of this tribute to the comic press. He was waiting
 
 200 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 in an ante-chamber, '' and while passing the time ni}' attention 
 was attracted to a clever sketch of the then Prime Minister, de- 
 picted as Hamlet, seated at a table covered with innumerable 
 documents, the text quotation being, ' The time is out of joint. 
 O Cursed spite, That [ever] I was born to set it right ! ' I was 
 smiling at the picture, which, I may add, was a cut out of Punch, 
 and framed, when the Prime Minister entered with the gentleman 
 who was to present me, and finding me gazing at the sketch Lord 
 Beaconsfield said, ' Yes, that is one of the best caricatures of me 
 that has yet appeared, and, strange to say, the artist has neither 
 presented me with donkey's ears nor cloven hoofs. I feel very 
 much flattered ! ' Lord Beaconsfield took an interest in all the 
 caricatures that appeared of him, and at the time he ched he 
 had several hundreds in his possession." 
 
 Mr. Gladstone, who, we have often been assured, has not the 
 gift of humour, has at least enjoyed Punch's good-natured yet 
 occasionally severe raillery, and in the same Edinburgh speech to 
 which reference has already been made, he recalled with much 
 relish how, in connection with the rejection of the Paper Duty 
 Bill, he was represented in a cartoon as being decorated by the 
 triumphant Lord Derby — the Lord Derby of that day, who led 
 the House of Lords — with an immense sheet of paper made 
 into a fool's-cap, which he dropped upon his head. Mr. Goschen 
 took a still more exalted view of Puncli s prestige when he 
 declared (at Rugby, November, 1881) that "he had since attained 
 to the highest ambition which a statesman can reach — namely, 
 to have a cartoon in Punch all to himself." 
 
 But hardly less important, in many a public man's opinion, 
 than the sardonic significance of Punch's treatment of him in 
 the cartoon, is the degree of facial resemblance achieved by the 
 artist. It is undeniable that a likeness which is only half a like- 
 ness will often rob an otherwise admirable cartoon of half its 
 success, just as it was oftentimes the excellence of the portraiture 
 which more than counterbalanced the weakness of H5's 
 sketches. Lord Brougham always flattered himself that Punch's 
 portraits of him did not do him justice, and John Forster, in his 
 " Life of Dickens," bears witness to it. " Lord Carlisle repeated 
 what the good old Brougham had said to him of ' those Punch
 
 Different Views of Lord Beaconsfield. 201 
 people/ expressing what was really his fixed belief, ' They never 
 
 LORD BEACONSFIELD IN " PUNCH. 
 
 By R. Doyle, J. Leech, J. Teitnicl, C. Keene, L. Savibourne, and H. Furttiss. 
 Re-drawn by Harry Fiimiss.) 
 
 get my face, and are obliged to put up with my plaid trousers.' " 
 But another writer, on the contrary, states that Lord Brougham
 
 202 The History of "Punch." 
 
 " himself admits that the Punch hkenesses are the best. Of 
 course, they are a httle exaggerated, but not so much so as many 
 with whom I have chatted on the subject are apt to suppose ; " 
 while Motley, the American Minister, declared, after an official 
 meetmg with the grim old lord, " He is exactly like the pictures 
 in Punch, only Punch flatters him. The common pictures of 
 Palmerston and Lord John Russell are not at all like, to my 
 mind ; but Brougham is always hit exactly." Leech, indeed, 
 enjoyed nothing more than caricaturing him, one of the most 
 precious butts Punch ever took to himself, until he was twitted 
 in the " Puppet- Show " at the liberties he took : " The pro- 
 prietors will be compelled to widen the columns of their journal 
 ... to show, as far as space will admit, to what lengths a nose 
 may go in the hands of an unprincipled illustrator." But it was 
 not only that Punch delighted in toying with Lord Brougham's 
 cantankerousness and his peculiarities of manner and diction — 
 as in the famous cartoon of Lord Brougham as Mrs. Caudle, of 
 the original sketch for which a reproduction is given opposite — 
 but he steadily carried into execution his threat of earlier days, 
 to drag Lord Brougham " in the mire." He has been as good 
 as his word ever since the day when Dicky Do3'le drew the 
 famous cover which is familiar to us all — that is to say, in 
 1849 — for, as you will see if you will refer to last week's 
 Punch, a young faun in the grand procession that appears as a 
 relievo upon the podium or base draws along the mask of 
 Brougham by a string. But without doubt one of the most 
 successful cartoons Leech ever drew, and the most humorous 
 portrait of Brotigham, represented him as a clown at Astley's, 
 going up to the splendid ring-master, the Duke of Wellington 
 (as IVIr. Widdicomb of Astley's Amphitheatre) and saying 
 "Well, Mr. Wellington, is there anything I can do for you 
 — for to run, for to fetch, for to carry, for to borrow, for to 
 steal ? " As Lord Brougham was suspected of undue com- 
 plaisance towards the Duke at the time, the neatness of the 
 political allusion was received with extraordinary favour by 
 the public. 
 
 Another admirable portrait, consistently good, was that of 
 Sir Robert Peel : so good, indeed, that when it was proposed to
 
 S/J? Robert Peel's Statue. 
 
 203 
 
 erect a statue to the statesman, and the best of all likenesses 
 was sought as a guide to the sculptor — a resemblance truthful in 
 feature and natural expression — the choice fell on a cartoon 
 by Leech, and according to that drawing the head was 
 modelled. Palmerston, too, was not a little impressed when 
 in Wales a postman spoke to him as though he knew him, 
 
 " THE MRS. CAUDLE OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS." 
 
 " What do you say ? Thank heaven ! You are going to enjoy the recess — and you'll 
 be rid of me for some months P Never mind. Depend upon it, when you come back, 
 you shall have it again. No : I don't raise the House, and set everybody in it 
 by the ears ; but I'm not going to give up every little privilege; though it's seldom 
 I open my Hps, goodness knows!" — "Caudle Lectures" (improved). 
 Mrs. Caudle, Lord Brougham; Mr. Caudle, Lord Chancellor Lyxdhurst. 
 
 {From the original Sketch for the Cartoon draiv:i by John Leech at Thackeray's suggestion.) 
 
 and replied, when questioned as to the recognition, " Seen your 
 picture in Punch, my lord." 
 
 But Punch, it must be admitted, has often departed from 
 the solemn truth, both unintentionally and of malice afore- 
 thought. It was his common practice to put a straw into 
 Lord Palmerston's mouth. Palmerston, of course, never did 
 chew straws ; but one was adopted as a symbol to show 
 his cool and sportive nature. Many a time has that straw
 
 204 ^-^^ History of "Punch." 
 
 formed the topic of serious discussion by serious writers. 
 Some have pretended that it was designed to typify an 
 expression used by one of his admiring followers in the 
 House — a tribute to his " stable character ; " others have said 
 that it became his attribute from the time that he described 
 himself as " playing the part of judicious Bottle-Holder to 
 the pugnacious Powers of Europe ; " and Mark Lemon 
 declared that it was simply used as a sort of trade-mark 
 whereby he might be known again, just as Mr. Harry Furniss 
 invented Mr. Gladstone's collars, Lord Randolph Churchill's 
 diminutiveness, and exaggerated those complacent smiles and 
 oily rippling chins of Sir William Harcourt, continuing them 
 long after the time when Sir William could boast the local 
 portliness no more. However, it is certain that the sprig 
 of straw, which really referred onlv to his pure devotion 
 to the Turf, from 1815 onwards, was first used in 1851, just 
 after the whimsical " Judicious Bottle-Holder " declaration, 
 and, as a matter of fact, added not a little to Palmerston's 
 popularity', as not only representing the Turf, but a Sam 
 Weller-like calmness, alertness, and good-humour. 
 
 Similarly both Leech and Tenniel were in the habit of 
 giving Bright an eye-glass. " Some of us remember seeing 
 him wear a coat with a stand-up collar in the House of 
 Commons," said a writer in the " Daily Telegraph," " and a 
 broad-brimmed hat ; but * why,' he used to ask with a merry 
 face, ' did Punch alwa3'S put an eye-glass in my eye ? I 
 never wore a single eye-glass ! ' " That was just the point ; 
 for no doubt the simple reason was that the addition of a 
 monocle was supposed to lend a sort of rakish appearance to 
 the solemn Quaker, and belonged to the same genus of perverse 
 jocularity as that which suggested three hats as the humorous 
 covering for young Disraeli's head. Mr. W. H. Smith in 
 like manner geniallv protested at a complimentary dinner 
 in 1877 against the liberties taken with his person. "As to 
 Punch," he said, " whose remarks ha\"e been mentioned, I 
 beg leave to say that I do not go to sea in uniform, or 
 exhibit those very queer expressions of face depicted by 
 Pimch's artists."
 
 The Caricaturists' Despair. 205 
 
 There are some men whose physiognomies defy the 
 deftest pencils. Such a one was Cobden, whose views Pttnch 
 represented far more faithfully and sympathetically than 
 his face. At the Cobden dinner of 1884 Lord Carlingford 
 drew fresh attention to the point : '' Cobden's was, for some 
 reason which I never heard explained, a most difficult i^ice 
 to sketch, and Puncli was in despair at the impossibility of 
 producing a caricature that could be recognised without 
 explanatory text. Many of the artists tried Cobden, and 
 were floored over him. Leech and Tenniel both confessed 
 that they could not hit the familiar expression. Somehow, 
 the}' ne^-er did hit it, though photograph}- came bv-and-by 
 to their aid." The statement is perfectly true, but the 
 reason is not hard to find : simply that a shaven face, 
 without well-marked features or strong lines of character, and, 
 above all, without angularities, gives the artist extremely 
 little to " take hold of." For that reason such faces as those 
 of Lord Rosebery, Mr. Asquith, and Mr. John Morley (of the 
 latter of whom Mr. Furniss used to say the true characteristic 
 expression is only to be found in his red cravat) are as often 
 failures as successes, in even the skilfuUest hands. It is the 
 fault of neither the artist nor the person mis-represented ; 
 according to ]\Ir. Lucy — it is "the act of God." 
 
 Before the days of photography the work of the carica- 
 turist was harder than it is now. Draughtsmen had to be 
 familiar with the faces of the leading men of the day — even 
 as Leech was, by " getting them " into their sketch-books 
 by hook or by crook, or else they would accept the portrait 
 already published by a brother-artist. Even to-day it 
 sometimes occurs that a man of importance has not been' 
 photographed. In that case he must be sketched or 
 remembered, or his portrait "faked up" on the block until it 
 bears some resemblance to the person required. But, passing 
 from mere portraiture to the realisation of ideas, the artist 
 feels his liberty, and gives his genius full rein. Thus it is 
 that Puncli has always been happy and successful in his 
 "types." It is thoroughly in the spirit of caricature that 
 types should be established and adhered to in order to express.
 
 2o6 The History of ''Pu.xch." 
 
 in s}'mbolic form, nations and even ideas. Not only is it 
 poetical, it is convenient ; and has perforce been adopted 
 in every country where political caricature is employed, 
 though with standards and notions very different from our 
 own. In Italy, for example, and in a minor degi'ee in 
 Germany, John Bull, as the symbol of Great Britain, is 
 usually represented b}- a travesty of Punch's, with a brutal 
 head and band}^ legs, and the whole figure bent in body to 
 suggest a bull, horns sometimes protruding beside the hat ; 
 while Russia is courteously represented as a frantic Cossack 
 of terrific mien, brandishing a knout with violent and savage 
 intent. We may claim that our types, as in^'ented by 
 Punch, are of immeasurable superiority, whether of con- 
 ception or of realisation. Our John Bull — a lineal descendant 
 probably of Gillray's favourite representation of George the 
 Third as ''Farmer Gearge" — is a fine noble fellow enough 
 as drawn by Leech and developed by Tenniel ; indeed, in 
 the drawings of the latter may often be seen the idealised 
 face of Mark Lemon, his jovial Editor. 
 
 This view of the tvpe of England has attracted the 
 attention of Ruskin. " Is it not surely," he ^sks, " some 
 overruling power in the nature of things, quite other than 
 the desire of his readers, which compels Mr. Punch, when 
 the squire, the colonel, and the admiral are to be at once 
 expressed, together with all that they legislate or fight for, 
 in the symbolic figure of the nation, to present the incar- 
 nate Mr. Bull always as a farmer — never as a manufacturer 
 or shopkeeper — and to conceive and exhibit him rather as 
 paymaster for the faults of his neighbours than as watching 
 for opportunit}' of gain out of their follies ? " And again, 
 " . . . . considering Punch as the expression of the popular 
 voice, which he virtually is, and even somewhat obsequiously, 
 is it not wonderful that he has never a word to say for the 
 British manufacturer, and that the true citizen of his own 
 city is represented by him only under the types either of 
 Sir Pompey Bedell or of the more tranquil magnate and 
 potentate, the bulwark of British constitutional principles and 
 initiator of British private enterprise, Mr. John Smith ? "
 
 Mr. Gladstone Year by Year. 
 
 207 
 
 It is true that Punch has imposed upon a nation a character 
 which, as depicted, is unknown in the land, and placed him 
 in a line of business notoriously dissimilar from that in which 
 
 MR. GLADSTONE IN " PUNCH." 
 {By J. Leech, J. Tcnniel, L. Saiiibournc, and H. Furniss. Rc-drawn by Harry Funiiss.) 
 
 he really engages ; and the sum-total of it all is greath' to 
 the credit of Mr. Punch's influence. He has, in fact, "edu- 
 cated" a nation. For to this day, no sooner does each
 
 2o8 The History of "Fl'xcn." 
 
 succeeding Wednesday spread the new issue over the country 
 than a mass of newspapers, both in England and in the 
 colonies, immediately describe and discuss "This week's car- 
 toon" for the edification of their readers. And so we have 
 come to accept these types until they have almost gro^^Tl 
 into concrete ideas — conventions which have been given to 
 us chieflv bv Sir John Tenniel — Britannia and Father Time, 
 the Xew Year and the Old, Cousin Jonathan (or Uncle Sam) 
 and Columbia, Death and Crime, Starvation and Disease, 
 Peace and War, Justice and Anarchy, the British Lion (might 
 not the s^Tnbol nowadays be more appropriately the British 
 Racehorse ?), the Bengal Tiger, the Russian Bear, the Eagle, 
 and all the rest. And could they well be bettered ?
 
 209 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PUNCH OX THE WAR-PATH : ATTACK. 
 
 Punch lays about Him — Assaults the "Morning Post" — The Factitious "Jen- 
 kins" — Thackeray's Farewell — Mrs. Gamp (the "Morning Herald'; and 
 Mrs. Harris (the " Standard") — Lese Majeste! — ^The " Standard" Fulminates 
 a Leader — The Retort — His Loyalty — Banters the Prince Consort — Tribute 
 on the Princes Death — Punch's Butts ; Lord William Lennox — ^JuUien— Sir 
 Peter Laurie — Harrison Ainsworth — Lj^ton — Turner— A Fallacy of Hope — 
 Bume-Jones — Charles Kean — S. C. Hall as " Pecksniff" — James Silk Buck- 
 ingham and the "British and Foreign Destitute" — Alfred Bunn — Punch's 
 Waterloo: "A Word vdih Punch" — Bunn, Hot and Cross — A Second 
 "Word" Prepared, but never Uttered — Other Points of Attack. 
 
 Though for many years Punch has claimed to be " even-body's 
 friend," he would certainly not have done so during the earlier 
 part of his career. Then he was constantly in the wars, not 
 merely because he was criticising public men, attacking abuses, 
 and making sport of his favourite butts ; but because he had 
 not yet learned to break away from the joumahstic duelling 
 that prevailed. In these more sophisticated days it is the usual 
 aim of ever}- prominent journal to ignore as far as possible the 
 existence of its rivals ; then, it was thought that that existence 
 could be best undermined, if not absolutely cut short, by direct 
 attack. Party spirit ran ver}- high ; and to Punch's undoubted 
 strength in serious writing was added a power of pungent ^^^t 
 and sarcasm unequalled by any rival. He thus became a ver}' 
 formidable adversary- ; and he knew it. But he did not put 
 forth his full strength until he felt sure of his o^^Tl firm estab- 
 iishment ; nor did he turn his baton upon his brothers in the 
 press until he had made a lively start upon indi\-idual states- 
 men and private persons, and formally set them up as his own 
 particular Aunt Salhes for private and pubhc practice. 
 
 His first onslaught on the daily press was made upon the 
 •'Morning Post" (p. 126, Vol. IV.), by the hand, not of 
 Thackerav, as has hitherto been beheved, but of Douglas 
 o
 
 2IO The History of ''Punchy 
 
 Jenold, under the title of "The 'Post' at the Opera." The 
 tone of that newspaper was irresistible to the democrats of 
 Punch; and Thackeray, Leech, and a Beckett took up the 
 running with great glee. Jerrold and Thackeray chose to 
 personify the paper by the creation of " Jenkins/' and the 
 "Jenkins Papers" soon became a recognised feature and one 
 of the standard jokes of the paper. Leech's illustrations 
 were every bit as good as the others' text ; and even when 
 the gentle Hine was called upon to make sketches upon the 
 same subject, he found himself inspired like the rest. " Jen- 
 kins," the toady, and " Lickspittleoff," his " Russian editor," 
 were grand sport in the office, and their example was fol- 
 lowed — not a little to their disgust — by the " Great Gun " 
 and other papers. Soon after his first introduction (p. 123, 
 Vol. V.) " Jenkins " was cast aside as a joke played out, and 
 Thackera}' took leave of him in the following amazing lines : — 
 
 " Fun'Ch's Partixg Tribute." 
 
 " Oh ! Jenkins, homme du peuple — mangez bien ! * 
 Desormais avec toi nous ferons rien, 
 Vous etes tout use— chose qui montre la corde,t 
 Nos lecteurs etaient mal de toi d'abord ; / 
 
 Allez-vous-en — votre baton coupez vite, 
 En Pouch jamais votre nom — de'sormais sera dite." 
 
 But when the possibilities of " Jenkins " were fully realised, 
 he was revived, and for some years did excellent service as a 
 subject for humorous attack. 
 
 / A more serious campaign upon which Punch now entered 
 ^vas that against the "Standard" and the "Morning Herald." 
 He had with some astuteness, and doubtless not without 
 sincerity, ranged himself on the side of the " Times," and 
 threw himself into the fray with all the zest and some of the 
 irresponsibility of the licensed jester, t " jVIartin Chuzzlewit " 
 
 * Mangez bien, Jenkinsonian French for " fare well." 
 
 t Jenkinsonian French for " thread-bare subject." 
 
 + On the occasion of Punch's Jubilee, July. 1891, the "Times" remarked: 
 " Alay we be excused for noting the fact that he [Punch] has generally, in 
 regard to public affairs, taken his cue from the ' Times ' ?y-
 
 Baiting the "Standard" and "Morning Herald^ 211 
 
 had already seized upon the town, and the names of Mrs. 
 Gamp and Mrs. Harris were on ever^'bodv's hps. Punch 
 chose to assume that the "Morning Herald" and the 
 " Standard "— morning and evening papers then which 
 represented the Conservative party, both of them until 1857 
 belonging to one proprietor — were edited respectively by the 
 two ladies aforesaid. The "Standard" was verv wroth. It 
 would not have been so sore perhaps at being dubbed " Betsy 
 Prig;" but, being in fact almost a reprint of the "Herald," 
 the suggestion of "Mrs. Harris" — a creature of no existence, 
 the mere reflex of Mrs. Gamp's own inane and besodden 
 brain — was too calmly provoking, as it was meant to be, to 
 be borne in silence. These two journals were highly un- 
 popular at the time ; for the " Manchester School " was making 
 headwav, and Free Trade was already a powerful and signifi- 
 cant crv. So when Punch laughed at them for two — though 
 really one — disreputable old women, and Leech's inimitable 
 pencil typified them as such, in mob-cap and pattens, the 
 public laughed with him, whatever their own political opinion 
 might be. It should be noted, however, that Punch's first 
 brush with the "Herald" was personal, not political. In 
 February, 1843, the latter journal had fathered upon Punch 
 a poor joke of which he was entirely innocent, and which 
 he repudiated in an article entitled " Impudent Attempt at 
 Fraud." The quarrel thus begim in fun was continued in 
 earnest, and soon the " Herald," as a representative of public 
 opinion, had no more damaging assailant than " our humorous 
 contemporar}'." 
 
 Now, in November, 1845, there appeared a reference to 
 " Mrs. Harris, Editress of the Standard," as well as a 
 drawing by Leech, called " Maternal Solicitude," which was 
 intended to satirise the snobbery of persons who name their 
 children after the Royal Family. It represents the \-isit of 
 one ladv to another, while a pair of repulsive-looking brats 
 of one of them make up the group. " And the dear child- 
 ren ? " asks the friend. "Why," rephes the fond mother, 
 " Alexandrina Victoria is a good deal better ; but dear little 
 Albert here is still very delicate." 
 o 2
 
 212 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 Thereupon the "Standard" opened the floodgates of its 
 anger in a leading article, the whole tone of which is a curious 
 contrast to its dignity and moderation at the present da}'. 
 In the course of its outburst it said : — 
 
 Still not one word from the " Times '' in support of its charge of 
 the exercise of Court influence at the Windsor Election. As usual, 
 
 MATERNAL SOLICITUDE. 
 
 " And the dear children ? " 
 
 " Why, Alexandrina Victoria is a good deal better ; but dear little Albert here 
 is still very delicate.'' 
 
 [Drawn by Jolin Leech. From ^^ Punch," Xcrz'. 2^rti, 1845.) 
 
 however, ... its toadies are active and noisy. . . . To-day we, of 
 course, find Punch the most abject, probably, of all the " Times " 
 toadies, discharging the duties of its mean avocation in an article 
 libelling the successful candidate, libelling the military, libelling 
 the young gentlemen of Eton, and ascribing Colonel Reid's return 
 
 to " kitchen-stairs influence " emanating from the Castle If 
 
 there were any fun in the article to which we refer, we might 
 forgive the malice and falsehood, as we are all too much disposed 
 to do, for the joke's sake ; but dull as all the articles of Punch 
 have been lateh- growing, this article on the Windsor Election is
 
 "Mrs. Harris" Impeaches ''Punch." 213 
 
 the stupidest that Ave have seen in its cohimns — a mere display of 
 heavy spitefuhiess. We should probably have overlooked this 
 piece of impertinence had Punch confined itself to letterpress 
 in its ioadv vindication of the quarrel of the " Times ; '' but in 
 the 222nd page of the number which contains the Windsor 
 Election article, there is a disgusting caricature of the Queen and 
 her family, the most false and unjust in what it implies that it 
 is possible to conceive, and the most offensive to the feelings of 
 a mother. The effect of such an insult to a Sovereign the object 
 of her people's respect and love will, we imagine, be different 
 from what the " Times " and its /oart'z'^j- anticipate. At all events, 
 such insults will not, in the absence of all proof, render credible 
 the false allegation of the exercise of Court influence, or enable 
 the "Times" to get rid of our challenge, which we again repeat — 
 this is a point from which we shall not be driven, until we have 
 a direct answer from the " Times " itself, not from its toadies. 
 The Queen may be libelled as the Punch., " Times," and 
 " Examiner " libel her Majesty, if Sir Frederick Thesiger permit ; 
 but our Sovereign shall not be belied while we have the power 
 to expose the fabricators of falsehood and their fabrications. 
 
 One may well wonder whether the "Standard" was really 
 serious, or only ''making believe" in order to strengthen its 
 attack upon the "Times." But it suited Punch to take the 
 outburst serious!}', though with provoking calmness. First 
 retorting that it is well that the editress of the " Standard " 
 —he invariably referred to " the editress "—wears pattens 
 as a precaution which the nature of her walks renders very 
 necessary, although they are constantly tripping her up, 
 Punch quietly remarked that "'Our Grandmother' must 
 surely have taken an additional drop of 'something comfort- 
 able ' ; " and Leech parodied Phiz' etching of Mrs. Gamp 
 and Betsy Prig, in which "the editress" declares, "As for 
 that nasty, hojus Punch, I'm dispoged to scratch 'is hi's out 
 a'most. What I ses, I ses ; and what I ses, I sticks to." The 
 campaign was conducted with considerable spirit by Gilbert a 
 Beckett and Percival Leigh, with slight assistance from 
 Horace Mayhew ; and was continued with remorseless gaiety 
 and bitterness for some years. In the pages here devoted 
 to Thackeray reference is made to the personal feeling which
 
 214 The History of "Punch." 
 
 existed between him and the " Morning Post " and to the 
 effective retahation on the part of that newspaper. 
 
 PiDicJis loyalty, as a matter of fact, has always been above 
 suspicion and above proof. Democrat as he was, and indepen- 
 dent in his views, he was as indignant as the " Standard " itself 
 when the half-demented Bean made his attempt upon the 
 Queen's life ; yet gleeful to a degi^ee when his Liege Lady was 
 called upon to pay income-tax precisely as all her subjects did. 
 The birth of the Prince of Wales, which coincided with Lord 
 Ma}'or's Da}-, provided Punch with an opportunity for showing 
 much lo^'alty and more wit ; and the interest with which 
 he followed the education and amusements of the Heir- 
 Apparent, the anxiety with which he made suggestions for 
 the best appointments, in his nurser5--household, to the office 
 of the " Master of the (Rocking) Horse," the " Clerk of the 
 Pea-Shooter," and so forth ; the delight with which, by the 
 hand of Leech (1846), he published a charming cartoon of the 
 lad as a man-o' -war's man, thus popularising the dress of 
 English boys, while the sketch itself was widely reproduced 
 as a bronze or plaster group — all this proved the benevolent 
 sentiments he entertained towards the Royal Family. This 
 benevolence has cropped up again and again — when the 
 Prince visited Canada and America (i860); when, in 1861, 
 he went up to Trinit}' College, Cambridge (the Mayor and 
 Corporation coming in for severe criticism, however, for 
 their snobbish Address) ; when he married ; when he fell ill 
 and recovered ; and when he celebrated his Jubilee — on which 
 occasion Punch declared that " the longer he knew him the 
 better he liked him " — a sentiment the genuineness of which 
 could hardly have been questioned by an}' but the blindest 
 of critics. From first to last Punch has been a respectful 
 godfather, and a wise and kindly guardian. 
 
 Towards the Queen herself Punch has shown unswer\'ing 
 chivalry and reverence, even during the shouting days when 
 democracy was more noisily republican than it is to-day. 
 The Queen figures often in the earlier cartoons, and the care 
 with which the draughtsmen sought to do justice to the 
 pure outline of her fair face is at least a tribute to their good
 
 Satirising the Prince Consort. 215 
 
 taste. Punch never affected to regard her as a mere figure- 
 head, but always represented her in a position of authorit\\ 
 her Ministers in character of domestic servants taking her 
 instructions, and not at all tendering advice ; and ever}- 
 important incident in the life of the Queen has been touched 
 upon with the utmost respect and sympath}-. 
 
 But with the Prince Consort the case was soniewhat dif- 
 ferent. As Mr. Burnand and 'Mr. Arthur a Beckett have 
 written * : — 
 
 " It is strange to note that, until the hour of his death, the man 
 whose memory is now universally respected was highly unpopular 
 with the general public. The Democritus ot Fleet Street was, and 
 is, essentially representative, and the popular opinion of the merits 
 or demerits of H.R.H. is constantly shown. Only a few weeks 
 after the cartoon " [of the Prince Consort tying up his door-knocker 
 on the occasion of the birth of the Princess Beatrice] " Mr. Punch is 
 drawn looking at the portrait of the Prince Consort at a review at 
 the Royal Academy, and saying, '' No. 24. A field-marshal ; h'm — 
 very good indeed. What sanguinary engagement can it be ? " 
 That these satirical observations were made simply at Prince Albert's 
 expense, and were not intended to reflect upon the Queen or the rest 
 of the Royal Family, is shown by the extremely hearty manner in 
 which the marriage of the Princess Royal was welcomed by Mr. 
 Punch as representing the English feeling. John Bull is heard 
 saying, as he hands over to the Imperial Princess of Germany her 
 dowry, ' There, my child ! God bless you ! And may \ou make 
 as good a wife as your mother.' " 
 
 It is probable that the real source of the Prince Consort's 
 mipopularit}' was his foreign nationality, added to the ignorance 
 of the people of his enthusiasm and indefatigable efforts for the 
 public weal. His rapid promotion in military rank, already 
 referred to, was not appreciated in the country, and was 
 mercilessly lampooned in Punch ; and attention was attracted 
 to the fact that from that time forward the Duke of Welling- 
 ton always prefixed the initials " P.M." in his short, brusque 
 third-person letters. '' H.R.H. P.M. Paterfamilias" was for 
 some time one of the chief of Punch's stock jests. The 
 
 * "Fortnightly Review," December, 1886.
 
 2i6 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Prince was pursued into bis private apartments, and shown as 
 a pere de famille in not the most respectful spirit. In one 
 picture he is represented in his dressing-gown conferring upon 
 " P— pps the Fortunate " the Knighthood of the Shower 
 Bath ; in others, the effect of Time upon his head and figure 
 are dwelt upon with real sardonic relish. The misapprehen- 
 sions of the public were not unnaturally reflected by Punch, 
 and a cut was much applauded in which the Prince was 
 shown stopped by a policeman in Trafalgar Square when in 
 the act of removing a couple of pictures ft-om the National 
 Gallery. Punch pointedly inquires, " Taking them to Kensing- 
 ton Gore ? Suppose you leave 'em where they are, eh ? " 
 
 More justifiable perhaps, but still somewhat harsh, was 
 Punch's protest (1854) against the Prince's supposed interfer- 
 ence in State politics. He is shown skating on the ice, warned 
 off by Mr. Punch from a section of it labelled " Foreign Affairs 
 — Danrerous." And in the same vear he is attacked with 
 extraordinarv gusto by reason of the new hat he had devised 
 for the British army — or, at least, for the Guards. In 1843 the 
 first " Albert shako " had appeared, and Leech, in a cartoon 
 called " Prince Albert's Studio," exhibited it as a pretended 
 work of art in the most ludicrous light. Again, in 1847 ^^^^ 
 Prince had invented a similar headgear, popularly christened 
 "the Albert Hat," which Punch converted to his uses and 
 worked to death. " The New Albert Bonnet for the Guards " 
 ridicules the idea unmercifully, and " the British Grenadier as 
 improved by His Royal Highness Prince Albert, decidedly 
 calculated to fiighten the Russians," was another grotesque 
 perversion of a praiseworthy attempt with which Mr. Punch 
 was in his heart a good deal in sympath}-. For his artists were 
 as diligent as the Prince in trying to improve the uniform of 
 the British soldier, contrasting with its wretched inconvenience 
 the serviceability and ease of the sailor's. The drawing in which 
 a private, half choked by his stock, held helplessly rigid by his 
 straps and buckles, and unable to hold his gim as his " head's 
 coming off! " illustrates the fact that Punch's views and Prince 
 Albert's had much in common. We have the authority of 
 Sir Theodore Martin, in his biography (Vol. II., p. 299), that
 
 An Eloquent Tribute. 217 
 
 the Prince Consort took PuncJi s humours in very good part, 
 and made a large collection of the caricatures of the day, in 
 the belief that in them alone could the true position of a 
 public man be recognised. But it is said that soon after this 
 last crusade a hint was received from Windsor Castle to the 
 effect that a little less personality and a little more justice 
 in respect to the Prince would be appreciated, as much b}' the 
 people as bv the Court. It is certain that after this time the 
 attacks practicalh" came to an end. And when the Prince 
 died, there were few truer mourners in the land, and the 
 widowed Queen had few sincerer sympathisers, than the 
 jester whose railler}^ had been so keen, and who felt too late 
 a generous remorse. 
 
 '' It was too soon to die," wrote Shirley Brooks in a 
 poem called, simply, "Albert, December Fourteenth, 1861 " — 
 
 " It was too soon to die. 
 
 Yet, might we count his vears b}' triumphs won, 
 By wise, and bold, and Christian duties done. 
 It were no brief eventless history. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 " Could there be closer tie 
 
 'Twixt us, who, sorrowing, own a nation's debt, 
 And Her, our own dear Lady, who as yet 
 Must meet her sudden woe with tearless eye : 
 
 " When with a kind relief 
 
 Those eyes rain tears, O might this thought employ ! 
 Him whom she loved Ave loved. We shared her joy, 
 And will not be denied to share her grief." 
 
 Punch always had a number of butts on hand — men whom 
 he attacked for their delinquencies, real or imaginary, or whom 
 on account of idiosyncrasies he thought to be fair game, just for 
 the fun of it. One of the first of these was Lord William 
 Lennox, a nobleman of literary pretensions, whose efforts, how- 
 ever, were' said to be more pretentious than literary. His novel 
 of " The Tuft-Hunter" was quickly '' spotted " by the critics, and 
 Hood was the first to declare that the book was little else than 
 a patchwork firom his own " Tylney Hall," from " The Lion," 
 and from Scott's "Antiquary," though the "names and
 
 2i8 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 epithets" were changed. "Such kind of borrowing as this," 
 
 Milton has said, '' if it be not bettered by the borrower, among 
 
 good authors is accounted plagiare ; " and as plagiarism of the 
 
 most unblushing character Punch adjudged it. Hood himself 
 
 contributed his mite to the discussion in the paper in the form 
 
 of the following : — 
 
 " Epigram 
 
 " On the ' Tjift-Hunter!! by Lord William Lennox. 
 
 " A duke once declared — and most solemnly, too — - 
 That whatever he liked with his own he would do ; 
 But the son of a duke has gone further and shown 
 He will do what he likes when it isn't his own ! " 
 
 And it was Hood who inspired Jerrold with the idea of the 
 biting article headed '' Daring Robbery by a Xoble Lord — 
 Punch's Police." In this instance Punch was genuinely indig- 
 nant, and he proceeded to make Lord William's life a burden to 
 him with such announcements as : " Shortly will be published, 
 in two volumes, 8vo, a new work, entitled ' Future and Xever,' 
 by Lord W. Lennox, author of Carlyle's ' Past and Present,' etc. 
 etc., and of Wordsworth's ' We are Six and One ' ; " and again 
 "Prize Comedy by Lord W. Lennox: 'Academy for Scandal'; " 
 while a portion of Punch's preface to his sixth volume (1844) 
 was supposed to be written by Lord William, and presented a 
 most laughable compound of sayings and quotations, with slight 
 alteration, from well-known authors. But when Punch dropped 
 him, the unhappy author was not left alone, for the "Great 
 Gun " and other journals picked him up, and played with what 
 remained of his literary reputation. 
 
 It was in his second number that Punch began his persistent 
 ridicule of Jullien, the famous chef d'orchestre who introduced 
 the Promenade Concerts to Drury Lane, with such prodigious 
 success. The poem, from the pen of W. H. Wills, began 
 characteristically — " One — crash ! Two — clash ! Three — dash ! 
 Four — smash ! ! " and, not wholh^ without malevolence, de- 
 scribed the popular conductor as a 
 
 " ci-devatit waiter 
 Of a quai'ante-sous traiteur" —
 
 jullien's Superb Vanity. 219 
 
 thus laying the foundation for the charges of musical ignorance, 
 illiteracy, musical-'' ghost "-employment, and other imposture, 
 under which he suffered in this country nearly all his life. Jullien 
 indignantly denied the hard impeachment, and declared that 
 he began his musical life as a fifer in the French navy, and 
 had in that capacity been present on a man-o'-war at the 
 battle of Solferino in 1829. His assailant accepted the 
 statement as to his militar}- achievement, adding the sug- 
 gestion that after working himself up to more than 
 concert pitch, and " holding in his hand one sharp, which 
 he turned into several flats," Jullien withdrew from the 
 service on account of the discord of battle, particularly as the 
 shrieks of the wounded were horribly out of tune. 
 
 Punch fell back on Jullien's well-oiled ringlets, his general 
 temie and violent gesticulation, and, with better cause, on his 
 "Row Polka," and on those wild and frenzied quadrilles in which 
 the music in one part was " accentuated with a salvo of artillery." 
 But Pu?ich, ignoring the better part of Jullien's musical ability, 
 made no allowance for the curious quality of his mind, which 
 was evidently ill-balanced, and indeed was finally overthrown. 
 Jullien's vanity, for example, was sublime, rivalling that of 
 the Knellers and Greuzes -of earlier days ; and his biogi"apher 
 sets forth how, in the scheme he imagined for the civilisation 
 of the world by means of music, he had determined (though 
 essentially a " dance musician " ) to set to music the Lord's 
 Prayer. It could not fail, said Jullien, to be an unprecedented 
 success, with two of the greatest names in history on its 
 title-page ! The musician ultimately died through overwork, 
 the consequence of an honourable attempt to meet his lia- 
 bilities. 
 
 Sir Peter Laurie was another favourite quarry, who almost 
 from the beginning was singled out of the Corporation, of which 
 he was really one of the most efificient members, because he 
 aimed at " putting down " by the stern administration of justice 
 what, perhaps, could only be dealt with by s>-mpathy. Picnch 
 chose to interpret Sir Peter's views into regarding po\erty 
 less as a misfortune than as primd-facie evidence of the 
 poor man's guilt or folly ; but it was when the well-meaning
 
 220 The History of " Punch T 
 
 alderman so far " opened his mouth as to put his foot into 
 it," by declaring, when trying a case, "that it was his in- 
 tention to put down suicide," that Jerrold's pen stuck him 
 on to PiincJi's page, and heaped ridicule on him from 
 every point of view. Alderman Moon, the famous print- 
 seller of Threadneedle Street, was another butt — the more 
 unjustly (though he certainly did sometimes cut a ridiculous 
 figure) as he rendered real ser^^ce to artists, and looked upon 
 English art and its patronage in a broad and patriotic way, 
 even while he made his own fortune in doing so. This, how- 
 ever, he did not succeed in retaining, and his acts and motives 
 were sneered at, and his " testimonial " fatally ridiculed. 
 
 Then Harrison Ainsworth, as much for his good-looks 
 and his literary vanity, as for his tendency to reprint his 
 romances in such journals as came under his editorship, was 
 the object of constant banter. An epigi^am put the case very 
 neatly : — 
 
 Says Ainsworth to Colburn,* 
 
 " A plan in my pate is, 
 To give my romance, as 
 
 A supplement, gratis^ 
 Says Colburn to Ainsworth, 
 
 " 'Twill do yery nicely. 
 For that will be charging 
 
 Its value precisely." 
 
 Harrison Ainsworth could not have his portrait painted, nor 
 write a novel of crime and sensation, without being regarded 
 as a convenient peg for pleasantry. Similarly did Tom Taylor 
 fall foul of Bulwer Lytton (p. 91, Vol. IX.) by reason of the 
 dedication of " Zanoni " to Gibson the sculptor, in which it 
 was said that the book was not for " the common herd." The 
 stor}' of Lytton's castigation by Tennyson is duly related 
 where the Laureate's contributions to Punch are spoken of. 
 In Lytton's case, at least, Punch forgot to apply Swift's 
 aphorism that a man has just as much vanity as he has 
 understanding. 
 
 * His publisher.
 
 Art Criticism. 221 
 
 Of the artists, Turner perhaps lent himself most to Punch's 
 satire. Riiskin had not yet arisen to champion the mighty 
 painter's ill-appreciated art ; and Tm-ner's colour-dreams, in 
 which '' form " was often to a great extent ignored, were 
 not more tempting to the satirical Philistine than those 
 extraordinary quotations from his formless epic, called " The 
 Fallacies of Hope," extracts from which he loved to append 
 to his pictures' titles. Nothing could be better in the way 
 of satire than the manner in which Punch turned upon the 
 poor painter, and " guy'd " his picture with a burlesque of 
 his own poetic "style." It was in the Royal Academy of 
 1845 that the artist exhibited his celebrated "Venice — 
 Returning from the Ball ; " and this is how Punch received 
 it :— 
 
 " Oh ! what a scene ! — Can this be Venice ? No. 
 And 3'et methinks it is — because I see 
 Amid the lumps of yellow, red, and blue 
 Something which looks like a Venetian spire. 
 
 * * * * -/r -> 
 
 This in my picture I would fain convey ; 
 I hope I do. Alas ! What fallacy ! '' 
 
 Turner, unhappily, was acutely sensitive to these attacks ; 
 but Punch cared little for that, and probably— to do him 
 justice— knew still less. It is, however, notable that— doubtless 
 on account of that very common-sense which has nearly 
 alwa^'s kept him right on great questions— P//;/r// has usually 
 in art been nearly as much a Philistine as the public he 
 represents. When Sir Edward Bilrne-Jones burst forth into 
 the artistic firmament, Punch joined, if not the mockers, at 
 least the severer critics. " Burn Jones ? " said he ; " by 
 all means do." Of the exquisite "Mirror of Venus" and 
 " The Beguiling of ^Merlin " he ignored the poetry, and saw 
 little but the quaintness, his criticism being the nrore weighty 
 for its being clever. Of the first-named picture he observed :— 
 
 " Or crowding round one pool, from flowery shelves 
 A group of damsels bowed the knee 
 Over reflections solid as themselves 
 And like as peasen be."
 
 222 The History of " Puxch^' 
 
 While in the latter 
 
 "... mythic Uther's diddled son was seen 
 Packed in a trvnik with cramped limbs aAvry, 
 Spell-fettered by a Siren, limp and lean. 
 And at least twelve heads high." 
 
 Xo doubt, the grounds of Punch's opposition were not only 
 those which are recognised as belonging to the humorist ; 
 they consisted not a little in that healthy hatred of the affecta- 
 tion with which so much good art is husked. In more recent 
 times Punch did not ignore the fine decorative qualities ot 
 Mr. Aubrey Beardsley's art, though he plainh* loathed the 
 morbid ugliness of much of its conception and detail. 
 
 Perhaps no one was more heartily attacked than Charles 
 Kean — " Young Kean," it was the fashion to call him — 
 probably because between Jerrold and the actor there had 
 been a serious quarrel. As to this, which took its rise in 
 the -^re-Punch days, nothing need here be said ; it is fully dealt 
 with in the wit's biography. In the words of the present 
 Editor : " Onlv tardily was something like justice done to 
 Kean's influence on the drama of our time, by Punch, who 
 had been one of the first to sound the note of warning about 
 that ' stage-upholstery ' which was the first sign of the growth 
 of realism in dramatic art." Punch loved to contrast the 
 younger Kean with his more gifted father, and had no patience 
 with the , raucous voice and bad enunciation of the son ; but 
 his sketch of the actor as Sardanapalus (1853), "with a wine- 
 cup of the period," sets on record one of the most perfect 
 archaeological re\ivals that had ever been seen on the English 
 stage. But it was Kean's " Mephistopheles " (1854) that 
 afforded Punch his chance, for the actor's realisation was so 
 wide of Goethe's creation that it was a Frenchified demon, 
 played as a comic character. Punch admitted the beauty of 
 the production, but said that " as a piece of show and 
 mechanism (wires unseen) it will draw the eyes of the town, 
 especially the eyes with the least brains behind them." Kean's 
 performance was denounced as devoid of life and beauty, 
 btit generous praise was accorded to his newly made-up nose.
 
 " The Pecksxiffery." 223 
 
 to which the best part of the criticism was devoted. " It 
 has the true demoniacal curve," he said; "we never saw a 
 better view of the devil's bridge." And so, throughout, Punch 
 dogged Kean's progress. But as time went on, his criticism 
 lost the taint of personal feeling; and Kean was recognised at 
 last as our leading tragedian, though to the end he was never 
 accepted as a great actor. 
 
 A pretty accurate estimate as to Punch's pet " black beasts " 
 and popular butts at this time may be fonned b}- the list drawn 
 up in the paper of those persons whom Punch would exercise 
 his right to " challenge " if, in accordance with ]Mr, Serjeant 
 ]Murphy's suggestion in the House of Commons, Punch were 
 put upon his trial for conspiracy, apropos of Cobden. From 
 such a jur}-, we are told, there would be struck off, in addition 
 to those names already given, Mr. Grant (author of '' The 
 Great ^Metropolis "), Baron Xathan the composer. Alderman 
 Gibbs, D. W. Osbaldiston (of the Surrey Theatre), Colonel 
 Sibthorpe, and ]Moses the tailor. ' 
 
 In dealing with the work of Jerrold, I draw attention to 
 the merciless onslaught on Samuel Carter Hall, editor of the 
 "Art Journal" and founder of the "Art Union/' as it was 
 at first called. Hall was Pecksnitf; the "Art Union" was 
 " The Pecksnifferv ; " and Punch courted the libel action 
 which Hall threatened but failed to bring. That " the literary 
 Pecksniff" took this course could not but create a bad 
 impression at the time, and Hall has therefore been put 
 down as one of the butts whom Punch had justly assailed. 
 Of course his sententious catch-phrase of appealing to " hand, 
 head, and heart " was always made the most of, and Punch 
 delighted in paraphrasing it as "gloves, hat, and waistcoat." 
 
 But the two non-political persons whom Punch most 
 persistent!}- and ^•igorously attacked were Mr. James Silk 
 Buckingham and Mr. Alfred Bunn ; and these two campaigns 
 must, perhaps, be counted the most elaborate of their kind 
 which Punch has undertaken in his career— though in neither 
 had he verv much to be proud of when all was said and done. 
 Vlx. J. S. Buckingham, sometime Member of Parliament, was 
 a gentleman philanthropically inclined and of literary instincts,
 
 224 The History of '' PunchT 
 
 a man ^vho had travelled greath;. and who in many of the 
 schemes he had undertaken — including the founding of the 
 " Athenaeum " in 1S28 — had usually had the support of a number 
 of the most reputable persons in the country. His latest 
 idea was the establishing of the British and Foreign Institute 
 — a sort of counterpart in intention of the present Colonial 
 Institute ; but as all of ls\x. Buckingham's schemes had not suc- 
 ceeded, and as he retained chambers in the club-house of what 
 Punch insisted upon calling the " British and Foreign [or 
 ' Outlandish '] Destitute," the journal was convinced that some- 
 thing more than a primd-facie case had been made out against 
 the promoter, who, being assumed to live upon the members' 
 subscriptions, was harried in the paper from its first volume, 
 chiefly at first by the slashing pen of Jerrold, and — in small 
 paragi"aphs — by the more delicate rapier of Horace Mayhew. 
 These charges of mal-administration and other offensive impu- 
 tations against a semi-public man whose chief faults seem to 
 have been an over-sanguine temperament and a slight disposition 
 towards self-advertisement, attracted wide notice, and Punch 
 devoted in all considerable space to the prosecution of this 
 mistaken campaign. Unfortunately for Buckingh.am, a member 
 of the Institute, a ls\x. George Jones — who had published a good 
 deal of dramatic nonsense under the title of " Tecumseh " — 
 came to his support with a ridiculous, inflated letter, which 
 Punch promptly printed with the signature engraved in facsimile. 
 Thereupon Jones, finding the doubtful honour of publicity 
 unexpectedly thrust upon him, denounced the letter as a 
 forgery ; so Punch had it lithogi'aphed and circulated among 
 the members, ''just to show how good the forgery was." 
 Jones forthwith began an action for libel, which Punch 
 defended. The genuineness of the document, however, was 
 established, and Jones withdrew from the action, paying all 
 costs. 
 
 The sins of Jones were naturally added to Buckingham's 
 account, and the latter decided— as Leech once effectively 
 threatened to do — to "'draw " and defend himself. He pub- 
 lished a pamphlet entitled ''The Slanders oi Punch," felicitoush' 
 quoting as his motto ft^om Proverbs xxvi. 18, "As a mad man
 
 The James Silk Buckingham Episode. 22 
 
 •^-3 
 
 who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that 
 deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport ? " — he 
 appealed for justice to the pubhc, and especially to " the 200,000 
 readers of Punch," denouncing the persecution, and making 
 known the fact that J err old had originally applied for mem- 
 bership of his Institute, but had failed to take up his elec- 
 tion, whereupon his name was erased from the books. Ten 
 thousand handbills were circulated, and six thousand copies 
 of the threepenny pamphlet, in various editions, were sold. 
 Punch's answer was a whole page of savage, biting satire 
 from Jerrold (p. 241, \o\. IX.), which, however, was too 
 bombastic and " ultrafluvial " to be wholly effective. 
 Thackeray's page article on "John Jones's Remonstrance 
 about the Buckingham Business" fp. 261) was far more to 
 the point — amusing, politic, and shrewd — and drew the 
 quarrel within its proper limits, by imparting to it a more 
 jocular tone. Addressing the paper, he says, "At page 241 
 you are absolutely serious. That page of Punch is a 
 take-in. Punch ought never to be ^-irtuously indignant or 
 absolutely serious ; " and with these words, re-afifinning the 
 maxim which Punch had forgotten in his heat, he restored 
 peace, patched up the paper's reputation for good-humour, 
 and with a skilful word covered its retreat. 
 
 But Punch found his Waterloo, as it was considered at the 
 time, at the hands of Alfred Bunn. Bunn was the theatrical 
 and operatic manager and man of letters — or, rather, as the 
 letters were so insignificant, the "man of notes." As early as 
 1 81 6 he had produced a volume of verse. Such verse ! — senti- 
 mental, washy, and " woolly " to a degree. Three years later he 
 put his name to " ' Tancred: a Tale,' by the author of ' Conrad : 
 a Tragedy,' lately performed at the Theatre Royal, Bimiing- 
 ham " — of which he was manager for a spell before he came to 
 London — and from time to time he gave forth other works, such 
 as "The Stage, both Before and Behind the Curtain," three 
 volumes of rather shrewd "Observations taken on the Spot" 
 (1840), and "Old England and Xew England" (1853). He 
 delivered lectures, too, at the St. James's Theatre, three times 
 a week, on the History of the Stage, and the Genius and 
 p
 
 226 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 Career of Shakespeare — lectures which he also delivered 
 in America. His verses, though vapid balderdash for the 
 most part, were well adapted to music, and his ballads 
 "When other Lips and other Hearts," "The Light of other 
 Days," "In Happy Moments Day by Day" (sung in Fitzball's 
 " Maritana "), enjoyed enormous popularity. 
 
 Still, the whole attitude, the whole bearing of the man — 
 his showy, almost comic, appearance and his grandiloquence 
 of expression — as well as the tremendous character of the word- 
 ing of his theatrical bills, afforded points of attack from the 
 moment that he caught the public eye, that no caricaturist or 
 humorist could resist. As early as 1832 Jerrold was lampoon- 
 ing him in his "Punch in London." In the following year 
 Thackeray held him up to ridicule in his " National Standard," 
 that was fated to collapse a few months later, and honoured 
 him with immortality in " Flore and Zephyr ; "* and soon after, 
 Gilbert a Beckett satirised . him in "Figaro in London." In 
 1833 "Alfred the Little ; or. Management ! A Play as rejected 
 at Drury Lane, by a Star-gazer," was another satire of distinct 
 severit}'. 
 
 It is not surprising, therefore, that as soon as Punch was 
 started the wits combined to continue the game which 
 they had already separately enjoyed, and which the public 
 presumably found amusing. The other papers joined in 
 Pwich's cry, the "Great Gun" showing pre-eminent zeal in its 
 stalking of "Signor Bombastes Bunnerini." From the moment 
 of Punch's birth onwards, Bunn was one of his most ludicrous 
 and fairest butts. When he wrote verse, he was "The Poet 
 Bunn ; " when he was annoyed at that, or anything else, he 
 was " Hot Cross Bunn." His deposition from the manage- 
 ment of Drury Lane and his appointment to the Vauxhall 
 Gardens were coincident with Punch's appearance, and the 
 publication of his " Vauxhall Papers," illustrated by Alfred 
 Crowquill, again drew attention to himself. No sooner was the 
 fierce controversy begun as to the propriety of including a statue 
 of Cromwell among the Sovereigns of England in the new 
 
 * Edmund Yates believed that Bunn was Thackeray's model also for 
 Mr. Dolphin, the manager, in " Pendennis.'"
 
 Bunn's Dash for Liberty. 227 
 
 Palace of Westminster, a matter decided fifty years later, 
 than Punch gravely mooted the question — " Shall Poet 
 Bunn have a Statue ? " Then when his reira at Drm-\' Lane 
 was resumed, and opera was his gi^and enterprise, Bunn 
 became Fundi s '' Parvus Apollo," while Scribe's libretto to 
 Donizetti's music was to be "undone into English" b}' the 
 Poet himself; and the persecuted manager was throughout 
 the subject of some of the happiest and most comic efforts of 
 Leech's pencil. 
 
 At last, after supporting a six years' persistent cannonade, 
 Bunn detemiined to strike a blow for liberty. His plan was 
 to issue a reply — a swift and sudden attack, as personal and 
 offensive as he could make it — in the form of Punch's own 
 self, enough like it in appearance to amuse the public, if not 
 actually to deceive it. He secured the help of 'Six. George 
 Augustus Sala, then a young artist whose pencil was enlisted in 
 the service of "The Man in the Moon," and who had as vet 
 little idea of the journalistic eminence to which he was to 
 rise. He had previously submitted sketches to Mark Lemon 
 for use in Punch, which had been summarily and, as he tells 
 me, " unctuously declined," and in his share of the work he 
 doubtless tasted some of the sweets of revenge, and richh' 
 earned the epithet which Lemon thereupon applied to him of 
 "graceless young whelp." 
 
 If the front page of this production be compared with 
 Doyle's first Punch cover on p. 47, the extent of the imitation 
 will be appreciated. The size was the same, and the Punch 
 lettering practically identical ; but otherwise the resemblance 
 was of a general character. If the design is examined, it will 
 be seen that the gi^oups are chiefly composed of Punch's 
 victims and his Staff. At the top the " ^Nlan in the Moon " 
 presides; below, the "Great Gun" is firing away at the 
 dejected hunchback in the pillory. Toby is hanged on his 
 master's own gallows ; and the puppets are strewn about, 
 Thackeray leans for support against Punch's broken big drum ; 
 Tom Taylor is beside him — Horace (" Ponny ") Mayhew 
 lies helpless in his box ; while next to him Gilbert a Beckett 
 is prone upon his face, leaving his barrister's wig upon the 
 p 2
 
 228 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 "block-head." Jerrold, as a wasp, is gazing ruefully at the 
 baton which has dropped from Punch's feeble hands ; and 
 Mark Lemon, dressed as a pot-boy, is straining himself in the 
 foreground to reach his pewter-pot. Around float many of 
 Pimch's butts, political and social. Wellington on the left and 
 Brougham on the right play cup-and-ball with him. Louis 
 Philippe has him on a toasting-fork, and Lord John Russell 
 hangs him on a gallows-tree. Palmerston, Prince de Join\'ille, 
 Jullien, Sibthorpe, Moses the tailor, Buckingham, and many 
 more besides, are to be recognised. It was inscribed "No. i, 
 — (to be continued if necessary) " — a contingency, however, 
 that did not arise. 
 
 It is usually considered that Bunn engaged a clever writer 
 to write his text for him ; but it is quite likely that he wrote 
 the whole work himself, simply submitting it to the " edit- 
 ing" of some more experienced journalist, probably Albert 
 Smith. Much of the manner is his own, and, as Mr. Joseph 
 Knight agrees,* it " has many marks of Bunn's style, and is 
 in part incontestably his." 
 
 His "Word" is directed at Pwich's "three Puppets — 
 Wronghead (Mr. Douglas Jerrold), Sleekhead (Mr. Gilbert a 
 Beckett), and Thickhead (Mr. Mark Lemon) — formidable 
 names. Punch! and, as being three to one, formidable odds!" 
 He refers to his friends having warned him not to rebel against 
 Punch's attacks, as he is 
 
 a public character 1 ! Pray, Punch, are not these, your puppets, 
 public characters ? Have they not acted in public, laboured for 
 the public, catered for the public ? Has not Douglas Jerrold been 
 hissed off the stage bv the public ? Have not a Beckett's writings ! 
 been acted, and damned, in public ? and as to Mark Lemon, there 
 can be no doubt of J2ts being a public character, for he some time 
 since kept a />ub/zc-h.ouse I ! ! All ceremony therefore is at an end 
 between us. . . . There may be other misdemeanours of which they 
 have from time to time thought me guilty ; but the grand one of 
 all is, that I have taken the liberty of attempting to write poetry, 
 and have produced on the stage my own works in preference to 
 theirs. . . . Did you ever see them act. Punch ? Did you ever see 
 
 * "Dictionary of National Biography."
 
 A Word with Punchy 
 
 229 
 
 Douglas Jerrold in his own piece, entitled "The Painter of Ghent"? 
 If not, I can only say you are a devilish luck}' fellow ! Did )'ou ever 
 
 i, Jobnaon. PriDCer, 
 
 •4. S(. M»rti(.') Lara 
 
 THE WRAPPER OF "A WORD WITH PUNXH." 
 {Dt'si^neti by George Augustus Sala.) 
 
 see him and Mark Lemon act at Miss Kelly's theatre? and if 
 so, did you ever see such an awful exhibition ? . . . and it, as they
 
 230 The History of '' Punch!' 
 
 say, they did " hold the mirror up to Nature," / say it was only to 
 cast reflections upon her ! ! Did you read, Punch, the criticisms 
 written by themselves upon themselves in the next day's papers ? If 
 you did not, you have a treat to come. 
 
 And so forth. Then, presenting the head of Jerrold 
 on the body of an unusually wriggling serpent, which he 
 gives forth as being from "portraits in possession of the 
 family," he goes on to "say something" of the man of 
 savage sarcasm and " bihous bitings : " — 
 
 Now, with all his failings, let me record my opinion that it is to 
 Jerrold's pen you are indebted, Punch, for the fame 3'ou once en- 
 joyed ; for, beyond any doubt, he is a fellow of infinite abilit}-. I 
 have known him some years, and the last time but one I ever saw 
 him was in 1842, when, meeting me in St. James's Street, he thanked 
 me for a handsome critique he believed me to have written on his 
 comedy of " Bubbles of the Day," and on that occasion he said a 
 better thing. Punch, than he has written in your pages. I said 
 to him, " What, you are picking up character, I suppose ? " — to 
 which he replied, " There's plenty of it lost, in this neighbourhood." 
 The last time I ever heard from him was during the first visit of 
 Duprez to Drury Lane Theatre, when I received the following note 
 from him : — 
 
 Wednesday. 
 
 " My dear Sir, 
 
 Will vou enable me to hear j-our French nightingale 
 — do pray, Yours very trul\-, 
 
 D. Jerrold." 
 
 — which is the vilest pun ever perpetrated at the expense of that 
 eminent singer. . . . Unlike the other two of his party, he is a 
 man of undoubted genius ; but all who admit this, at the same time 
 regret the frequent misdirection of his mind. He is one of the 
 most ill-conditioned, spiteful, vindictive, and venomous writers in 
 existence, and whatever honev was in his composition, has long 
 since turned to gall. . . . Can it be possible [he adds, after digging 
 up and quoting some of Jerrold's feeblest verse] that it never occurs 
 to a wholesale dealer in slander and ridicule that he is liable to 
 be assailed by the very weapons he useth against others ? 
 
 Then comes the portrait of Gilbert Abbott a Beckett, in wig 
 and gown, but with devil's hoofs and tail. On him the attack
 
 "Punch" Retires into his Tent. 231 
 
 is savage in the extreme, the details of his early lack of finan- 
 cial success being published, and the whole dismissed with the 
 comprehensive remark : '' a very prolific person, this friend 
 of yours, Punch ! — editor of thirteen periodicals, and lessee 
 of a theatre into the bargain, and all total failures ! " After 
 heavy-handed chaff he proceeds to abuse Mark Lemon, up 
 and down, in similar terms; and with a view to show that 
 others write verse as bad as his, reprints the weakest lines in 
 his " Fridolin " and " The Rhine-boat." In the courSe of his 
 very effective attack Bunn proceeds : — 
 
 In speaking of the Castle of Heidelberg, which he says is on 
 the Rhine, although everyone else says it is on the Neckar, he 
 thus apostrophises it : — 
 
 " 'Tis here the north wind loves to hold 
 His dreary revels, loud and cold. 
 The nettle's bloom 's his daily fare. 
 The TOAD the guest most ivclcomc there! 1^'' 
 
 Whether the last line gives the reason why Thickhead visited 
 Heidelberg does not appear. 
 
 He then dots epigrams and so forth — all insults of various 
 degrees of offensiveness — about the remaining pages, virtually 
 suggesting, in Sheridan's words, that while Punch's circulation 
 has gone down hopelessly, " everything about him is a jest ex- 
 cept his witticisms." The advertisements, too, are of a similarly 
 satirical charficter, one of them showing, as an illustration 
 of a ''patent blacking," Mark Lemon (as pot-boy) looking at 
 his own likeness in the polish of a Wellington boot which 
 reflects a rearing donkey. The last cut represents a medi- 
 cine bottle with a label inscribed " This dose to be repeated, 
 should the patients require it," and the " Notice to Corre- 
 spondents " declares that ample material is left for future use. 
 Such further publication, however, was never called for. Punch 
 attempted no reply — inexplicably, one would think, for there 
 must have been something left to say of Hot Cross Bunn. 
 Punch's rivals were not slow to twit him on his defeat, 
 especially the "Puppet Show" and "The Man in the Moon," 
 the latter of which, in a comic report of the proceedings at
 
 232 The History of "Punch." 
 
 the "Licensing Committee for Poets," remarked, "Mr. Alfred 
 Bunn was bitterly opposed on personal grounds by a person 
 named Punch ; but Mr. Bunn having intimated his wish to 
 have a Word with Punch, the latter skulked out of court, and 
 was not heard of afterwards!' 
 
 "A Word with Punch" — which the Punch men are said 
 to have bought up as far as possible — had a considerable sale, 
 and an "edition de luxe" was also issued, coloured. The 
 engi'avings in it were made by Landells, a modest piece of 
 vengeance which must, however, have been gratifying, so far 
 as it went. It may be added that J. R. Adam, " the Cremorne 
 Poet," took up the cudgels unasked in Punch's behalf in a 
 reply entitled "A Word with Bunn ; " but this little octavo is 
 as insignificant as its author, and attracted little notice. 
 
 Once again, in the early days of " Fun," Punch came 
 very near to being startled with another such infernal 
 machine. Mr. Clement Scott tells me : — " We were offended 
 with Punch for some reason — it was in the Tom Ta^'lor days 
 —and we meditated, planned out, and nearly executed a 
 second edition of 'A Word with Punch.' Tom Hood was 
 furious. Sala was in our conspiracy. In fact, all the ' young 
 lions' of 'Fun' were ' crazy \ mad.' We thought we could 
 annihilate poor old Punch with one blow. But we never did 
 it — because, I thinlc, although we were pluck}', we were im- 
 pecunious ! We were ver}' proud, but, alas ! our pockets 
 were empty ; so the whole company — Hood, Sala, Jeff Prowse, 
 Harry Leigh, Brunton, Paul Gra}', W. S. Gilbert, W. B. 
 Rands, Tom Robertson, Clement Scott and Co., had to knock 
 under." 
 
 From Bunn's time may be dated the better taste and 
 greater chivalr}- that have since distingiiished Punch, even 
 in his most rampant moods. He has always had his butts 
 — from the soft-hearted and, at the time, unpardonably hir- 
 sute Colonel Sibthorpe, to Sir R. Temple and Mr. McNeill, 
 Mr. Newdegate, Mr. Roebuck, Edwin James, ex-O.C. (who 
 was disbarred for corruption and set up in New York, join- 
 ing, as Pimch put it, the " bar sinister "), Madame Rachel 
 (the "beautiful for ever" enameller, who had not yet been
 
 Effective Satire. 233 
 
 con^'icted), Colonel North, Sir Francis Baring, Cox of Fins- 
 bury, Wiscount Williams of Lambeth, the Duke of Buccleuch, 
 Lord Malmsbury, and a host of others. But his attacks rarely 
 overstepped' due limits ; nor did Punch ever find another 
 aspiring Bunn among them. Amongst the inanimate objects 
 which at various times Punch made his mark were Trafalgar 
 Square and its Fountains (or the "Squirts," as they were 
 scornfully called), the National Gallery, Mud-Salad Market, 
 Leicester Square, the Wellington Statue on the Wellington 
 Arch, the Great Exhibition, John Bell's Guards' Memorial 
 in Waterloo Place, and the British ]\Iuseum Catalogue — all 
 of which, so far as they represented Londoners' gi'ievances, 
 have ere now been reformed.
 
 234 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PUNCH ON THE WAR-PATH : COUNTER-ATTACK. 
 
 Satire and Libel — Mrs. Ramsbotham Assaulted — Attacks of "The Man in the 
 Moon " and "The Puppet-Show " — H. S. Leigh's Banter — Malicious Wit — 
 Mr. Pincott — Puiuh's Purity gives Offence — His Slips of Fact — Quotation 
 — And Dialect are Resented — His Drunkards not Appreciated by the U.K. A. 
 • — "Punch is not as good as it was!" 
 
 Above the head of every editor the law of hbel hangs hke 
 the sword of Damocles. It is at all times difficult for a 
 newspaper of any sort to avoid the infringement of its 
 provisions, vigilant though the editor may be. But in the 
 case of a confessedly "satirical" journal the danger is enor- 
 mouslv increased, for the margin between " fair comment " 
 and flat libel shrinks strangely when the raison d'etre of the 
 criticism is pungency, and the object laughter. 
 
 That Punch has steered clear of giving serious offence, 
 save on occasions extremely few, must be counted to him for 
 righteousness. It is true that, as a Lord Chancellor once 
 declared, ^^ Punch is a chartered libertine." But for him to 
 have won his "charter" at all proves him at least to have 
 been worthy of it, the tolerance and indulgence of the nation, 
 hax-ing been in themselves a temptation. It is not so much that 
 he has not hit hard ; it is rather that he has hit straight. 
 Indeed, as we have seen, he has struck hastily in many direc- 
 tions ; but, save in his years of indiscretion, he has scarcely 
 ever been guiltv of anvthing approaching scurrility. At a time 
 when the " Satirist " was flinging its darts at the peculiarly 
 vulnerable Duke of Brunswick, goading him into the writing 
 of his pamphlets, and into that crushing retaliation whereby 
 the paper was condemned in five thousand pounds damages, 
 Punch was perhaps the most moderate public censor and 
 arbiter clegantiarum amongst all those who used ridicule and 
 irony as instruments of castigation ; and indulgence has been 
 the reward that he has reaped.
 
 Egg-Dance Among Legal Proceedings. 235 
 
 That Mr. George Jones and Mr. S. C. Hall dared not face 
 the ultimate ordeal of a court of law must be held to justify 
 PuncJis persistently caustic denunciations ; while the case of 
 Mr. Gent-Davis, then M.P. for Kennington, served chiefly to 
 confirm the fact that "abstractions" and "imaginary person- 
 ages" find their counterparts, in the opinions of some, in real 
 life. In this case one of the Staff, who lived in the member's 
 constituency, and had taken some interest in local politics, 
 contributed a humorous paper to a series on which he was 
 engaged, and it was published in Punch (November 13, 1886). 
 In this essay a type of suburban lady -politician — a " study 
 from Mr. Punch's Studio " — was satirised under the name of 
 "Mrs. Gore-Jenkins." Forthwith a summons against the Editor 
 at the Mansion House police court was the result, for the 
 Member accepted the description as directed against his wife ; 
 but the explanation that the article was intended as a mere 
 political satire on an "imaginary person" was held to be 
 satisfactory, and the incident was finally closed. 
 
 On another occasion an unflattering poem on a "popular 
 singer " was illustrated, quite innocently by the artist, who 
 probably never saw the verses, with what appeared to be a 
 portrait of Mr. Isidore de Lara ; but no sooner was the matter 
 pointed out than any intention to offend the musician was im- 
 mediately disclaimed by the paper. At another time one of 
 PiincJis artists showed the little band of Socialists (Messrs. 
 Champion, Hyndman, and others), who were then before the 
 law on a political charge, as subjects of Punch's traditional 
 " summary justice." But although Punch was quickly brought 
 to book, his victims did not take the matter very seriously. 
 Mr. John Burns, indeed, confesses as much in a communication 
 upon the subject. " On one occasion," he tells me, " Punch 
 suspended me, pictorially of course, from a gallows tree. This 
 I, of course, regarded as Mr. Punch's humorous desire to 
 see me in an elevated position. On other occasions he has 
 been equally kind but less appropriate in his method ot 
 praise or censure." 
 
 Punch has altogether had some two-score actions com- 
 menced, or threatened, against it, by business firms or aggrieved
 
 236 The History of "Punch." 
 
 persons or, more often still, b}' newspapers on the ground of 
 libel and kindred wrongdoing. But then, consider how many 
 there are in the world, and in England especially, who will 
 not see a joke ! 
 
 A subject upon which Punch has for some years been 
 persistently twitted is the personality of " ^Nlrs. Ramsbotham " 
 — Thackeray's Mrs. Julia Dorothea Ramsbottom of " The Snob " 
 (No. 7, Ma}^, 1829) — a homely sort of Mrs. Malaprop, whose 
 constant misquotations and misapplication of words of some- 
 what similar sound to those she intends to use give constant 
 amusement to one section of Punch's readers, and irritation quite 
 as constant to the other. She is the lady who suffers from 
 a "torpedo liver;" wdio complains of being "a mere siphon 
 in her own house ; " who discharges her gardener because 
 his answers to her questions are so "amphibious;" and who 
 does not understand how there can be " illegal distress " in 
 a free country where people ma}- be as unhappy as they 
 like. There have, of course, been many originals to this 
 unconscious humorist — and are still. One lady, it has been 
 declared, is not unknown in society, who has held forth to a 
 surprised circle of her acquaintances on the operation of 
 "trigonometry" (tracheotomy) — who, when she imparted a 
 bit of scandal would add, "but that, you know, as the 
 lawyers say, is inter alias" — and who wished that people 
 would always say what they meant, and not talk paregorically 
 (metaphorically). 
 
 "Mrs. Ramsbotham" is obviously descended, through 
 Mrs. Malaprop, from Dogberry, and has many a time been 
 " condemned to everlasting redemption," at least by the genus 
 irritahile. One critic cast his protest in the form of a poetic 
 appeal to Punch, and published it in an Oxford journal : — 
 
 " Of Mrs. Ram I wish to speak, 
 
 You dear old London Charivari ; 
 Don't ram her down our throats each week. 
 Of sameness do be chary. Vary." 
 
 A broader and severer hint was offered by the lively Poet 
 of the London " Globe " : —
 
 Persecution of Mrs. Ramsbotham. 237 
 
 To Mrs. Ramsbotham. 
 
 A few there be who still delight, 
 
 O Mrs. R., in PuncKs page, 
 Who like a joke to wear the blight 
 Of age. 
 
 Who, if they find a grain of wheat, 
 
 Are well content to pass the chaff. 
 And, every week, at least complete 
 One laugh. 
 
 But even they who swallow pun 
 
 Unmurm'ring, now and then declare, 
 Henceforward they must seek their fun 
 Elsewhere. 
 
 It is when you have multiplied 
 
 Your misconceptions, Mrs. Ram., 
 That patience, sorely thus o'er-tried, 
 Says " ." 
 
 My task is therefore plain : to hint 
 
 That you, true woman to the core, 
 Are, when you interfere with print, 
 A bore. 
 
 I would not venture to suggest 
 
 The line of conduct to pursue ; 
 I state a fact. .... and leave the rest 
 To you. 
 
 But, in spite of this bitter cry, the next week's number of 
 Punch contained a quarter of a page of the lady's reminis- 
 cences and three misapprehensions. ''O," exclaimed the 
 tormented Poet, ''that some Abraham would arise to do 
 sacrifice!" Later on Mr, Furniss arose to the call, as the 
 murderous Barons responded to Henry's ejaculation. In " Lika 
 Joko" (November 3, 1894) there was printed an obituary 
 notice of Mrs. Ramsbotham (as nothing in her name had 
 appeared in the previous week's Punch), and a very comic 
 death-bed scene was presented— reminding one of a similar 
 incident in ''Joe Miller the Younger," when that paper,
 
 2^8 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 like many of the public, grew tired of Mrs. Caudle, and, 
 reporting her "sudden death," published an engraving by 
 Hine, wherein Punch in weepers is seen laying a wreath 
 upon her monument, while Toby and his baton are both 
 decorated with crape. In " Lika Joko's " presentation of her 
 " momentnin niori," she babbles of things in general ; she is 
 nervous as to the physic handed to her, and remarks that 
 these medicine bottles are as like to one another as the two 
 Dominoes in the " Comedy of Horrors ; " she declares, as 
 her mind wanders to the Chino-Japanese war, that "the best 
 remedy for political disorders is antimony, but things may be 
 different in horizontal nations ; " and, finally, as she sinks back 
 in death, she fancies she sees a hand a'Becketting to her. But 
 Punch ignored the attack ; and the report of the death of his 
 lady-correspondent was duly recognised as a canard. 
 
 But " Lika Joko " is b}' no means the only comic paper 
 that has attacked Punch, smiting him hip and thigh. The 
 violent charges of plagiarism which for many }-ears it was 
 the fashion to bring against him have already been re- 
 ferred to. From the beginning the principal — as it is the 
 easiest — charge that has been made is the alleged heaviness 
 of Punch s fun or his deficiency of wit ; less often, it has 
 been a legitimate complaint of blunder or of journalistic wrong- 
 doing. Some of the most violent of these attacks came from the 
 aforesaid "Joe Miller," and from "The Great Gun" — the short- 
 lived journal of distinct abiht}'. In " The Man in the Moon " 
 the pens of Shirley Brooks, James Hannay, and other wits 
 made it distinctly uncomfortable for Punch — but nothing more. 
 Thus to a portrait of Mr. Punch, who is shown in the last 
 degree of misery, is appended the legend, " A Case of Real 
 Distress. — 'I haven't made a joke for many weeks !'" (Novem- 
 ber, 1847). In the next number appeared the brilliant verses, 
 "Our Flight with Punch," from Shirley Brooks' pen, as well 
 as a sketch of a man speechless with amazement, described 
 as the "Portrait of a Gentleman finding a Joke in Punch." 
 Then there is the riddle, " Why is a volume of Punch like 
 a pot of bad tea ? — Because it is full of slow leaves;" and in 
 the same number, a biting satire in anticipation of a play
 
 Mr. Punch as St. Sebastian. 239 
 
 written bv some of the Punch Staff and produced at Covent 
 Garden in aid of the family of Leigh Hunt, ends with the 
 words, " Everv resorter to the stalls and boxes will be ex- 
 pected to purchase a copy of either ' Dombey,' Punch, or 
 * Jerrold's Weekly Newspaper,' as, next to benevolence, it 
 is in aid of those works that the chief actors appear. X.B. — 
 Strong coffee will be pro^'ided to keep the audience awake 
 throughout the performance. Vivant Bradbury ct Evans ! " 
 
 "The Puppet-Show" followed on the same lines, but 
 its attacks were more personal. Under the heading of " A 
 Trio of Punchites" (April, 1848), Thackeray, Douglas Jerrold, 
 and Gilbert a Beckett were torn limb ff-om limb, and later on 
 Mark Lemon and the rest were added to the holocaust ; yet, 
 like the Cardinal of Rheims' congi-egation, nobody seemed a 
 penny the worse. The paper began its fusillade in the first 
 number, and soon came out with a large picture, well drawn 
 and engraved in the manner of the day, of Mr. Punch, much 
 humiliated, receiving a lecture fi"om ]\Ir. Bull : — 
 
 Shameful Attempt at Overcharge ! 
 
 Mr. Bull /"a commercial gentleman) — " Hallo, Mr. Punch, 
 threepence ! What do you mean by threepence ? Why. the 
 Puppet-Showman supplies a better paper for a penny ! You must 
 mind what you are about ! " 
 
 Mr. Punch — " Well, sir, you may think it too much, but 
 really the article is so very heavy I cannot sell it for less." 
 
 On another occasion the same idea is carried a step further, 
 in the form of an advertisement : '' XoTiCE.— If the heavy 
 joke, which was sent to the 'Puppet-Show' office last :\Ionday, 
 and for which two-and-ninepence was charged, be not Ibrth- 
 with removed, it will be sold to Punch to pay expenses ; " 
 and later on it hints that the Parisians will do well to import 
 a few of Punch's jokes as the best of all possible material 
 for the barricades they were then erecting (1848). A graver 
 charge was contained under the heading, " On Sale or 
 Hire," and it ran : " We perceive, by an advertisement in 
 Punch, that the entire work can be purchased for £.\ los.
 
 240 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 Judging from its ridiculous puffs of Her Majesty's Theatre, 
 we should sa}' that it could always be bought by a box at 
 the Opera." This amiable paragraph appeared in a lively 
 column which was a weekly feature of the paper, and was 
 headed "Pins and Needles." " Pasquin," a rival ''comic" 
 edited by Mr. Sutherland Edwards, was always "bandying 
 epithets " with the Showman, and no sooner was the column 
 introduced than he drew pleasing attention to the fact in 
 the following paragraph : " The ' Puppet-Show ' has started 
 'Pins and Needles.' We don't wonder at it. 'Pins and 
 Needles ' are always a sign of a defective circulation." 
 
 From time to time, too, pamphlets have been directed 
 against Punch, such as the "Anti-Punch,"* published by 
 the men who naturally fall under the lash of a satirist, and 
 resent its application. Of such was the widely circulated 
 " Phrenological Manipulation of the Head of Punch I' written 
 by George Combe about 1845, in the form of an open letter. 
 It began, " Sir, you are not an honest man. . . . Practically 
 your benevolence is merely professional, it is only for the 
 readers oi Punch. Why do you act like Toby in the manger ?" 
 But there is little wit and less reason in these booklets to 
 recommend, or to justify aught but oblivion. 
 
 A more able and important foe than these was Harry 
 S. Leigh, who in 1864 was editor of "The Arrow," with 
 Mortimer Collins as verse-writer and jVIatt Morgan as car- 
 toonist. Leigh opened his attack with rhymes that were 
 greatly enjoyed at the time. They ran thus : — 
 
 Rhymes for a Big Baby. 
 No. I. 
 
 " Sad stuff of Lemon's," 
 Think the bells of St. Clement's ; 
 
 " Not worth five farthings," 
 Sneer the bells of St. Martin's ; 
 
 " Going down daily." 
 Grunt the bells of Old Bailey ; 
 
 *" Anti-Punch, or the Toy-shop in Fleet Street; a Romance of the Nine- 
 teenth Century." By the Author of " Anti-Coningsby." i6mo. 1847.
 
 H. S. Leigh Reinforces the Attacking Party. 241 
 
 " Oiicc it was rich," 
 Hint the bells of Shoreditch ; 
 
 " ^^^len could tlmt be ? " 
 Ask the bells of Step-i:ey ; 
 
 " Hanged if / know," 
 Growls the big bell at Bow. 
 
 No. 11. 
 
 Sing a song of threepence, 
 
 A paper full of trash ; 
 Four-and-twenty " funny men " 
 
 Have made a pretty hash ; 
 For when the paper's opened, 
 
 One soon begins to sing — 
 "Oh! threepence is a daint}- price 
 
 To pay for such a thing." 
 
 And he returns to the charge later on in a set of verses 
 in which he pretends to pay tribute to Punch's bygone force — 
 "honest if delicate " — and to Judy's and Toby's straightforward 
 roughness. After mak'ng charges of corruption, he proceeds : 
 
 ' ' Alas I how times and manners pass ! 
 
 When no one fears a panic — 
 When Scotland tolerates the Mass — 
 
 And Spain is puritanic ; 
 When Yankee ' anacondas ' scrunch 
 
 The South's heroic leader — 
 Then maN- we find a pleasant Punchy 
 
 And Punch a happv reader." 
 
 Nowadavs the commoner form of humorous attack upon 
 Punch is the assumption that it is a serious journal : a cold- 
 blooded analysis of its contents will be made, or the quotation 
 of its best bits under the ungrateful title of " Alleged Humour 
 from Punch ;" or a joke will be printed and savagely "quoted" 
 as " From )U'.xt wee/i's Punch." When the three " Xew 
 Humorists, ' Messrs. Barry Pain, Jerome, and Zangwill, were 
 driven to despair (so says one of them) by the sneers of the 
 Press, they met in solemn conclave and swore ne\'er to make 
 another joke. So Mr. Zangwill set to work at a serious novel.
 
 242 The History of " Pua'ch." 
 
 Mr. Jerome took to editing a weekly paper, and Mr. Pain 
 began writing for Punch ! Even when Mr. Pincott, for 
 thirty years the "reader" on the paper, committed suicide 
 the day after his wife was buried, a number of papers could 
 not resist the temptation that was offered. " Fancy having to 
 read through all Punch s jokes week after week for 3'ears ! " 
 exclaimed one. " No wonder we are a hardy race. Xo 
 wonder the poor man shot himself." Mr. Pincott was a man 
 of great ability, of remarkable erudition, and extreme conscien- 
 tiousness. Although his bereavement was preying on his mind, 
 he saw the paper out, and did not commit the fatal act until 
 he had sent his usual letter to the Editor, wherewith he would 
 relieve himself of his week's responsibility. " I never met a 
 man with so much information and of so varied a character," 
 writes one of his fellow-workers. " He never passed a 
 quotation without verifying it, and could give you chapter 
 and verse for everything. He knew his Shakespeare by 
 heart, and all the modern poets, and he was never at fault 
 in his classics." He was not, however, allowed to leave 
 the world without a farewell gibe and a laugh, for Wit 
 knows no mercv. 
 
 Another main charge laid at Punch's door is that he is too 
 little like Hogarth in the past, too little like French satirists 
 in the present. Thackeray's proud boast that the paper had 
 never said aught that could cause a girl's cheek to mantle with 
 a blush,^ is acknowledged by the naturalist and realist of the 
 day as the severest condemnation that could be brought against 
 it. "We do not want in Punch a moral paper virginibus 
 puerisquc," says M. Arsene Alexandre, in effect, in his important 
 work " L'Art du Rire ; " " Punch is un pen trop gentleman. 
 What we want is to be enlightened." But Punch has not 
 chosen to cast the beams of his search-light on to that side 
 of " life " which is turned towards vice ; and if he deter- 
 mines that the liaisons and all the attendant world of humour 
 that afford inspiration to the talent of the Grevins, the 
 
 * This declaration, if not absolutely accurate, has often been repeated, and 
 was confirmed at the Church Congress of 1893 by Dr. Welldon, who held up 
 Punch as the one clean paper for the rest of the Press to follow !
 
 The Pleasures of Fault-finding. 243 
 
 Forains, the Giiillauines, and the Willettes of France, are 
 outside his field of treatment, who shall blame him ? If 
 there is any moral at all to be gleaned from the work of the 
 Punch caricaturists, it is argued, it is the never-ending sermon, 
 though the sermon is a humorous one, of the non-existence 
 of immorality. Perhaps ; but Punch does not aspire to reflect 
 the savagery we call civilisation by painting a Hogarthian 
 "Progress," nor to preach virtue by depicting vice. It is no 
 doubt very appalling and amusing to hear a young girl-cynic 
 say, as she points to a hideous monkey in a zoological gardens 
 — " He only wants a little money to be just like a man ! " 
 Qa donne a penscr ; but Punch prefers wholesome jests to 
 irony and repellent cynicism, and is content to leave his im- 
 peachment in the hands of his spice-loving detractors, even at 
 the risk of being reminded year by year that " Gentle Dulness 
 ever loves a joke." 
 
 Another fruitful source of adverse criticism is an occasional 
 slip on Punch' s part in respect to some point of fact. Then at 
 once half a dozen papers are on his track with an eager- 
 ness that suggests the idea that they were lying in wait. 
 First come the matters of detail, as when the " Athenaeum " 
 (January, 1877) justifiably complained that the popular con- 
 ception of the imperial crown of the Empress of India as a 
 four-arched structure, like that of Germany, is due to the 
 mistake of Punch, " whose artists are always falling into this 
 error in their cartoons of the Empress of India." In 1879 
 Sir John Tenniel was challenged by Mr. Sala on the correctness 
 of the balloon in his frontispiece to the seventy-sixth volume, 
 and in March, 1893, ^I^- ^u Maurier was soundly rated for 
 showing a group of Oxford undergraduates, in the rooms of 
 one of them, wearing cap and gown witli perfect docility. 
 Yachtsmen fell foul of 'Sir. Sambourne for introducing an 
 ensign on a staff in his famous drawing of " The Ti'jncs 
 Tacking ; " for such a staff, stuck on the taffrail with the 
 boom touching it, was "an impossible object," and would 
 have been instantly snapped off, while, moreover, the ensign 
 should have been at the peak. In another admirable draw- 
 ing Punch once showed a ship on the starboard tack while 
 o 2
 
 244 The History of "Punch." 
 
 the helmsman is steering on the port tack, and the ship, b}' 
 what appears a miracle, is lying over to the wind ; and, 
 again, Toby is actually shown in the Almanac for 1895 drawing 
 a cork from a champagne bottle with a cork-screw ! Then 
 photographers are as resentful of inaccuracy as bicyclists ; and 
 the fact that Mr. Hodgson in the second of his two drawings, 
 "To be well shaken before taken " (August, 1894), representing 
 an " 'Arry on 'orseback " first whipping up his horse before 
 being photographed, and then posing before the " seaside tin- 
 type man," placed the equestrian beheeen the sun and the lens, 
 was warmly taken up ; for would not the result, forsooth, be 
 " the loss of the picture in a flare spot ? " 
 
 The literary eiTor, too, is held to be inexcusable, and Punch 
 is pointed at with scorn for a misquotation from Horace ; or an 
 incorrect rendering in one of his drawings of an antiquarian 
 inscription ; or a slip in a Shakespearean line ; or an inaccuracy 
 in slang or dialect. Scottish, Irish, Suffolk, or Yorkshire must 
 all be perfectly rendered, or the natives will know the reason 
 why. In August, 1894, ^^r. Hodgson sent from the Yorkshire 
 moors a story of a keeper who, dissatisfied with the calendar, 
 replies to a sportsman's inquiries : " Well, sir, middlin', pretty 
 middlin'. But, oh dear, it's awk'ard this 'ere Twelfth bein' 
 fixed of a Sunda}' ! Now might Mr. Gladstone ha' had 
 hanything to do wi' that arrangement, sir ? " An outraged 
 correspondent — a fluent Yorkshire conversationalist, of course 
 —at once coiTected the original version and translated it into 
 the true vernacular : " Xobbut middlin', sir, nobbut middlin'. 
 But, ah lad, it's a fond business this puttin' t' Twelfth o' a 
 Sunday. Div ye think 'at owd Gladstone 'ad owt to do wi' 
 it ? " And again Punch rareh' introduces " mon " (as an 
 equivalent for "man") into his Scotch jokes without pro- 
 ducing a disclaimer against this alleged "peculiarly British 
 eiTor." 
 
 A third form of mistake commonh' gloated o\er is that 
 which touches some general fact of economics or social matters. 
 An example of this was Mr. Linley Sambourne's drawing, 
 entitled " An Embarras de Richesses," graphically illustrating 
 th^glut of money in "the Cit}' " in the summer of 1894. The
 
 Toby at Fault. 245 
 
 Old Lady of Threadneedle Street is shown standing on a pile 
 of bags of bullion impatiently waving back the City men who 
 are pressing forward with more bags of gold, which bags are 
 labelled " Deposits." But the Bank of England allows no 
 interest on deposits, as suggested by the drawing and its 
 accompanying ^-erses ; and the draughtsman, explained one of 
 the financial papers which gleefully called attention to the mis- 
 conception, "thought it was the Old Lady who had reduced 
 her deposit rates to one-half per cent." 
 
 But what are considered the most heinous, as well as the 
 rarest, of all blunders are those of policy or important move- 
 ments, which, of course, concern large bodies of men, whether 
 they constitute a part}', a constituency, or a strike. A case in 
 point was the cartoon dedicated (August, 1893) ^o ^^""^ miners 
 on strike in Northumberland and Durham : but at that par- 
 ticular moment it was the miners of other districts who were 
 so involved. Another instance was the substitution of Mr. 
 Logan, M.P., for Mr. Leon, M.P. (December, 1893), i" '^ 
 Parliamentar}' picture that illustrated an incident mentioned 
 in the " Essence of Parliament." But it may be taken that 
 the error was rather a slip than a blunder that represented 
 ^' Toby barking up the wrong tree." 
 
 It is natural, of course, that the "faddists" should be 
 among Mr. Punch's most impatient critics, because " fad " 
 and "cant" have always been Puncli s pet gi'ound-game that 
 he loves to run to earth. It is perhaps from the Temperance 
 partv that he has had most sport, for he has always taken 
 delight in the pictures they dislike the most — the incompar- 
 able drawings of Leech and Keene, which show the humorous, 
 instead of only the hateful, side of inebriety ; and he chuckles 
 as he reads, now their protests against J\Ir. Bernard Partridge's 
 excruciating pictures of a drunken man's "progress," now the 
 plaintive paragi"aph that " in a recent issue of Punch more 
 than twenty -five per cent, of the advertisements concerned 
 hotels, wines, spirits, and mineral waters ! " 
 
 And, lastly, there is the critic who is always bewaihng 
 Punch's deterioration — an impending dissolution which has 
 been announced from the second number !
 
 246 The History of '' Puxcny 
 
 People in Society seem curiously fond of expressing this 
 opinion to the members of the Staff themselves, if all the 
 stories current are to be believed. "Well, you know, Mr. 
 Milliken, " once remarked a lady, '' I do not think Punch is as 
 good as it nsed to be." " Xo," assented the creator of'Arr\-; 
 " // never was .'" 
 
 For such as these there is and can be no comfort ; for them 
 there is no excellence save in the past ; no inferioritv save 
 in the present. The perusal of humorous papers is of course 
 but a poor occupation for pessimists such as they, and it is 
 hardlv likelv that it could ever awaken in them sentiments 
 other than those so tersely put by the "Gentlewoman's" 
 poet : — 
 
 " In vain I search for humour each 
 
 And every ' comic ' 'neath the sky. 
 Alas I I tear the busy Leech 
 
 Has sucked the vein of humour drv ! "
 
 ?47 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 exgravinXt and printing. 
 
 JOSEPH SWAIN. 
 
 .Mr. Joseph Swain supersedes Ebanezer Landells — His Education as Engraver — 
 Head of His Department — Engraving the Big Cut : Then and Now — Print- 
 ing from the Wood-blocks — Leech's Fastidiousness — Impracticability of 
 Keene — Thackeray's Little Confidence. — A Record of Half a Century. 
 
 It was in 1845 that ]Mr. Swain engraved 
 his first block for Punch. It was a 
 drawing by Leech, on p. 50 of the fourth 
 volume, to illustrate one of Albert Smith's 
 " Side-Scenes of Societv." The services of 
 Landells, it will be remembered, had been 
 suddenly dispensed with by the pro- 
 prietors — for reasons of business jealousy 
 according to Landells, though the pro- 
 prietors gave out, in some quarters at 
 least, for lack of proper excellence in his 
 work. When they had decided to give Landells his cong^, 
 Bradbury and Evans looked about for another to replace him, 
 and offered the engra^^ng to one of the brothers Jewett. By 
 him the task was readily undertaken, although he was, as he 
 knew, wholly unable to carry it out ; and when a block with 
 one of Leech's drawings upon it was sent to him as a test, he 
 offered the execution of it to his young acquaintance, Joseph 
 Swain. So pleased was Leech with the result that he strongly 
 recommended that the man who had cut such a block should, 
 in place of the middleman, be installed as manager of the 
 engraving department ; and from that time forward that im- 
 portant portion of the work has remained in the hands of 
 one of Punch's most taithfnl, loyal, and talented ser^-ants, of 
 whom Punch has happily had so many. 
 
 Mr. Swain had been brought up by his father from Oxford,
 
 248 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 his natal town, when he was nine 3'ears of age, and five 
 years later had been placed with N. Whittock, a draughts- 
 man of Islington, to learn the art and craft of woodcutting. 
 But though Mr. Whittock was something of an artist, he 
 was less of an engraver ; and finding after a few years that he 
 was making but little progress, young Swain applied for instruc- 
 tion to Thomas Williams. That distinguished engi^aver was 
 one of the few excellent " facsimile men " of the day ; and 
 he agreed to accept the applicant as 'improver," At that 
 time he was engaged in engraving the blocks of an edition 
 of •' Paul et Virginie " — the well-known illustrated edition 
 which was published in Paris in 1838. For at that time there 
 were fewer facsimile engravers in Paris than in London, 
 and what there were, in point of ability, were not to be 
 compared with the Englishmen ; so that it was no uncommon 
 thing for the best work to be sent from France to be executed 
 in this country. On this particular work Meissonier, Johannot, 
 Horace Vernet, and others had been engaged ; and when 
 that was finished, the series of works published by Charles 
 Knight provided endless work for the skilled gravers at Williams' 
 command : Harvey's " Arabian Nights," " Shakespeare," and the 
 " History of Greece," and other notable works. It was a great 
 school of engravers that existed then, both of masters and 
 pupils, and included, besides Thomas Williams himself, his 
 brother and sister, Samuel and Mary Ann Williams (a brilliant 
 engraver she, who never gained her due of reputation), John 
 Thompson, OiTin Smith, W. J. Linton, John Jackson, Mason 
 Jackson, W. T. Greene, Robert Branston, Landells, the Dalziel 
 Brothers,* and Edmund Evans. Most of them were soon 
 employed by W. Dickes, under whose management the Abbots- 
 ford edition of Scott's works was being executed ; and to 
 Dickes, Joseph Swain also transferred his services. In due 
 course the young engraver left that establishment, and had 
 
 * Mr. George Dalziel writes to me : " For myself I was somewhat intimately 
 connected with the publication from its birth : being associated with Landells 
 as an engraver, it fell to my lot to engrave . . . the first drawing contributed 
 by John Leech, under the title of ' Foreign Affairs,' with many of the cartoons 
 by Kenny Meadows, as well as many of the drawings of every artist engaged 
 upon the journal, so long as Landells had anything to do with Punch.''
 
 Enga'av/ng J he Cartoon. 249 
 
 not long been on the look-out for a satisfactory opening when 
 he received from Jewett the little commission which landed 
 him in a verv short time in the service of PimcJi, in which 
 he remained until he retired from business in favour of his 
 son, after a completed period of half a century. 
 
 For some years Mr. Swain remained at the head of the 
 Punch engraving department, devoting himself, and his six or 
 eight assistants, exclusively to Punch work. He then pointed 
 out to the proprietors how, by conducting and extending the 
 business on his own account, he could carry out their work more 
 economically while increasing his own field of operations and 
 doubling his earning powers. The suggestion was acted upon, 
 and the result pro^•ed satisfactory to both parties. For by 
 this time he had educated the necessary engravers to that 
 style of facsimile cutting in which he himself, and but few 
 besides, had been specially trained, and he was enabled to 
 keep the weekly expense of engraving Punch down to an 
 average of under thirt}* pounds, and at the same time to 
 spend his superfluous energies on many of the most famous 
 illustrated books of his day. 
 
 For manv vears the boxwood blocks on which the drawings 
 were made consisted of a single piece ; for, as already ex- 
 plained, Charles Wells of Bouverie Street, at first a cabinet- 
 maker of rare excellence, and later on a boxwood importer, 
 had not then invented the device which revolutionised news- 
 paper illustration — that of making a block in six or more 
 sections which could be taken apart after the drawing had 
 been made (and later on photogi-aphed) upon its surface 
 and distributed among the engravers, and then screwed to- 
 gether again when each man had completed his own little piece. 
 The invention which led to such an economy of time was only 
 introduced in i860 or thereabouts. For nineteen yecirs Punch 
 had to see his big blocks cut on a single piece of wood, which 
 was one of the reasons why the earlier cartoons and "pen- 
 cillings " were, as a rule, so much more roughly drawn and 
 hastily cut. In those early days a single "round" of wood 
 was used — a "round" that had been cross-cut from the trunk 
 of the tree. This was always kept seasoning until b}- natural
 
 250 The History of "Puxch.'' 
 
 shrinkage it had spht up to the centre, when a tongue- 
 shaped piece of box was fitted into the triangular vacancy 
 and screwed firmly through. Then the block was squared 
 as well as its shape permitted, and when its surface had 
 been properly prepared, it was ready for the artist. 
 
 As I find m3-self discussing technical details in Punch 
 production, it ma)- be well to go a step further, for such 
 matters can hardly fail to interest the reader. The car- 
 toon, for reasons of economy of time, has always, up to 
 1893, been drawn upon the wood* — not upon paper, as has 
 been possible to the rest of the Staff for a good many years 
 past — and is delivered into Mr. Swain's hands by Friday 
 night. Twenty-four hours later the engraving of the block 
 IS completed, and it is handed over to the printers, who are 
 already clamouring for it to be put in their formes — for there 
 is no time to electrotype it, nor of course to stereot}pe the 
 pages. Stereotyping, indeed, has been the latest of the inno- 
 vations on Punch — an innovation to be reckoned but a vear 
 or two old — for Punch, in his own house at least, is a Con- 
 servative among Conservatives. What was always present 
 in the publisher's mind was that the " foreign edition " had 
 to be ready printed oft by Monda}- morning, and eveiy moment 
 was necessarily grudged during which the machines were not 
 running — even those few short minutes when a sheet or two 
 of the paper, at first starting, were taken to ]\Ir. Swain to 
 be judged as to the printing of the cuts, or as to whether 
 they wanted a little more "colour," or a little pressure taken 
 off. "To myself," ]Mr. Swain tells me, "it has always been 
 a pleasing reflection that during the whole time of my con- 
 nection with Punch, extending over fiftv vears, I have never 
 once failed to get my work done in time and without accident. 
 Of course, now and again it has been a verv near thing, but 
 it has always been done somehow." 
 
 It has ever been matter for surprise to outsiders that the 
 conductors of the journal could tempt Fate so recklesslv as to 
 put the original wood-blocks on the machines. As has been 
 
 * With the exception of the Almanac cartoon, for which the engraver has 
 ample time.
 
 Rrryx/Au; 7?/6a-5. 251 
 
 seen, there was no alternative. But the fact remains that they 
 ran a continual risk for fifty }'ears which no other journal 
 would care to face for a single week ; for an accident to a 
 single block (and such accidents are all too common) would 
 have jeopardised the whole week's edition, as no other original 
 existed (as it exists nowadays) from which the damaged block 
 might be reproduced, or b}' which it might be superseded. 
 
 So it was only after the printing of an edition that the 
 blocks were electrotyped. It is a curious fact that after 70,000 or 
 80,000 had been printed these blocks were nearh' always found 
 as good as new so far as the wood was concerned ; onh" towards 
 the end of the edition the blocks would sometimes get so filled 
 up that some of the fine work was entirel}' lost, and the electros 
 then taken suffered in consequence. An examination of this 
 substance would show that it consisted of lime and pulp from 
 the paper itself, compressed in a solid boch' so hard that it 
 almost defied the graver to remove it. 
 
 Those early davs were halcyon times for Pmuli engravers. 
 Mark Lemon would come down two or three times a week to 
 edit and make up the paper, and would talk leisurely with Mr, 
 Swain of such matters as concerned the engraver. Xo block 
 was hurried. If it could not be ready for one week, it was held 
 over for the next— a saving grace which the engra^'er has 
 now and again acknowledged b}^ drawing an initial or other 
 simple design on the wood half an hour before going to press, 
 when the Editor hurriedly required such a decoration — possibly 
 to suppl}^ an artist's omission. Such sketches were " The Cab- 
 man's Ticket" in February, 1854, put upon the wood from a 
 scribble bv Gilbert a Beckett — his sole artistic contribution 
 to Punch; "Broom v. Brush" in May, 1859; and "The 
 Turkish Bath" in 18S0. And, above all, "process" had not 
 yet held out its alluring promise of nearly equal results, to 
 the inexpert eye, at a quarter of the cost of wood-engraving. 
 In another way did Mr. Swain place his mark on the pages 
 of Punch— hy the introduction of many a young artist to the 
 Editor. It was he who thus introduced Mr. T. Harrington 
 Wilson to Mark Lemon, Mr. Ralston to Shirley Brooks, 
 R. B. Wallace (whose acquaintance he had niade through
 
 252 The History of '"Punch" 
 
 Mr, Frederick Shields) and Mr. Wheeler to Tom Taylor, and 
 others, too, to the various rulers of Punch. In some cases 
 the artists themselves approached the engraver ; in others, it 
 was the Editor who would ask him to recommend some clever 
 designer who could best execute this or that little drawing 
 which he wanted done. Further service rendered by him 
 was the share he took in educating several of Punch s more 
 imposing personages for the work they had to do — such as 
 Doyle, McDonnell, and others. 
 
 It has often been quoted of Leech that after he had shown 
 a drawing on the wood to any friend who might happen to be 
 with him, he would add with a sigh — " But wait till next week 
 and see how the engraver will spoil it ! " This was a piece of 
 unintentional injustice, for the fault lay with the conditions of 
 rapid printing (for Punch has always been, and still is, printed 
 on a cylinder machine) — with the printer, the ink-maker, and 
 the paper manufacturer more than with the engraver, as a 
 glance at the proofs of the engi"avings will show. 
 
 Speaking of this matter, Dean Hole says : "If the position 
 of an eyelash was altered, or the curve of a lip was changed, 
 there might be an ample remainder to convey the intention and 
 to win the admiration of those who never knew their loss, but 
 the perfection of the original was gone. Again and again I have 
 heard him [Leech] sigh as he looked over the new number 
 of Punch ; and as I, seeing but excellence, would ask an explana- 
 tion, he would point to some almost imperceptible obliquity 
 which vexed his gentle soul." It is a curious fact that, in 
 common with most draughtsmen. Leech never became reconciled 
 to the fact that black printer's-ink cannot exactly render the 
 tender gre}" tones of a hard lead pencil ; but to the fact that 
 he had not much to complain of Mr. Frith bears witness : 
 " I once saw one of Leech's drawings on the wood, and I after- 
 wards saw it in Punch, and I remember wondering at the 
 fidelity with which it was rendered. Some of the lines, finer 
 than the finest hair, had been cut away or thickened, but the 
 character, the vigour, and the beauty were scarcely damaged.'' 
 In connection with this subject Mr. Layard, in his "Life 
 of Charles Keene," compared a photogi'avure and a wood-block
 
 Thackeray is Communicative. 253 
 
 of one of the PioicJi pictures, with the principal, though un- 
 intended, result of proving how indulgent are wood-engraving 
 and the tool of the skilled craftsman to the artist who incon- 
 sideratelv persists in using gre}^ inks of varying intensities and 
 subtle lines of indefinite thicknesses on paper of various colour- 
 patches, when reproduction upon wood is his sole ultimate 
 aim. 
 
 As Mr. Swain lived for some time close to Thackeray's 
 house, it was an occasional custom of his to call on his way to 
 the office to see if the great " Thack ',' had any blocks ready that 
 he might carry away with him. The novelist was usually at 
 breakfast when he called, and would request that his ^■isitor 
 might be shown into the library. There he would presently 
 join him and, if he were behindhand with his work, would 
 request Mr. Swain to have a seat, a cigar, and a chat, while 
 he produced a PinicJi drawing "Avhile you wait." "Ah, 
 Swain ! " he said one day, looking up from his block, when he 
 was more than usually confidential, " if it had not been for 
 Punch, I wonder where I should be ! " 
 
 Mr. Joseph Swain retired in 1890 from the business he had 
 formed, and handed it over to his son, who had been many 
 years identified with it, and still continues the weekly engraving 
 of the Punch cartoon. Wood-engravmg has now been aban- 
 doned for all other illustrations, the first process block tried 
 on the paper being Mr. Linley Sambourne's drawing called 
 " Reconciliation, a scene from the new screaming farce, the 
 ■Pohtical Box and Cox,'" on the 3rd December, 1892 (p. 2-ji)\ 
 but that the innovation has been equally happy in the case 
 of everv artist I am not prepared to maintain.
 
 254 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 PUNCH'S writers: 1 84 1. 
 
 Mark Lemon — As Others Saw Him — His Duties — His Industry — His Staff and 
 their Apportioned Work — Lemon as an Editor — And Diplomatist — A 
 Testimonial— And a Practical Joke— Henry Mayhew— His Great Powers 
 and Little Weaknesses— Disappointment and Retirement — Stirling Coyne 
 
 Gilbert Abbott a Beckett— His Early Career— Tremendous Industry — 
 
 A Beckett and Robert Seymour — Appointed Magistrate— Locked In — Angus 
 B. Reach. 
 
 Mark Lemon was thirty-one when 
 he found himself co-editor of Punch. 
 His salary, it is true, was not more 
 than thirty shillings a week ; but it was 
 to rise before his death to fifteen hun- 
 dred pounds a year — a higher amount, it 
 is said, than has been received by any 
 other " weekly editor," before or since. 
 However, he had found financial salva- 
 tion ; for although his play -writing had 
 not been unsuccessful — and by the time 
 he died his pieces were to be num- 
 bered bv the score — the drama in the days of short runs 
 was not a remunerative form of literature. His natural bon- 
 homie stood him in good stead ; it charmed his friends and 
 non-plussed his enemies. Of the latter, it must be admitted, 
 he had more than enough — or, at least, men to whom he 
 was intensely antipathetic. One eminent journalist — more 
 eminent than Mark himself — writes him down "a mealy- 
 mouthed sycophant ; " and another, hardly less popular, went 
 further still in his denunciation, and, if he were to be 
 believed, Mark Lemon must have been one of the most 
 accomplished humbugs of his time. " There was nothing 
 
 MAKK LI. M'lN. 
 
 (From a piivate J)hoiograph.')
 
 An a pp/? EC/ at/ on o/- Mark Lemon. 255 
 
 good about Mark," said a distinguished draughtsman, who 
 worked with the Punch Editor for many a long year, "but 
 his laugh." But against this criticism — which was that of 
 men whose judgment ought to be clear and sound, and was, 
 moreo^•er, shared by others — there is an overwhelming mass 
 of evidence in favour of Lemon's extreme amiabilitv, kindness, 
 and geniality. He, naturally, was the butt of rival comic 
 papers, who would taunt him with his Jewish descent, with 
 the mildness of his jokes and humour, and the bitterness of his 
 false friendship. A favourite form was to print among supposed 
 "Births" such a line as this: "On Wednesday,' the 26th ult., 
 at Whitefriars, Mr. Mark Lemon, of a joke, stillborn." 
 
 But Lemon could well afford to ignore all such attacks. 
 Mr. George Chester, his life-long friend, pronounced him the 
 prince of cronies, and I have seen many letters from him 
 instinct with affection and jovial humour. One of them, bv 
 the wav, gives information that "our nursemaid has the 
 chicken-pock, and we expect to see her throw out feathers 
 to-morrow." When he entered the composing-room he was 
 invariablv received with a cheer b}- the men, whom he called 
 "my Caxtonian Bees." Charles Dickens believed in him as 
 " a most affectionate and true-hearted fellow," and so described 
 him to Sir A. H. Layard (in whose interest Dickens arranged 
 for Tenniel's fine " Nineveh Bull " cartoon to be published) ; 
 and though he quarrelled with him, because Lemon had the 
 courage, chivalry, and uprightness to take ]Mrs. Dickens's 
 side against her husband, he brought the estrangement to a 
 close with a kindlv message when Lemon first appeared as 
 Falstaff. Mr. Joseph Hatton carries his friendly admiration 
 almost to the point of Lemonolatry ; and the man who could 
 inspire such friendship must assuredly have been endowed with 
 sterling qualities and with a lovable nature. 
 
 " Mr. Lemon impressed me," writes Mr. E. J. Ellis, " as 
 the kindest and most lovable elderly boy I had ever seen. 
 He evidentlv accepted my little sketches only for the promise, 
 not the performance, of them. Some were rejected. This was 
 done so genially that I found myself hastening to refuse my own 
 drawings far him rather than put him to the effort of sparing
 
 256 The History of "PuNcny 
 
 my feelings while doing so. ' Here I sit,' he said, Mike a great 
 ogre, eating up people's little hopes.' Then he showed me 
 his waste-paper basket, and added — ■' But what am I to do ? 
 Look here ! ' I confess I never saw, except on pavement in 
 colom'ed chalks, such nerve-twisting horrors as the paper 
 sketches people sent." It is obvious from this that the 
 writer never watched the pictures entering the Royal Academy 
 on Sending-in Day. 
 
 Mark Lemon loved Punch ; as well he ought. He refused 
 to visit America to give his readings on terms that were highly 
 alluring, as he could not find it in his heart to abandon the 
 command, even for a time, nor bear to miss his two days a 
 week at Whitefriars. When he said truly that he and Punch 
 were made for each other, and that he " would not have 
 succeeded in any other way," he might fairly have added, had 
 he wished, how hard he had laboured for that success. Mr. 
 Birket Foster has drawn me a vivid picture of how in those 
 early days he had to visit Lemon in his Newcastle Street 
 lodgings, and, mounting to the topmost storey, found him in 
 an untid}', undusted room, sitting in his shirt-sleeves, with 
 Horace ]\Iayhew by his side plying the scissors, working at 
 the weekh' " make-up " of Punch with the desperate eagerness 
 that was, in time, to bear so rich a harvest. 
 
 How Mark Lemon helped to bring together the original 
 Staff has already been seen. It was, doubtless, his sound 
 display of business capacity and character, in addition to his 
 literarv aptitude, that induced Henry ]\Iayhew and Landells 
 to nominate him as one of the co-editors — for that was a 
 quality in which both Henry Mayhew and Stirling Coyne 
 were confessedlv deficient. " There are forty men of wit," 
 says Swift, " for one man of sense." So the paper was started, 
 and the very first article, " The Moral of PuncJi," was 
 Lemon's ;* but neither then nor after did he write much 
 for it, though he still contributed a certain amount of graceful, 
 serious verse, under the title of " Songs for the Sentimental," 
 with a farcical last line which affects the reader suddenly 
 like a cold douche. He wrote, as well, many short epigrams, 
 
 * See p. 2.
 
 Mark Lemon Sole Editor. 257 
 
 paragraphs, and the like, besides being a fairly prolific 
 suggestor of the cartoons ; but the sum of his literary labours 
 on the paper would not compare with that of the members 
 on the Staff. To him fell the organisation, administration, and 
 practical making-up of the paper. 
 
 In the early days of Punch, during those infantile con- 
 vulsions to which the paper threatened to succumb, Mark 
 Lemon assured his position by the great zeal with which he 
 carried out his duties ; and at the transfer of Punch he was 
 left sole Editor, by the fiat of the new proprietors. Stirling 
 Coyne left without real regi-et, though in considerable dudgeon 
 at his treatment ; he had many other irons in the fire, and 
 the conditions of journal-weaning were unattractive to him. 
 But to Henry Mayhew it was a bitter disappointment. It 
 was he who had made Punch what it was ; he found himself 
 ousted from his legitimate position, and he considered, in his 
 own words, that Mark Lemon " had allowed himself to be 
 bought over," so that a coolness sprang up between the two 
 men which was never quite removed. 
 
 In his work Lemon did not spare himself. For a time 
 Horace Mayhew was his sub-editor, to whom fell the usual 
 duties of the post — (" Be it yours," as a careless speaker in 
 the office nicknamed " Heavens ! " is traditionalh' said to 
 have advised, " Be it yours, 'Orace, to hurge the hartises 
 [artists] hon ! ") — but before long Lemon took that duty upon 
 himself, driving round to the chief contributors one day in 
 the week to satisfv himself that their drawings and "copy" 
 would be to time. The story goes that he alwa3's emplo}'ed 
 the same driver, and that when the man was about to replace 
 the old vehicle with a new one, he suggested to Lemon, with 
 glowing pride at the brightness of the idea, that he should 
 have a figure of Puncli emblazoned on the panels. In later 
 years Lemon's son Harry acted as his secretary, and sometimes, 
 though unofficially, as his sub-editor, and generally undertook 
 the "travelling" for his father. 
 
 It was in Lombard Street, Whitefriars, of classic memory, 
 that Bradbury and Evans carried on the practical part of their 
 business ; and here Mark Lemon might often be seen, radiant 
 R
 
 258 The History of "Punch." 
 
 and effulgent as the circulation rose. In May, 1S43, Punch had 
 removed from Wellington Street, Strand, to 194, Strand, an 
 office which he gave up to his young rival, " The Great Gun," in 
 January, 1845, in order to remove to 92, Fleet Street. Here he 
 only remained for a couple of months, and, migi"ating in March 
 of the same year, he set up for good and all in 85, Fleet Street, 
 on the very site in St. Bride's Churchyard of the tailor's house 
 where jVIilton once kept school. In the editorial office the Punch 
 Staff would often write their articles, Thackeray especially 
 taking advantage of the convenience. ''In three hours more," 
 he wrote to Mrs. Brookfield in 1850, " Mr. W. M. T. is hard at 
 work at Pimch office." 
 
 The management of the weekly " copy," the arrangement 
 for series, and the dealing with outside applications of all sorts, 
 quite apart from artistic contributions, were together no light task 
 for the Editor, especially when one or other of the writers failed 
 him, and the illustrations that were to accompany their articles 
 had to be retaken into consideration. From the besj-innin? 
 outside contributions were remorselessh' discouraged ; yet some 
 remarkable poems and sketches have come to Punch unsolicited 
 from famous and brilliant pens, as will subsequentlv be seen. Still, 
 the paper has always been a fairlv close borough — as, after all, 
 it has a perfect right to be ; and by that means has been enabled 
 to keep its distinctive colour — in contrast with the " Fliegende 
 Blatter," for example, whose staff may truly be said to consist of 
 the whole German people. To each writer was allotted a 
 certain space, which he was expected to fill ; and when there 
 was a deficit in the amount of his contribution — which there 
 generally was, and a heavy one — it was duly entered up. Thus 
 for a long while Douglas Jerr old's half-yearly total was theo- 
 retically 162 columns (or a weekly average of six and a quar- 
 ter) ; Gilbert a Beckett's, 135 columns (five and a quarter) ; 
 Percival Leigh's, Tom Taylor's, and Horace ^Vlayhew's, 54 ; 
 and Thackeray's, 46 columns ; but few of them ever came up 
 to their proper total. In earlier days, before Albert Smith left, 
 the following were the weekly tasks : Jerrold, five columns ; 
 Gilbert a Beckett, four ; Smith and Leigh, two each ; and after 
 Smith's departure a Beckett succeeded to Jerrold's figures.
 
 The Staff at Work, 
 
 259 
 
 The records of the Staff's contributions were kept as 
 follows, their relative proportions being exactly shown. I 
 take one volume at random, the seventh, that for the second 
 half-year of 1S44 : — 
 
 Contributors. 
 
 July. 
 
 Douglas Jerrold . 
 Gilbert a Beckett. 
 Percival Leigh . . . . 
 
 Thackeray 
 
 Horace Mayhew . 
 
 T. Taylor 
 
 Ferguson 
 
 Editor+ 
 
 O.xenford 
 
 Laman Blanchard 
 H.Wills 
 
 20^ 
 8 
 
 ■2.1 
 
 It 
 
 5 
 
 A"S-- te'Xr. lOctober No- 
 
 i7i 
 18 
 8f 
 
 2i I 
 
 li 
 
 23i 
 
 6i 
 
 9' 
 6 
 
 27* 
 
 i7f 
 
 5 
 
 17 
 -1 
 
 2i 
 
 
 Total of 
 
 Decem- 
 
 Six 
 
 ber. 
 
 Months 
 
 31^ 
 
 I39i^ 
 
 I9i 
 
 94i 
 
 6i 
 
 39 
 
 4l 
 
 24i 
 
 a 
 
 i6| 
 
 3 
 
 6i 
 
 I 
 
 i| 
 
 8 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 — 
 
 »l 
 
 J. 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 5i 
 3i 
 
 1 
 
 T 
 
 Total of columns in volume , 347 
 
 A more comprehensive view may be had from a glance at 
 the table on the following page, which covers perhaps the most 
 interesting period of Punch's early histor\-. 
 
 From this table it will be seen that Douglas Jerrold con- 
 tributed as much as 139 columns to Vol. VII. and Gilbert a 
 Beckett 122 to the next ; and that the Editor's section after 
 Vol. VI. was to some extent split up under the names of the 
 individual contributors who composed it. In addition to these 
 names during the period covered by the table, there may be 
 added those of Tom Hood (3!), T. J. Serle, , Charles Lever, 
 Horace Smith, and Doyle. 
 
 Another source of trouble to the Editor was the holiday- 
 time as it came round, for the Statf would scatter itself and, 
 though arrangements were made of course beforehand, the 
 
 * Douglas Jerrold writes to Hodder under date September gth : — " I have been 
 worked to death for Punch, having it all on my shoulders, Mark, a Beckett, and 
 Thackeray being away. Nevertheless, last week it went up 1,500." Jerrold, it 
 may be added, would at that time undertake some of the editorial as well as 
 the literary work. 
 
 t This was " The Little Frenchman's Second Lesson," an important poem 
 occupying a whole page. 
 
 + Under "Editor" were entered all, except very special, contributions 
 coming from outside. 
 
 R 2
 
 26o 
 
 s ^ 
 
 o 
 
 CO 
 
 Oi 
 
 HH 
 
 fe 
 
 
 
 •s 
 
 Q 
 
 
 W 
 
 
 < 
 
 
 Q 
 
 1 — > 
 
 ;zi 
 
 
 HH 
 
 o 
 
 
 t_( 
 
 m 
 
 
 K 
 
 ^ 
 
 W 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 rn 
 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 (— I 
 
 H 
 
 O 
 CJ 
 
 C/2 
 
 
 < 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 > 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 ►—I K> 
 
 O "^ 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 ;z; 
 
 o 
 
 < 
 
 > 
 
 W 
 
 o 
 
 ^ r' > 
 
 K 
 ^ 
 
 H^^ 
 
 7>^ History of " Puxch." 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 I 1 1 ^. 
 
 cT 1 
 
 « -f- 
 
 MacGregor. | <^' 
 
 
 Mark Lemon, j | 1 
 
 rH|U 1 
 
 1 
 
 Anonymous. 
 
 
 :2 1 
 
 Higgins (Jacob , ^, , 
 Omnium). 1 1 
 
 - ^ -i 
 
 Henry Mayhevv. | 
 
 •-+<j< 
 
 W. H. Wills. 1 - - 1 j 
 
 rH|* 
 CO 
 
 
 Laman 
 Blanchard. 
 
 "^"'■' 1 1 
 
 
 Ferguson. 
 
 r:\-9 «l^<i-H< nj-? 
 
 
 
 r-»,?i r: .*• K.-r ?; -i* «'.* rH|©l «,.*- p^in 
 
 Tom Taylor. I^::!!'^^^^^^:!-^^^ 2^ 
 
 «~ 1 
 
 norac^ i ^ j^^,- q _^ ^^ ,^_ ^-^ 
 Mayhew. < w-,(N<N'i-'i-^u-, 
 
 1 
 
 OS 
 
 !>. 
 C. 
 
 
 O 
 
 o^ O '^/ ""' nO c^ 1 lo 
 
 -t- ri - - O 
 
 
 John Oxenford. "t" 1- ^' I 
 
 • 
 
 vn 
 
 
 . S u m c^ ^^ Tt- <^j U-, tJ- r<-, CO c<-i 
 
 P-|n 
 CO 
 
 Percival 
 Leigh. 
 
 -f f*'/ t<^ ro r<-, r^/ Th -^ c<-; ■^- ro 
 
 Gilbert 
 
 a 
 Beckett. 
 
 r'-j -)- M oc o ^^ -^ lo O O 
 
 — ~ fi o C" a~ o^ ooo o 
 
 _ - - • o 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 Douglas 
 Jerrold. 
 
 ►_ o-_H « p-(t-^oococ 
 
 oo r<-., OS ON t~~ r^ i>- "^ lO 
 
 OS >-l 
 
 p< OO 
 
 
 
 _^ 1 Avpraocp 
 
 > 
 
 K'K^HHhH pNk>l— It— 1 
 
 (2 
 
 per 
 
 volume. 
 . . —
 
 . \k \^ \ c^to^^ ' \ "^^
 
 ■hv ; ' j^:^ ■:. ,g 

 
 In the Editorial Chair. 263 
 
 paper was sometimes run in a curiousl}- undermanned condition. 
 Thus, Ibr example, on the week of August 12, 1848 (Xo. 370), 
 Jerrold was at Guernsey, Thackeray was at Brussels, Horace 
 Mayhew at Ramsgate, and Tom Taylor awav on circuit. 
 The whole paper was in consequence written by three men 
 — by Gilbert a Beckett and Percival Leigh at home, and b\' 
 Horace ]\Iayhew, who thoughtfully sent in more than four 
 columns from the countr)-, so that his absence should not be 
 felt. 
 
 At no time was Lemon's position an easy one, for his 
 team, brilliant as it was, was sometimes wont to jib, and 
 even to kick over the traces, or, most serious of all, to fall 
 ill ; whereupon the fountain of inspiration and supph' would 
 immediately dry up. When one failed, another would have to 
 be made to fill the space ; and all the while susceptibilities 
 had to be nursed and respected as carefully as the well-being 
 of the paper. Thackeray would now and then send a letter 
 of apology instead of his "cop}^" and Jerrold would fail for 
 a week or two together ; and then Gilbert a Beckett with 
 important contributions, and Horace Mayhew with a mass 
 of little ones, were the men who, in the earlv volumes, would 
 rush quickly to the rescue. Lemon was patience itself — 
 he had no alternati^'e perhaps— and could humour his Staff 
 just as their humour demanded, for he was a born diplomatist 
 as well as editor. Moreover, he had an unerring instinct as 
 to what should and what should not appear in the paper ; 
 not alone on the ground of "good taste," as it was then 
 understood, but of public feeling. This invaluable quality was 
 acknowledged by the rest of the Staff, and was probably the 
 secret of Lemon's ability to retain his position so long and 
 with so much dignity, and to impose his will — suavitcr in 
 modo as was his habit — on men who would brook such 
 imposition from no one else. It was his moral balance they 
 admired — that judgment which in all his long career of 
 satiric criticism kept him practically free fi'om any action for 
 libel after he had taken his share in piloting the paper through 
 its sea of earl}' troubles. He was watchful and discriminating, 
 both as regards the contents of the paper and the discussions
 
 264 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 at the board — where he would smooth over such an occasional 
 storm as might threaten, and be deaf to anything that a less 
 skilhil tactician than himself might have taken notice of. 
 Nevertheless, Lemon could take his own part if occasion 
 required, and face his opponents with all the vigour of his 
 authority. The Proprietors themselves once felt the strength 
 of his character when they sought to challenge him on a vital 
 point. Mark Lemon quickly assured himself of the support 
 
 of his Staff, and, rising 
 from his seat, he said in 
 a tone of command, 
 " Boys, follow me ! " and 
 made to leave the room. 
 The struggle was over, 
 and Lemon triumphed. 
 Similarly did he make a 
 casus belli of the attempt 
 of the Proprietors on his 
 editorial rights and dig- 
 nity, when he was re- 
 quested to appear at 
 their meeting instead of 
 their attending in his 
 room. And he went so far as to instal himself in a room on the 
 other side of the way until his point was conceded. He was, 
 on the whole, a consummate Editor, who could cater for all 
 men, and yet keep his pages practically clean and irreproach- 
 able, and almost free from blunder; all the while enlisting for 
 it more and more of popular sympathy, and daily increasing 
 its influence. 
 
 Punch did not engage his exclusive energies. He was 
 the first editor of the "Field." Then he edited the "London 
 Journal," and in trying to improve its tone and quality of 
 literature by the republication in its pages of the Waverley 
 novels he well-nigh ruined it. These and other matters he 
 embarked upon, together with a number of small works, such 
 as his volume of " Prose and Verse " (which Jerrold said 
 ought to have been called " Prose and Worse "), and his 
 
 LID OF THE INKSTAND PRESENTED TO MARK 
 
 LEMON BY THE MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF 
 
 IN 1845.
 
 " Uncle MarkT 265 
 
 " Jest Book," on the strength of which, it is said, Hans 
 Christian Andersen, when in England, sought an introduction 
 to him and paid him the comphment of saying, " I am so 
 glad to know you, Mr. Lemon — you are so full of comic ! " 
 
 Moreover, Lemon acted as a sort of secretary to Herbert 
 Ingram, whom he served with gi'eat tact. Ingram was a 
 good deal identified with the Punch circle, sometimes in a 
 friendly and sometimes in a hostile way. He was owner, 
 before he sold it to William and Robert Brough, of "The 
 Man in the Moon," Punch's arch-enemy, and in later years 
 he started the " Comic News," with Edmund Yates as editor, 
 on purpose to oppose him. Yet several of the Punch men, 
 notably Shirley Brooks, worked on his " Illustrated London 
 News," which was started in great measure to push "Parr's 
 Life Pills " (these were constantly mentioned and sometimes 
 attacked in Punch), and Douglas Jerrold found in him the 
 capitalist for the " Illuminated Magazine." Mark Lemon it 
 was who took several of his Staff down to Boston to speak 
 for Ingi-am during his candidature, an expedition that was a 
 gi-eater electoral than oratorical success ; and he again it 
 was, so it is said, who persuaded Mr. Ingi-am to drop 
 the "Comic News," so that Punch might be rid of what 
 was already a troublesome, and might have become a very 
 damaging, rival. 
 
 With equal zeal and skill and genial friendliness to re- 
 commend him. Lemon became a gi'eat favourite in his own 
 circle, for "Uncle Mark" was always ready to do his 
 friends a good turn. In 1845 the Staff combined to pre- 
 sent him with a silver inkstand— an interesting relic now 
 in possession of Mrs. F. W. W. Topham, his daughter)— a 
 reproduction of the lid of which is here given ; while the 
 locket which, with a more substantial gift, was presented 
 in 1866 to celebrate the Jubilee of Punch {i.e. his fiftieth 
 volume) and to mark the withdrawal of the Heads of the 
 firm, was inscribed as follows : " To Mark Lemon from his 
 old friends W. Bradbury and F. M. Evans, on their retire- 
 ment, given at- a dinner at Maidenhead, June 27th, 1866. 
 Present— W. H. Bradburv, Shirley Brooks, Wm. Agnew,
 
 266 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 G. du Maurier, F. C. Biirnand, J. H. Agnew, C. H. Bennett, 
 John Tenniel, Horace Ma3^hew, F. M. Evans (Jun.), Henry 
 Silver, T. Agnew (Jun.), Percival Leigh, Chas. Keene, Mark 
 Lemon, \Vm. Bradbur}-, F. M. Evans." There is no doubt 
 that, as time went on. Lemon became more and more popular 
 with his Staff, and each fresh appearance in Punch of his 
 jolly face under the low-crowned hat of John Bull, or the 
 snow-sprinkled peak of Father Christmas, identified him more 
 closely with the paper and endeared him to his workers. Yet 
 they liked to " score off" him when they could, in return for 
 the jokes he plaved on them. The story is told how, when 
 he had run down for a few days' holiday by the sea, he 
 received the paper by post, and, tearing off its cover, was 
 horrified to find, not the cartoon they had agreed upon, 
 but another, execrable in taste and vile in execution, while 
 undoubted libels and other offences were sprinkled with 
 hideous liberality about the pages. Moreover, the cartoon was 
 awry, the date was wrong, and a paragraph was upside down. 
 Lemon turned cold all down his spine, and gasping " This 
 comes ft^om mv being away ! " he determined to return to town 
 without the loss of a moment. From this point historians 
 differ. Some say that Mark rushed to the station, quickly 
 bought up every copy of the awful issue that was for sale, 
 and jumped into the railway-carriage with the bundle ; and 
 that not before he was well on his wa}- did he dare to open 
 a copy to gaze again on the hideous production ; and when 
 he did — he rubbed his eyes, for everything was just as it 
 should be ! Then the light broke in upon him that he had 
 been egregiouslv " sold," and he realised that a copy had 
 been specially prepared for his pleasing edification ! Other 
 commentators assert that before Uncle Mark had time 
 to leave for the station a telegi"am came, mercifully ex- 
 plaining a joke which, it was felt, ought not to be carried 
 too far. The reader will remember a similar incident 
 occurring in " Esmond ; " and one wonders if the idea of 
 that dummy copy of the "Spectator" was not suggested by 
 the hour's torture lovingly inflicted upon the Editor of Punch 
 by his affectionate and respectful Staff.
 
 Mr. Gladstone's Tribute. 267 
 
 Mark Lemon died on May 23rd, 1870. He had been 
 verv ill on one or two pre\-ious occasions ; even as early as 
 1848 Jerrold had written to John Forster that " Lemon has 
 been at Death's door — but has kept on the outside." For 
 nine-and-twenty years he had been at the helm ; and although 
 he mav not have been as paramount on Punch as some aver, 
 there can be no doubt that he entirely merited the compli- 
 ment paid by Mr. Gladstone to his memory when, awarding 
 a pension of ;^ioo fi^om the Civil List to Mrs. Lemon, he said 
 that he had ''raised the level of comic journalism to its present 
 standard." The proprietors, with generous sympathy, recogiiis- 
 ing the immense services of their friend, at once set about 
 making a collection for the widow and unmarried daughters 
 (for Lemon had been unsuccessful in his investments and 
 speculations') and, with the ready help of the Staff, pro- 
 secuted it with so much energy and goodwill that the sum 
 of ;^ 1,500 was quickly raised. 
 
 He was lowered to rest in a coffin simply inscribed " ]Mark 
 Lemon — Editor of Punch;" for in Punch he had lived his 
 life. "He believed," said Mr. Hatton, "in one God, one 
 woman, one publication," as his surviving colleagues well 
 knew. "If this journal," they wrote by the hand of Shirley 
 Brooks, "has had the good fortune to be credited with 
 habitual advocacy of truth and justice, if it has been praised 
 for abstinence from the less worth}- kind of satire, if it has 
 been trusted by those who keep guard over the purity of 
 womanhood and of youth, we, the best witnesses, turn for a 
 moment from our sorrow to bear the fullest and most willing 
 testimony that the high and noble spirit of ]\Iark Lemon ever 
 prompted generous championship, ever made unworthy on- 
 slaught or irreverent jest impossible to the pens of those 
 who were honoured in being coadjutors with him." And in 
 the poem that follows, testimony is borne that — 
 
 "... 'Twas his pride to teach us so to bear 
 
 Our blades, as he bore his — keep the edge keen, 
 But strike above the belt : and ever wear 
 The armour of a conscience clear and clean."
 
 268 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 HENRY MAYHEW. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 
 Bedford, Leinerc and Co. 
 
 Strand, IF.C.) 
 
 The character of Henry Mayhew, and his share in the 
 production of Punch, have already been somewhat fuhy set 
 
 forth. An old fi-iend of his informs me that 
 "he was lovable, jolly, charming, bright, 
 coaxing, and unprincipled. He rarely wrote 
 himself, but would dictate, as he walked to 
 and fro, to his wife, whom he would also 
 leave to confi^ont his creditors. She was 
 deeply attached to him ; and when his 
 father died, she found that the careful solici- 
 tor had left her a bequest of two pounds a 
 week, payable to herself." And Postans, 
 after he had lost his sight, would now and 
 then exclaim — "Although he treated me so 
 badly, I should love to hear the sound of 
 his dear voice again!" There can be no doubt that Henry 
 Mayhew was a genius, a fascinating companion, and a man 
 of inexhaustible resource and humour — though humour was 
 but one side of his brilhant mind. Indolence was his beset- 
 ting sin ; and his will was untutored. 
 
 " An admirable all-round talker," Henry Vizetelly wrote to me 
 shortly before his death, " Henry Mayhew was brimming over 
 with novel ideas on all manner of subjects, from artificial pro- 
 duction of diamonds to the reformation of ticket-of-leave men. 
 He was constantly planning some new publication or broaching 
 novel ideas on the most out-of-the-way subjects. He would scheme 
 and ponder all the day long, but he abominated the labour of 
 putting his ideas into tangible shape. He would talk like a book 
 on any subject for hours together if he could only find listeners, 
 but could with difficulty be brought to put pen to paper. Most 
 of his books were written from his ideas by his younger brother 
 Augustus, or were dictated directly to his wife, who acted as his 
 amanuensis. Although he made considerable sums by his writings, 
 he never seemed to have a shilling ; and most of the letters he re- 
 ceived were from dunning creditors. These missives, however, never 
 troubled him, for he never broke the envelopes of one of them, 
 but handed all his correspondence over to his wife to do as she 
 pleased with and answer such letters as she thought necessary. 
 He was very temperate. Whether he smoked as a young man,
 
 Henry Mayhew's Rare Talent. 269 
 
 I am not aware ; but he never smoked at the periodical evening 
 gatherings at his house, when the guests could hardly see each 
 'other for the clouds of tobacco-smoke. On these occasions the 
 most abstruse subjects were often discussed, and all we young 
 wiseacres present contributed our modicum of knowledge towards 
 the elucidation of problems that sorely perplexed the thinkers of 
 the epoch. Although Mayhew would sit up till any hour as 
 long as anyone would stay and listen to him, he never allowed 
 this to interfere with his early-rising habits." 
 
 The impression made by Mayhew upon his contemporaries 
 was invariably such as to command respect for his intellectual 
 capacity. Considering his deep, philosophic mind, says one 
 critic, if his lines had been cast in more serious places, he 
 might have been a sociologist, the equal of John Stuart INIill 
 and Herbert Spencer. There is proof enough of this in that 
 wonderful encyclopaedic work of '' London Labour and London 
 Poor," which displayed his original mind and his power of 
 research, as much as other books displayed his marvellous 
 invention, fancy, and initiative, and it is the only one of his 
 undertakings which he had perseverance enough to carry 
 throtigh to a triumphant conclusion— so far as it can claim 
 finality. It was while he was engaged on this work that 
 Landells (according to a private letter) visited him and found 
 him, in company with his brother Augustus and William Jer- 
 rold, interviewing a " coster "—" drawing him," while Horace 
 Mayhew took down everything the man said. 
 
 Such was the man who conceived Punch as it came to be, 
 and who wrote of it when it was established, " I smell lots of tin 
 thereabouts ; but our Lemon requires a great deal of squeezing." 
 What was his connection with Punch, how he agreed with 
 Lemon as to the transfer to Bradbury and Evans, how he 
 found himself replaced by (or, as he considered, outwitted 
 by) Mark Lemon in the editorship has already been recited. 
 Nevertheless, he was retained as " Suggest or-in-Chief" —an 
 ofHce which suited him well enough, considering his hatred of 
 the drudgery of writing. 
 
 " Mr. Henry Mayhew," writes Punch's ex-Printer. " the special 
 joke-provider for Punch, was a most jocular character. He would
 
 270 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 stand beside the compositor while he was working at his case, 
 and closely watch every movement of his hand in picking up 
 each letter. He said he could not make out how ever the com- 
 positor could keep the alphabetical order of each box in his 
 memory. So to master the mystery he set to work and learned 
 the boxes for himself, and would often find amusement, when 
 waiting for a proof, in setting up a few lines, very slowty at first, 
 but, shifting the composing rule and thoughtlessly laying down 
 the stick the wrong way, generally upset all his work, and so he 
 gave it i:p in despair. This Mr. Mayhew was ver}^ clever in 
 creating and roughly sketching out man}- of the small comic 
 column illustrations, and would write the witty inscriptions for 
 them. These would then go to the artist, who sketched out the 
 idea and so completed it. In Punchy as in manv other similar 
 works, the mind to invent the idea caricatured, and the hand 
 that pencils it, belong to two verv different persons and capacities. 
 Mr. Ma3'hew was very clever in this way, and anything of a 
 comic nature he saw he would at once sketch off and then have 
 a cut made of it. Most of the inimitable cuts in the first few 
 volumes of Punch are of his invention. He was always sketch- 
 ing and taking rough notes of everything he saw. The great 
 John Leech called him his indispensable ' Jack-all, or broad-grin 
 provider.' " 
 
 In spite of his disappointment, Henry Mayhew remained 
 with Punch until 1S45. His last literary contribution — "A 
 Shaksperean Xurser}- Rhyme," on the subject of Macready 
 playing Shakespeare in Paris before Louis Philippe and 
 Prince de Joinville — appeared in February of that year ; but 
 he still attended the Dinners and made suggestions for car- 
 toons, of which twelve were accepted in that year. With 
 his proposal, however, of the cartoon of "Don Roebucis," 
 which was drawn by Leech (14th March, 1846), his last word 
 was said; and from that time forward his connection with 
 Punch ceased absolutely. He had given the paper its char- 
 acter and tone ; he had suggested its first great success, the 
 Almanac ; he had supported its transfer, whereby it was 
 firmly established ; and he had cracked its biggest joke — the 
 joke which is universally quoted to this very day.^ He died 
 in 1887, at the age of 75, and his old friend celebrated him 
 
 * See p. 141.
 
 Stirljxg Coyne. 
 
 2-1 
 
 J. STIRLING COY.NE. 
 
 (Front a Photograph by Lom- 
 bard and Co.) 
 
 in verse, none too correctly, though in the kindhest manner, 
 
 ending thus : — 
 
 " . . . . Farewell ! 
 The record of the age's course will tell 
 Of him whose name a double honour bore, 
 Comrade of Pimch and champion of the poor." * 
 
 There was a fund of Irish humour 
 in Joseph Stirling Co}'ne. He had 
 proved it by his plan's long before he 
 undertook his share of the co-editor- 
 ship which was oifered him at that 
 " Edinburgh Castle " meeting where so 
 much oi Punch' s present and future was 
 arranged. He was at that time eight- 
 and-twenty years of age ; and although 
 he was dramatic critic of the " Sundav 
 Times," the drama rather than the 
 press was his natural field of action — 
 indeed, he wrote no fewer than five- 
 and-fifty pieces of various kinds, besides plays in collabora- 
 tion, and was secretarv of the Dramatic Authors' Societv 
 until his death. Nevertheless, he belonged in a manner 
 to the inner circle of the *' Punch set," and frequented the 
 taverns that were their clubs ; and he even went in double 
 harness with Mark Lemon as co-editor, vice " Alphabet " 
 Bajdey, of "The Bude Light" — an English imitation of 
 " Les Guepes." He was, in fact, a man of some celebrit^• 
 
 * An example of Henry Maj-hew's quaint presentation of his own 
 experiences is to be found in the paragraph he contributed under the title 
 of " Tavern Charges at Dover ": — " Waiter ! How much is my glass of 
 brandy-and-water ? " "The bill, sir." "What! ids. 6d. ? " "Yes, sir, 
 brandy's 2S. ; never charge less." "Well?" "Sugar 6d. ; never charge less." 
 "Go on." " Waxlight and apartment, 5s." "Why, I've only been here five 
 minutes." "That's not our fault, sir; we never charge less." "Go on." 
 "Servants, 2s." "What?" " ^le, boots, and chambermaid; never charge 
 less." " Well, what next ? " " The use of plate, glass, and linen, is." " What 
 do you mean?" "Teaspoon, tumbler, and table-cloth; never charge less; 
 but — we makes you a present of the biling water." " Very well, there's your 
 los. 6d., and I shall write to the ' Times.' " " Yes, sir — pen, ink, and paper, is. ; 
 never charge less."
 
 2/2 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 who had already gained pubhc reputation beyond the band 
 of men, brilHant, no doubt, but, for the most part, with 
 their successes yet to come — so that he was accorded the 
 important role which he filled with peculiar modesty. He 
 wrote extremely little, but he seems to have formed some 
 distinct notion of his share in the foundation, for Edmund 
 Yates records how his father once came home and, throwing 
 the first number of Punch on the table, said, " Here is Stir- 
 ling Coyne's new paper ! " At last Coyne was charged by 
 Lemon (who always referred contemptuously to him as 
 " Paddy ") with stealing one of his '' Puff Papers " from a 
 Dublin paper. At Puncli s transfer Co3"ne quietly, though dis- 
 contentedly, retired from duties which had hitherto brought 
 him neither reputation nor pleasure, and only a hundred 
 pounds in cash from Landells, and from Douglas Jerrold — 
 as I learn from one who heard it — a savage mot, referring to 
 his somewhat uncleanly appearance, which will undoubtedly 
 adhere — " Stirling Coyne ? / call him Filthy Lucre ! " 
 
 From no choicer spirit than Gilbert 
 Abbott a Beckett could Mayhew have 
 sought for assistance and literary sup- 
 port. He was the first applied to, and 
 of all the Staff he had had by far the 
 most experience in the production of 
 '* comic papers," although he was only 
 thirty years of age. His brother, the 
 late Hon. T. T. a Beckett, has told 
 how he and his chum Henry Mayhew, 
 his junior by a year, with a con- 
 solidated share capital of three pounds 
 and a mortgage to a printer of future 
 profits, prepared to start a " satirical paper," to be called 
 "The Cerberus" — the joint editors being then still young 
 boys. As it happily befell, Mr. a Beckett, senior, discovered 
 a proof of the first number, and with his solicitorial eye dis- 
 covered some forty-three clear libels in the four columns. He 
 hastened to the address on the imprint, and set the matter 
 plainly before the printer, who was only too glad to cancel the 
 
 GILBERT ABBOTT A 
 BECKETT.
 
 Youthful Exuberance. 273 
 
 whole matter tliat had been " set " upon payment of the bill. 
 So deeph' were the lads affronted b}' this unwarrantable 
 interference with their journalistic spirit and liberty of the 
 subject that they ran away from home to Edinburgh, walking 
 all the way ; but soon returned in a woeful plight. From 
 that moment, Gilbert turned journalist— it came to him as a 
 second nature — and thenceforward supported himself by his 
 pen, while establishing a very fair position at the Bar, thanks 
 to the support of his father's firm. 
 
 It was in 183 1 that he presented himself prominently before 
 the public. Jerrold's "Punch in London" had not yet begun 
 its little life of seventeen numbers, so that the moment was 
 propitious for a Beckett to embark on a venture of his own ; 
 and on December loth it made its first appearance. This was 
 " Figaro in London," in which his youthful ardour and plain 
 speaking found energetic vent. He was alwa\'s ready, in a 
 humorous, bombastic sort of spirit, to smash the aristocracy, 
 to chaff Alfred Bunn, to abuse low-class Jews, and to 
 discuss the theatre, hi these agi-eeable vocations he hit the 
 popular taste, and certainly achieved a considerable circula- 
 tion, which, Timbs declares, reached at one time 70,000 copies. 
 Small topical cuts, gi-andiloquently set down as " magnificent 
 caricatures," were well arranged as a rule, and things were going 
 well enough when editor and artist fell out ; Robert Cruikshank 
 took Seymour's place — and a Beckett's monthly adulation of 
 his old "cartoonist's" work turned suddenly to contempt. 
 
 All this was meant more than half in fun ; it was too \\o- 
 lently personal to be serious. Anyway, a Beckett declared in 
 the paper that " it is not true that Robert Seymour has gone 
 out of his mind — he had none to go out of," and Seymour re- 
 taliated heartily with a "sharp cut!' In due course Sevmour 
 resumed his place on " Figaro," and retained it to the end. 
 In December, 1834, a Beckett had handed over the paper, in 
 the height of its prosperity, to Henr}- ]\Iayhew, who continued it 
 for a time, and in 1839 it came to an end. Yet on so slender a 
 basis as this has been brought against a Beckett the cruel charge 
 that it was these assaults which did at a subsequent period 
 dri^'e Seymour out of his mind and led to his unhapp}' suicide. 
 s
 
 274 The History of '' PunchT 
 
 After "Figaro" died, and indeed partly during its con- 
 tinuance, a Beckett launched out into an extraordinary series 
 of extraordinary papers, editing for other proprietors " The 
 Wag," "The Evangelical Penny Magazine," Dibdin's " Penn}' 
 Trumpet," "The Thief" (under the engaging frankness of 
 whose title we may see the forerunner of " Public Opinion "), 
 "Poor Richard's Journal," and "The People's Penny Pic- 
 tures;" while on his own account he ran successively "The 
 Terrific Penny Magazine," " The Ghost, ' " The Lover," 
 "The Gallery of Terrors," "The Figaro Monthly Newspaper," 
 "The Figaro Caricature Gallery," and " The Comic Magazine." 
 But in spite of all this ingenuity in title-devising, and of all 
 this dogged perseverance — though one can hardly call it serious- 
 ness — not one of these journals obtained public support. As 
 a matter of fact, they were the journalistic wild oats of a 
 born journalist and an exuberant litterateur, who, as a 
 youthful playwright and a budding barrister, now had his 
 hands quite full, yet — such was the fever of his industry — 
 never full enough. 
 
 His first contribution to Punch, according to W. H. Wills' 
 statement, was "The Above Bridge Xavy " (p. n, Volume I., 
 1 841) ; but it is practically certain that "Commercial Intelli- 
 gence " in the first number is his. " I recollect well," says 
 the Hon. T. T. a Beckett, in his Reminiscences, "my brother 
 — who wrote for it from the first number to the last that 
 appeared in his life-time — bringing me away from my office on 
 an assurance that if I accompanied him as far as the Strand, 
 he would show me something that would fill me at once 
 with gratification and amazement. He kept me in suspense 
 until I reached Catherine Street, when he stopped short and 
 said, ' Now you shall see me draw a pound from Punch, 
 and if that don't amaze you and gratify you, }'ou must have 
 but a poor sense of the marvellous and very little brotherly 
 sympathy.' " 
 
 Just about the period when the negotiations were being 
 carried on with Bradbury and Evans, a Beckett began to fall 
 off in the amount of his contributions, and for a time prac- 
 tically ceased altogether. At this time he edited the " Squib "
 
 ''Mr. BRiRFLEssr 275 
 
 (28th May, 1842), a folio sheet published at three-halfpence, 
 very respectably conducted and printed, and owned by Last 
 {Punch's old printer), illustrated by Henning, Hamerton, and 
 Newman, Punch artists, treating man}- of Punch's pet subjects 
 in the Pu)ich spirit, including " Physiologies," which the older 
 paper had made its own. It was also stated that se\-eral of 
 the Punch Staff were among its contributors. However this 
 may be, the "Squib" went off in December of the same 
 year, and a Beckett thenceforward worked loyally for Punch 
 for the rest of his life, and bequeathed moreover his two 
 sons to Punch's service. 
 
 His popular ''Songs for the Seedy," a series of eight 
 poems, were published in this year in Punch, as well as 
 "Songs of the Flowers;" and soon his "Ballads of the 
 Briefless " made a considerable stir in Punch's circle. 
 A Beckett had been called to the Bar some time before, so 
 that his ballads as well as the articles from his hand which 
 appeared— and, from time to time, continued— over the 
 signature of " Mr. Briefless," had a touch of verisimilitude 
 which went straight to the soft places in the hearts and 
 imagination of the Great Unbriefed. " Mr. Briefless " became 
 an institution in the paper, as, in other journals, Mr. 
 O.P.O. Philander Smiff, and again, in a lower social scale, 
 Mr. Alfred Sloper, became recognised by a later generation. 
 This unfortunate gentleman of the Bar — a gentleman always, 
 in spite of his weakness of intellect and character — was shown 
 in all the difficulties gemrane to his barren profession, and in 
 all the ludicrous situations that came natural to the man. 
 Many ot his quaint aphorisms are still remembered, such as 
 that, elsewhere recorded — "As my laundress makes m}- bed, 
 so I must lie upon it," and "The clerk brings down his 
 master's grey horsehair wig in sorrow to the Court." Yet he 
 was not without self-respect, not to say vanitv, for on the 
 occasion of a great political crisis, when the resignation of 
 the Ministry was impending, "Mr. Briefless" somewhat in- 
 judiciously left his retreat at Gravesend and came up to 
 London, in order to be on the spot should he be called 
 upon to form or to join the future Cabinet. The onlv 
 s 2
 
 2/6 The History of "Punch." 
 
 summons he received, however, was from his tailor, and, with 
 the unfaihng judgment and good sense that characterised him, 
 he withdrew once more into the country. "Mr. Briefless" 
 and " Mr, Dunup," his friend, were creations that were at 
 once recognised, and were welcomed during the fifteen years 
 of their occasional appearance. 
 
 In 1843 his ^'Punch's Heathen Mytholog}' " followed Wills' 
 chapters on the same subject, and in the following year 
 his " Comic Blackstone " — one of the cleverest burlesques 
 of its kind in the language — served another purpose than to 
 amuse his readers : it forced him to study the commentaries 
 — for the first time, it was facetiously said — and so made a 
 better law}'er of him, and helped to fit him for the magis- 
 terial bench, to which he was soon to be summoned. His 
 ''Comic Bradshaw " was another success, which Mr. Burnand 
 repeated and improved upon years after in his inimitable 
 "Out of Town." Mr. Arthur a Beckett, speaking of his 
 father's work, tells me : " I remember on one occasion when 
 my father had written a drama descriptive of the mysteries 
 of Bradshaw, Leech, to whom it was sent for illustration, 
 introduced a series of portraits of the author. Lemon, 
 noticing this, suggested that the drama should end by the 
 hero getting his head shaved, more clearly to understand the 
 intricacies of railway traffic. iVIy father adopted the sugges- 
 tion, and Leech followed the ' copy.' " 
 
 It was not in these series that his chief work lay, however, 
 but in the enormous mass of matter he turned into Pioich's 
 pages month b}' month. He was by far the most prolific 
 of all the contributors, almost up to the time of his death. 
 Articles humorous and pungent on every \ariety of topic, 
 verse graceful, bright, and comic, sparkling puns innumerable, 
 with increasing thought and sense as the man grew older 
 and realised more and more the responsibility of his position 
 and Pii/ic/i's — all flowed from him in an unceasing, easy 
 stream, distinguished always for its fun and facilit}'. As 
 his average contribution to each volume was a hundred 
 columns, it will be seen that in the time he was working 
 for PitiicJi his total of prose and verse amounted to three
 
 A Unique Feat. 277 
 
 thousand feet, or a column nearly as high as the Eiffel 
 Tower ! There was, besides, the amount of " outside " work 
 that came from his pen — he was leader-writer to the " Illus- 
 trated London News," and as such was the literary father 
 of Shirley Brooks, the grandfather of Mr. Sala, and the great- 
 grandfather of Mr. James Payn. He was also leader-writer 
 on the '' Times," and on one occasion actually wrote all the 
 leaders of the day's issue. This strange coincidence arose 
 from his having had a leader " crowded out " from the day 
 before, which was naturally set down for use the next day, 
 when he contributed his usual article without any question 
 arising ; and then a sudden appeal upon a subject with which 
 he was specially familiar brought into the paper a third article 
 from him — and that in the days, now fifty years ago, when 
 the influence and position of the "Times" were perhaps even 
 greater, relatively, than they are to-da}^ : at least, when there 
 was no competitor that could seriously pretend to share them. 
 In addition to this he edited Cruikshank's " Table Book," and 
 wrote the Comic Histories of England and Rome. It was, 
 it is generally said, on the occasion of the first of these books 
 being announced that Douglas Jerrold wrote to Charles Dickens : 
 " Punch, I believe, holds its course. . . . Nevertheless, I do 
 not very cordially agree with its new spirit. I am convinced 
 that the world will get tired (at least, I hope so) of this 
 eternal guffaw at all things. After all, life has something 
 serious in it. It cannot all be a comic history of humanity. 
 Some men would, I believe, write a Comic Sermon on the 
 Mount. Think of a Comic History of England ; the drollery 
 of Alfred ; the fun of Sir Thomas More in the Tower ; the 
 farce of his daughter begging the dear head, and clasping it 
 in her coffin on her bosom ! Surely the world will be sick 
 of such blasphemy ! . . . When, moreover, the change comes, 
 unless Punch goes a little back to his occasional gravities, 
 he'll be sure to suffer." And Dickens replied in a letter 
 thanking him for sympathetic reviews, in Punch — " Anent 
 
 the ' Comic ' and similar comicalities, I feel exactly 
 
 with you." 
 
 Of course, with the exception of the latter part of Jerrold's
 
 2/8 The History of ''■ PuiWch." 
 
 outburst, wherein he was undoubtedly right, all this protest 
 is exaggerated nonsense — at least, as applied to a Beckett. 
 One would think that neither Jerrold nor Dickens could 
 bear a burlesque in good taste — Jerrold of all men ! But it 
 is just as likely that Jerrold was not referring to a Beckett at all, 
 but to Thackeray, whose " Miss Tickletoby's Comic History " 
 had already made its appearance in PiincJi, and had been in- 
 continently stopped. In any case, the public did not agree 
 with him, for both works are still popular favourites. More- 
 over, he liked a Beckett too well to harm him in the mind 
 of a common friend ; and he was unquestionably aware that 
 the loftiness of a Beckett's aims and character rendered him 
 unassailable against a charge of irreverence or lack of respect. 
 Certain it is, at least, that when a Beckett died at Boulogne 
 Jerrold felt the blow so deeply that he gave up that town 
 thenceforward as a place of residence, nor would he ever 
 visit it again. 
 
 It was at the early age of thirt}'-eight that a Beckett 
 was appointed police-magistrate, chiefly owing to the masterly 
 report he drew up as Poor-Law Commissioner in respect 
 to the notorious Andover Union Workhouse scandals * — 
 *' one of the best," said the Home Secretary, " ever presented 
 to Parliament." The appointment was much discussed, for 
 the general feeling had been educated in the views of Lord 
 Selborne, who asserted that no " person " connected with the 
 Press nor any "gentleman in the wine trade" could be per- 
 mitted to attain to such an honour as the Bench — an absurdity 
 which has long since been dismissed. On one occasion, it is 
 said, when a Beckett li\-ed at Xo. lo, Hyde Park Gate 
 South, Kensington Gore, he was instructed to hold himself 
 in readiness, as magistrate, to answer a summons to read the 
 Riot Act in Hyde Park to the unruly mob whose methods 
 of protest against a popular grievance constituted the " Beer 
 Bill Riots " of 1855. That summons never came, luckily for 
 
 * A " Petition," supposed to come from the inmates (written by Percival 
 Leigh), appeared in Punch (p. loi, Volume IX.), in which the petitioners begged 
 that some of the kitchen refuse and pigs'-wash, hitherto used to oz'tvfatten swine, 
 might be reserved for them. This petition had an admirable effect.
 
 Locking up the Magistrate. 279 
 
 him ; for later in the day he discovered, to his dismay, that 
 his careful and solicitous wife, with greater respect for her 
 husband's skin than for the needs of Go\-ernment, I'olice, and 
 Proletariat combined, had gone out early, after securely locking 
 the unconscious magistrate in his library, and had prudently 
 carried off the key. 
 
 A Beckett had been one of the shyest and most nervous 
 men that ever lived, but his appointment to the police-court 
 — first at Greenwich, then at South wark — removed much of 
 his undue modesty, and he was recognised as being energetic, 
 sagacious, and humane. He was a tremendous worker, in- 
 comparably quick, and above all was absolutelv punctual 
 in his delivery of '* copy " — a virtue quite sufficient to 
 account for his popularity with publishers, who also were 
 attracted by his retiring and distinguished manners. Though 
 his conversation was bright, he preferred to keep his witti- 
 cisms for his public or private writings, as when, in sending 
 in a parcel of " copy " to Mark Lemon, he wrote on the 
 outside : — 
 
 " Dear Mark — I do herewith enclose 
 Some ' copy ' both in verse and prose. 
 'Tis neither very bright nor terse — 
 The verse is bad — the prose is worse. 
 But you, of course, will read and check it. 
 Yours ever, G. etcet'ra Beckett." 
 
 This paper passed, as a wrapper, from Lemon to Mr. 
 Birket Foster, and from the hands of that gentleman to an 
 autograph-hunter undiscoverable. 
 
 A Beckett's wit was exceedingly nimble, and as a con- 
 sequence he was a tacile punster. One of his happiest jokes, 
 of the kind has been set on record. When the election of 
 Louis Napoleon appeared hkely, the policy of Punch in 
 respect to it was anxiously discussed at the Table. One of 
 the Staff— Thackeray most likely— declared that it would be 
 wisest to be indefinite. ''Nonsense," said a Beckett, "if 
 you're not definite, you'd better be dumb in it ! " 
 
 While occupied in writing a series of papers called "Mr.
 
 28o The History of "Punch" 
 
 Punch's Guide Books to the Crystal Palace," illustrated by 
 Tenniel, Gilbert a Beckett died at Boulogne from typhus 
 fever, his youngest son Walter predeceasing him by two 
 days from the same complaint — the grief of anv knowledge 
 of it, however, being happily spared the father. He was 
 buried in Highgate Cemeter}-, and the inscription engraved 
 upon the tombstone was reproduced in an abbreviated and 
 modified form fi-om the touching obituarv notice in which his 
 brother-workers, through Jerrold's pen, testified to his merits 
 and to their affection : " Endowed with a genial, manly spirit ; 
 gifted with subtlest powers of wit and humour, they were 
 ever exercised to the healthiest and most innocent pur]3ose. 
 As a Magistrate, his wise, calm, humane administration of 
 the law proved that the fulfilment of the gravest duties is 
 not incompatible with the sportiveness of literarv genius. 
 'His place knows him not,' but his memory is tenderly 
 cherished." 
 
 The connection of Angus Bethune Reach with Punch was 
 not of very long duration. With Albert Smith he had been 
 joint editor of " The Man in the Moon," and with Shirley 
 Brooks was one of the special correspondents of the " jVIorn- 
 ing Chronicle " in the South of France, as well as its Parlia- 
 mentary reporter. He had followed up Albert Snn'th's series 
 of "Natural Histories," of "The Gent," "The Flirt," and 
 other specimens of English Society, with " Bores " and 
 " Humbugs," which ran through several editions. He had 
 joined "The Puppet Show" in 1848, while still quite a 
 youth; he had written "The Comic Bradshaw " (which 
 found an echo in Punch years later) and one or two success- 
 ful novels, and had with Brooks laid siege to a position 
 on Punch's Staff. This, it might almost be said, he carried, 
 as Brooks did, by assault ; and having given up the editorship 
 of " The Man in the ]Moon " with its twent}'-eighth number 
 (1849), he was duly summoned to the Punch Table. 
 
 His life was at that time hardly a pleasant one, though 
 his industry (for the craze of work was upon him) was as great 
 as his versatility, and his field of labour as wide as his know- 
 ledge. When he came to the Puiuh Table, h.e found his
 
 Angus B. Reach Explains His Name. 281 
 
 haven ; but he was heckled, of course, by Douglas Jerrold, on 
 the score of his name and its quaint pronunciation. Concern- 
 ing this name (pronounced Re-ach in the German manner, 
 anglicc Re-ack), Angus once asked his father, a Writer to the 
 Signet, in the hearing of my informant, the late H. G. Hine, 
 what on earth it meant. "As in Highland Scotch," was the 
 reply, *" Dhu ' means 'black' and 'Roy' means 'red,' so 
 Reach means half-and-half, or ' brown.' " He therefore insisted 
 on its proper pronunciation ; with the natural result. Jerrold 
 delighted in teasing him about it, and at a Dinner at the 
 "' Ship " at Brighton, where the Punch Staff held one of their 
 meetings, Jerrold^ leant forward at dessert and asked — " Mr. 
 Re-ack, may I pass you a pe-ack ? " And on another occasion, 
 when Reach protested against Jerrold's persistent ill-treatment 
 of his name, the wit replied, " Oh, I see. Re-ack when we 
 speak to 3'ou, but reach when we read you ! " 
 
 At last, in 1854, Reach's incorrigible industry bore its 
 Dead-Sea fruit ; broken down with overwork, his mind utterly 
 gave way. Thereupon his friends of the Fielding Club, re- 
 inforced by Albert Smith of " The Man in the Moon," joined 
 together to play for his benefit Smith's pantomime bur- 
 lesque, " Harlequin Guy Fawkes ; or, a Match for a King," 
 at the Olympic Theatre, April, 1855.- Arthur Smith, Albert's 
 brother, played pantaloon ; Bidwell was harlequin ; Joseph 
 Robins, clown ; Albert Smith, Catesby ; Edmund Yates, 
 the lover ; and Miss Rosina Wright (" always Rosy, 
 always Wright," wrote Smith) was columbine. The rush, 
 said E. L. Blanchard, was unprecedented, and stalls were 
 cheap at ten pounds. The great broadsword fight between 
 Smith (Catesby) and Robins (Guy Fawkes), in the rich 
 traditions of the Surrey-Crummies School, was the hit of the 
 evening, and has been immortalised by Sir John Tenniel in 
 his drawing for Punch (p. 149, Volume XXVHI.), entitled 
 "The Amateur Olympians." But Reach did not benefit long 
 from the efforts of his friends, and died before he was thirty. 
 
 * Hodder incorrectly gives the mot to Thackeray.
 
 282 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 PUNCH'S writers: 1 84 1. 
 
 H. p. Grattan — W. H. Wills— R. B. Postans — Bread-Tax and Tooth-Tax— 
 G. Hodder— G. H. B. Rodwell — Douglas Jerrold— His Caustic Wit— The 
 "Q Papers" — A Statesman pour rive — His Sympathy with the Poor and 
 Oppressed — Wins for Punch his Political Influence — Ill-health — " Punch's 
 Letters" — The "Jenkins" and "Pecksniff" Papers — "Mrs. Caudle" — 
 Jerrold's Love of Children, common to the Staff — He Silences his Fellow- 
 wits — And is Routed by a Barmaid — He sends his Love to the Staff — And 
 they prove theirs. 
 
 The remaining contributors to the first number were Joseph 
 Allen, H. P. Grattan, and W. H. \Vills, The contribution of 
 the first-named has already been indicated. H. P. " Grattan " 
 — whose real name was Plunkett, and whose occasional 
 pseudonym was the familiar "Fusbos" — worked well for the 
 first numbers and for the Almanac. He was a witty versifier 
 and clever dramatist, but he soon tired of the paper and 
 directed his energies into other channels. W. H. Wills — 
 " Harry Wills " he was always called — was a more important 
 and a more faithful contributor. His first verses were "A 
 Quarter-day Cogitation" (p. 5), and for some time he was the 
 regular dramatic critic of Punch, in which a considerable 
 amount of space was accorded to the review of amuse- 
 ments of all kinds, and not a little to Charles Kean and his 
 histrionic deficiencies. Besides ^^ Punch's Theatre," he wrote 
 paragraphs, verses, and criticisms innumerable, including the 
 series of "Punch's Natural History of Courtship," illustrated 
 by the pencils of Sir John Gilbert, Newman, and Gavarni ; 
 "Punch's Comic Mytholog}'/' "Punch's Information for the 
 People," as well as "Punch's Valentines," and lively skits like 
 " The Burst Boiler and the Broken Heart," and the verses in 
 praise of pawnbrokers, "The Uncles of England." After 
 helping the Almanac for 1846, his Punch connection was inter- 
 rupted for a period through his being called to Edinburgh to
 
 POSTA.VS, H ODDER, ReDE, AND RODUELL. 283 
 
 edit " Chambers's Journal ; " but on his return to London two years 
 later he resumed his position in a modified form. He became 
 secretary to Charles Dickens, who was then editing the " Daily 
 News," as well as his assistant editor on "Household Words," 
 and subsequently on "All the Year Round," so that little time 
 was left him for humorous composition — though he certainh' 
 found leisure to issue " The Family Joe Miller." When he 
 was in Edinburgh he married Robert Chambers' sister — a lady 
 possessed of true Scottish wit, some of whose pith}' remarks 
 are still remembered, such as "The ladies who agitate for 
 women's rights are generally men's lefts." 
 
 Of the other two writers who aided in the founding of 
 Punch — Postans and George Hodder — there is little to say. 
 The first-named, indeed, has alread}' been sufficiently dealt 
 with, but it may be added that his last contribution was his 
 verses — "A Contribution by Cobden" — on the subject of the 
 removal by Sir Robert Peel of the tax on artificial teeth. 
 Postans saw his chance, for the Repeal of the Corn Laws was 
 already being agitated, and the tooth-tax troubled his mouth 
 less than the tax on bread. His final verse ran — 
 
 " Reverse your plan," the Goddess [Commerce] said, 
 
 And smiling stood in all her beauty ; 
 " Give me untaxed my daily bread, 
 
 And tax my teeth with double duty." 
 
 Besides his ambassadorial assistance, and in spite of his presence 
 at the Punch Club, Hodder was not of much account on the 
 paper, either in its formation or its literary production. He 
 was, however, related to Punch by marriage, being the husband 
 of Henning's beautiful daughter, the niece of Kenny Meadows' 
 wife. His last appearances in its pages were in 1843, when four 
 contributions (including" Punch's Phrenology") came from him ; 
 and then he resumed his usual work of journalist, became 
 Thackeray's secretary for a time, and died through the upsetting 
 of a coach in Richmond Park. 
 
 Passing by Leman Rede and G. H. B. Rod well (composer, 
 playwright, and ballad writer), neither of whom, so far as I 
 have been able to ascertain, has left any appreciable trace on
 
 284 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 Punch, we come to the man to whom, more than to anyone 
 else, the paper owed the enormous political influence it once 
 enjoyed, and to whom it is indebted for much of the literary 
 reputation it still retains— Douglas Jerrold. 
 
 If he was not exactly the wit of his day— for his mind 
 
 lacked the wider sym- 
 pathy, the greater gi^asp, 
 and gentler refinement of 
 Sydney Smith's — he was 
 certainly the most bril- 
 liant professional humor- 
 ist of his generation — 
 '' a wit, if not first, in 
 the very first line," 
 Something of the bitter- 
 ness and savagery of 
 Gillray's rampant plea- 
 santry afflicted his vis 
 CO mica ; and when a 
 happy thought, however 
 unhappy and painful for 
 the hearer, came to the 
 tip of his tongue, he 
 could no more resist 
 slipping it off than he 
 could wilfully have done 
 him injury. 
 
 Mark Lemon used to say, " Punch and I were made for each 
 other." With far more reason could that notion of reciprocity 
 be applied to Jerrold. Xo man ever gained so much from the 
 paper in which he worked. He simply frolicked in its pages, 
 that fitted his talent as accurately as his genius suited the 
 times in which he lived. It is doubtful whether he would 
 make the same mark in it were he alive to-day ; he would have 
 to seek another publication and another public, or else adopt 
 an utter change of tone. But in those lively times, when, 
 obeying the summons addressed to him in Boulogne, he sent 
 his first political paper — beginning characteristically with the 
 
 DOUGLAS JERROLD. 
 
 (From the Portrait by Sir D. Maciiee, P.R.S.A., in 
 the National Portrait Gallery.)
 
 Douglas Jerrold's Political Philosophy. 285 
 
 introduction of Peel, in time for the second number — he gave 
 his powers full play. And his sparkle was the brighter for 
 its setting and its surroundings. His wit was for the most part 
 caustic and saturnine, and in no other journal could it have 
 so completely identified itself with the enseinhlc of tone. 
 Without Punch, Jerrold would certainl}' not ha^■e been so 
 distinguished a man ; yet he somewhere says in one of his 
 works, with a touch of ingratitude : " If >'0u'd pass for some- 
 body, you must sneer at a play, but idolise Punch " — as though 
 this were the height of priggishness. He was a keen judge 
 of things, and might have held that \iew ; but it was hardl}' 
 for him, of all men, to publish it. 
 
 It is not surprising that, with the enormous reputation for 
 wit which he enjoyed, and up to which he lived with such 
 triumphant ease, all the smarter orphan-jokes of the da}' 
 were fathered' upon him. But there was a ring about the 
 true Jerroldian humour which the connoisseur could hardh' 
 mistake. And the public soon became good enough judges 
 of it too, studying it regularly in Punch, and refusing for the 
 most part to be led away to look for it in the other 
 journals vrhich Jerrold edited, with but indifferent success so far 
 as their circulation went. Although his fame was already 
 established as a dramatist before Punch was born, I doubt, 
 without Punch, he would ever have earned the reputation in 
 pure literature which his "Q Papers" helped to found. 
 
 It was with these " O Papers " that he began, and he threw 
 into them some of his strongest and most withering writing, 
 and oftentimes some of his weakest sense. With his soft 
 heart melting for the poor, and his fier}- hatred of oppression 
 warping his better judgment, he was led into that unreason- 
 ing attack upon property and authority to which Thackeray 
 deprecatingh- alludes. Because the poor are unhappy, accord- 
 ing to his philosophy, therefore are the rich, most of them, 
 their direct oppressors, and ruling bodies, tyrants. Fiercely 
 upright and aggressiveh' impulsive in his championship of the 
 lowly, he was anything but sound and thorough in his 
 premisses ; and had he the power he might have wielded later, 
 his defects as a political economist would infallibly have brought
 
 286 The History of "Punch." 
 
 about disaster. "His Radicalism," his son has told us, "was 
 that of a humorist" — that is to say, all his power ajid all 
 his wit as a writer (and they had few, if any, equals in the 
 press), all his genius for invective and ridicule, and all his 
 commanding influence with the public, were directed against 
 Societv and the powers that were, simply from a playful 
 sense of humour ! Luckily, the evil, or at least the danger, 
 thus found a corrective for itself; for although Jerrold's 
 power, and with it Punch's, grew with amazing rapidity 
 among all classes, his tirades were felt to come more from 
 the humorist's heart than from the statesman's brain. It is 
 thus easy to draw a comparison between Jerrold and Jean 
 Paul Friedrich Richter, of whom Carlyle says : " He is a 
 humorist fi^om his inmost soul ; he thinks as a humorist, he 
 feels, imagines, acts as a humorist. Sport is the element in 
 which his nature lives and works ... A Titan in his sport, as 
 in his earnestness, he oversteps all bounds, and riots without 
 law or measure." The words might almost have been written 
 of Jerrold himself. But, for all that, he was generally recognised 
 as a leading champion of the people's rights and reformer of 
 their wrongs ; and to this passionate earnestness, to this keen 
 wit and shrewd sincerity of the unconsciously special pleader, 
 Punch owed most of the earlv notice he obtained, and much 
 of his influence in the worlds of politics and Society. 
 
 These papers, then, of which the first was " Punch and 
 Peel" (July 24th, 1841), were, in fact, political leading-articles, 
 satirical, ironical, bitter, and more often demagogic than 
 humorous, though of wit and humour both there was a 
 generous undercurrent. Punch showed himself at once a 
 fighting man who meant to be in the thick of the fray, a 
 politician as impulsive as Macaulay ; and though Jerrold did 
 not begin to sign his articles until the ninth week (which has 
 given gi'ounds to some writers to assert that " Peel Regularly 
 Called In " was the first of his contributions), he soon succeeded 
 in setting up " O " as a personality every bit as important 
 and influential amongst his readers as Punch himself. The 
 Court, the Church, the Political and Social arena, he included 
 them all in his comprehensive gaze, and not an injustice, a
 
 A Statesman "Pour Rire." 287 
 
 sham, an affectation, or a blunder — or wliat he liappenecl to 
 regard as such — but came in for exposure and castigation. It 
 was fortunate for him and for PuncJi, no doul)t, that he was 
 "a humorist;" for liis own bhmders and misjudgments were 
 regarded with the more in(hilgence for it, or were condoned 
 as the excusable excesses of a chartered jester running plav- 
 fully amok. But it must not ht imagined that though a 
 humorist he was not desperately sincere. His own early 
 struggles, his ghastly experience, as he ever thought it, when 
 as a midshipman in the Xavy he saw how authority had to 
 be enforced by flogging, and witnessed all the revolting horrors 
 of the cockpit during an engagement, had imparted intense 
 earnestness to his mind ; and he focussed all his brilliancy 
 on the opportunity Punch afforded of tilting at the windmills 
 in the plain. The fact seems to be that Jerrold's heart, and 
 sometimes his logic and his judgment as well, were a good deal 
 of a woman's ; distinguished by every estimable and admirable 
 quality, but with little statesnranlike perspicuity and modera- 
 tion. Such may truly be said of those early "O Papers," bv 
 which, nevertheless, he was able to effect much, then and 
 thereafter, greatly to the good of the people, yet often 
 wrought some of that intolerance and injustice which he was 
 too ready to ascribe to others. 
 
 It was he, more than anyone else, who forced on 
 Punch that admixture of Radicalism with his Whigger}' 
 which did not wear off for the first years of his life, 
 and which was often enough preached with that pic- 
 turesqueness of expression which we nowada^'s would 
 smile at as " high-falutin." But the lofty ideas of the 
 writer carried off this fault of style. His creed was simple 
 and clear : Cant was devilish and Samaritanism godly ; to 
 him hvpocrisv was the blackest of the vices, and kindness 
 the sum of all the virtues. It mattered little that that kindness 
 misplaced might bring a train of evils in its place ; sympathy 
 was the one thing wanted ; the quinine of stern justice 
 (except against the great and rich) should ever be watered 
 down with mercy. It was, in fact, the religion less of the 
 practical politician and true reformer, than of the wortlu'.
 
 288 The History of "Puxch." 
 
 upright, kind-hearted, unthinking Christian. His very fear- 
 lessness made men fear him, as his motives and abihty 
 compelled their respect ; and the majorit}', who cared less for 
 political philosophy than for political fervour, applauded him 
 blindfold, and in due time accorded to Punch a place in their 
 esteem second only to that enjoyed by the " Times." Of 
 course, " bitterness " was expected in the satirical papers 
 of that day ; and it is not pretended that Jerrold was ever 
 so unreasonable or so anarchical in the pages of Punch as 
 William Brough revealed himself in the brilliant attacks on 
 the propertied classes in which he indulged in his Liverpool 
 journal. He lost, of course, no opportunity of assaihng the 
 Duke of Wellington, and Louis Philippe, and the " Morning 
 Post" (articles in which he attacked the snobs of England 
 before Thackeray didj, and other of Punch's permanent butts ; 
 but his chief merit lies in his having set up the hereditary- sins 
 of Societv as targets, and shot his barbed darts into them 
 with unerring accuracy of aim. Of his bitterness it was said 
 that it was "healthy — healthy as bark," just as Thackeray 
 — was it not ? — had previously said of his own writings in 
 " Britannia." 
 
 It was not till a year afterwards (1842) that he began his 
 "Punch's Letters to his Son." They were tender enough, 
 and show little evidence that they were written in weakness 
 and in pain. His health, indeed, gave him periods of agony 
 of a rheumatic character, pain in his hands so great that at 
 one time he could not write, and at another his whole racked 
 body practically paralysed, until a " cure " at Malvern gave him 
 back control of it. On another occasion, but that was in later 
 years, when he was asked how he was, he replied, " As one 
 that is waiting and is waited for," and he often wrote, said 
 his son, when the movement of the pen was fierce pain to 
 him. We may see in this physical torment, perhaps, the 
 mainspring of much of his caustic humour. Mr. Cooper, R.A., 
 would ascribe to over-indulgence much of Jerrold's suffering. 
 " His countenance was open and bright (when sober !), and 
 showed nothing of that satirical bitterness for which he was 
 so eminent. . . . In accordance with the fashion of the time
 
 Jrrrold as a Democrat. 289 
 
 the man who could not drink his bottle and remain sober, 
 drank his bottle and got drunk." But the Academician, like 
 most teetotalers, would often see drunkenness where Jerrold 
 saw merely drink, and probabh' knew nothing of the hitter's 
 own feelings towards undue indulgence. " Habitual intoxica- 
 tion," wrote Jerrold himself, "is the epitome of every crime;" 
 and elsewhere, " The bottle is the devil's crucible." Yet it 
 must be admitted that he was not averse to what in his day 
 was called "true conviviality," which, as I have heard it 
 remarked, never yet made a man a drunkard, though it may 
 sometimes have made him drunk. " If Bacchus often leads 
 men into quagmires deep as his vats, let us yet do him this 
 justice — he sometimes leads them out. Ask your opponent to 
 take another glass of wine." And did not Thomas Hood sug- 
 gest, when he was told that b}- his \q\q of wine he was shorten- 
 ing his days, that anyhow he was lengthening his nights ? 
 
 What may be called the "Jenkins" and the "Pecksniff" 
 papers belong to the same year. The former were directed 
 against the " Morning Post," which, with other loyal journals, in 
 those days adopted a tone towards Court and Society hardly 
 in keeping with modern ideas of manly independence, and of 
 course its politics were to match. Thackeray and a Beckett 
 joined later in the sport. But Jerrold, while believing in 
 Thackeray's hatred of the snob, more than suspected him of 
 being a snob himself; and Thackeray felt not less convinced 
 of the hollowness of Jerrold' s " stalwartness." "Thackeray 
 had neither love nor respect for Jerrold's democracy," Vize- 
 telly tells us. " I remember him mentioning to me his having 
 noticed at the Earl of Carhsle's a presentation copy of one 
 of Jerrold's books, the inscription in which ran : ' To the 
 Right Honourable the Earl of Carlisle, K.G., K.C.B., etc. etc' 
 ' Ah ! ' said Thackeray, ' this is the sort of style in which 
 your rigid, uncompromising Radical always toadies the great.' " 
 And vet both , men were honest toady-haters to the core. 
 It was this very hatred of snobbism which inspired Jerrold 
 with his cutting retort to Samuel Warren, author of " Ten 
 Thousand a Year," who complained that at some aristocratic 
 house at which he had recently dined he could positiA'ely 
 T
 
 290 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 get no fish. " I suppose," said Jerrold, " they had eaten it 
 
 all upstairs ! " * 
 
 The "Pecksniff" papers, as already stated, very nearly 
 involved Punch in its first libel action. The object of its 
 criticism was, of course, Samuel Carter Hall, who, tradition 
 says, was the origin of Dickens's immortal conception. This 
 creation — the symbol of cant and hypocrisy — was after Jer- 
 rold' s own heart, and, thinking less of charity this time than 
 of justice, he smote the luckless editor of the " Art Journal " 
 hip and thigh, and revelled in his attacks. Hall's articles on 
 the industrial art of England were supposed to be dictated 
 more bv the complacency and generosit}' of manufacturers 
 than bv the artistic excellence of their wares. Sometimes 
 Jerrold would use the image of "Pecksniff" for other and 
 more serious pui-poses than the baiting of Mr. Hall and his 
 little ways, as when, in 1844, l'^^ made this biting onslaught 
 on the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel : 
 
 "We have heard that Mr. Charles Dickens is about to 
 apply to the Court of Chancery for an injunction to prevent 
 Sir Robert Peel continuing any longer to personate, in his 
 character of Premier, the character of ]\Ir. Pecksniff, as 
 delineated in Martin Chiizzlewit, that character being copy- 
 right. We hope this rumour is unfounded, as the injunction 
 would certainly be refused. Sir Robert Peel is in a condition 
 to prove that the part in question has been enacted b}- him 
 for a long series of years, and was so long before any of 
 Mr. Dickens's works appeared ; in short, that he. Sir Robert 
 Peel, is the original Pecksniff." 
 
 The year 1843 was a notable one in Pnnch's calendar, 
 lOr in it Jerrold struck that note of sympathy and 
 tenderness that was almost immediately to culminate in 
 Hood's tragic poem. " The Story of a Feather " was begim, 
 and was the gi-eatest success the paper had scored up to that 
 time, with the exception of the first Almanac. Dickens, who 
 watched for it and read it as it came out, wrote private!}' 
 to him that it was " a beautiful book," and his verdict was 
 
 * Dr. Strauss's attribution of this repartee to Robert Brough in reproof of 
 James Hannay appears to be quite without foundation.
 
 Jerrold's Opixion of the " Caudle Lectures." 291 
 
 endorsed by the ever-increasing circle of PuucJis readers. 
 " Our Honeymoon " was Jerrold's last series of the year — a year 
 which drew from him plenty of outside work. He edited 
 Mr. Herbert Ingram's admirable but short-li\-ed " Illuminated 
 Magazine," and wrote for it the "Chronicles of Clovernook " 
 and the "Chronicles of a Goosequill." It is astonishing, in 
 looking back at Jerrold's remarkable work at this period, 
 to think that the public reads his books no more, and prefers 
 to ruin its literary taste on fifth-rate romances rather than 
 on the virile novels of a recent past. 
 
 For a little while nothing of special note, though still a 
 great mass of work, came from Jerrold's pen, until 1845, when, 
 as prophesied by Hal Baylis {see p. 97), "Mrs. Caudle" burst 
 upon the town. In common with a few other things achieved 
 by Punch, it created a national furore, and set the whole 
 country laughing and talking. Other nations soon took up the 
 conversation and the laughter, and " Mrs. Caudle " passed 
 into the popular mind and took a permanent place in the 
 language in an incredibly short space of time. 
 
 " Some years after I had ceased my connection with 
 Punch," says Landells in one of his autobiographical papers 
 now in my hands, " I met Douglas Jerrold at the corner of Essex 
 Street in the Strand. It was the time when the first number 
 of the ' Caudle Curtain Lectures ' appeared. In the course of 
 conversation I remarked that I did not read Punch regularly, 
 but I had by chance perused the opening chapter of his new 
 subject, and I thought, if he followed up the series in the spirit 
 he had begun, they would be the most popular that have ever 
 appeared in its pages. He laughed heartily and replied^ — ' It 
 just shows what stuff the people will swallow. I could write 
 such rubbish as that by the yard ; ' and he added, ' I ha^-e before 
 said, the public will always pay to be amused, but they will 
 never pay to be instructed.' The Caudle Lectures did more 
 than anv series of papers for the universal popularity of Punch, 
 and there is no doubt but they added greatly to Jerrold's 
 reputation, although he always affected not to think so." 
 
 The origin of Mrs. Caudle — one of those women inter- 
 minably loquacious and militantly gloomy under fancied 'marital 
 T 2
 
 292 The History of "Punchy 
 
 oppression, who (as Jerrold said of another) " wouldn't allow 
 that there was a bright side to the moon " — was the result of 
 no mental effort. Henry ^layhew's son has said that the 
 character was evolved from the relations of Mr, and Mrs. 
 Landells ; but to anyone conversant with them the suggestion 
 is palpably absurd. Moreover, Jerrold, himself a good authority, 
 one would have thought, declared that she was " the result of 
 no thought;" she was merely "wafted into his brain," The 
 reason of the immediate success of these ''Curtain Lectures" 
 was said to be that every woman in the land recognised in the 
 lecturer a gi-atif\'ing resemblance to someone in her own circle. 
 It was primarily, no doubt, the inti7ne character of the papers, 
 rather than their inherent humour, that tickled the public taste 
 though at the same time it gave some oifence, A reminis- 
 cence of a literary protegee of JeiTold's — ]\Irs. Xewton Crosland 
 — seems to bear this out. In company with her mother, she 
 was dining at Jerrold's house, when, " towards the close of the 
 meal, a packet arrived — proofs, I fancy ; at any rate, Douglas 
 Jerrold opened a letter which visibly disturbed him. ' Hark 
 at this,' he said, after a little while ; and he then proceeded 
 to read a really pathetic though not very well expressed 
 letter from an aggrieved matron, who appealed to him to dis- 
 continue or modify- the Caudle Lectures. She declared they 
 were bringing discord into families and making a multitude of 
 women miserable." 
 
 But thev made a greater multitude of men merry, and Punch 
 proceeded with them — indeed, he continued so long that his 
 rivals protested loudly, as well they might in their own interests, 
 Thev published engravings of handsome sarcophagi, and gave 
 similar unmistakable hints that they considered the intemient of 
 Mrs. Caudle's corpse a long time overdue ; while " Joe Miller 
 the Younger" represented him as "The Modern Paganini play- 
 ing on One String : ' Caudle — without variations.' " But Jerrold, 
 who had lately moved from Regent's Park to his house. West 
 Lodge, at Putney Lower Common, continued there to write 
 Caudle Lectures "by the yard "—alternating the locale, accord- 
 ing to Mark Lemon, with a tavern in Bom'erie Street. And he 
 laughed to see how his papers were translated into nearly every
 
 A Gallant Apology. 293 
 
 Continental language, and were transferred to the stage both in 
 London and the provinces. ^Irs. Keeley made a lifelike Mrs. 
 Caudle at the Lyceum — only perhaps a little too fresh and 
 charming ; the character in the provinces being often under- 
 taken b}' male impersonators, such, for example, as Mr. Warren. 
 John Leech executed upon stone a couple of admirable portraits 
 of the conjugal pair, which were sold, coloured, for a shilling ; 
 but thev were soon pirated and hawked about the streets, and 
 the unprincipled conductors of " The Penny Satirist," and 
 similar abominations, traded largely not only on the identit}- of 
 the Caudles, but on the words of ^Vlrs. Caudle herself — so freely 
 that legal steps had to be taken to stop the nuisance. The 
 latest edition of this jeu d' esprit is that which has been illus- 
 trated by Charles Keene, and it can hardly be doubted that 
 in his drawings he often touches the high-water mark of his 
 artistic execution. 
 
 In due time Douglas Jerrold, as in duty bound, made the 
 amende honorable to the sex he had maligned. He was invited 
 to take the chair at a great public meeting held at Bimiingham 
 in his honour, when the whole audience rose at him. He was 
 asked to speak without fear, " as there was no ^Nlrs. Caudle in 
 Bimiingham." He responded that he ''did not believe that 
 there was a Mrs. Caudle in the whole world," and the graceful- 
 ness of his reference set him at peace with womankind once 
 more. In point of fact, he was no more pleased, artistically, with 
 the success of Mrs. Caudle among his books than he was pleased 
 with the position of " Black-eyed Susan " among his plays, as he 
 was well aware that he had done much better work in both 
 branches. But for Punch's sake he was delighted. So after the 
 death of Mrs. Caudle, which in decency could no longer be 
 delayed, Jerrold attempted to carry on the idea b}- marrying 
 the widower to the lady of whom his wife had been so jealous ; 
 so that ]Mr. Caudle — his head turned b}' his new-born libert}- — 
 might, in the " Breakfast Talk " levelled at his second spouse, 
 avenge the oppression he had suffered from his first. But the 
 experiment, which took place in the Almanac of the following 
 year, fell flat, and ]\Ir. and Mrs. Caudle, too, dropped out of 
 Mr. Punch's doll-box for good and all.
 
 294 T^HE History of "Punch." 
 
 Then followed, in 1846, ^'Punch's Complete Letter-writer," 
 which in consequence of the odium incurred a short time before 
 bv Sir James Graham, the Home Secretary,* by the opening 
 of certain letters while they were passing through the post, 
 Jerrold sarcastically dedicated to the heckled baronet. He 
 did this on the ground that Sir James, having the whole run of 
 the Post Office and the fingering of all the letters, must there- 
 fore possess " a most refined, most exquisite taste for the graces 
 of epistolary composition," and could thoroughly appreciate 
 them. This was another version of Hood's lines — 
 
 " A daw's not reckon'd a religious bird 
 Because he keeps a-cawing from a steeple," 
 
 and is the pattern on which Mr. Whistler's effort was founded 
 — that the mere company of pictures can impart no feeling or 
 knowledge of art, else the policeman in the National Gallery 
 must be the best of critics. But at this time better work of 
 Jerrold's, " St. Giles's and St. James's," was appearing, in his 
 '' Shilling Magazine " (newly started by Bradbury and Evans), as 
 well as in the " Daily News," under the title of the " Hedgehog 
 Papers ; " while " Time Works Wonders " raised his reputation 
 higher than ever upon the stage. 
 
 In the same year appeared the commencement of the series 
 " Mrs. Bibs' Baby " — but it was not a success, and was entirely 
 thrown into the shade, as it appeared, by Thackeray's first 
 triumph, the "Snob Papers." The chief charm about " Mrs. 
 Bibs' Babv " is that it was the outcome of Jerrold's passionate 
 love of children. This delightful trait in Jerrold's character — 
 as in Steele's, Fielding's, Goldsmith's, and Dickens's — has been 
 common to many of the Punch Staff, as we know in their lives 
 and have seen in their works. We all know how Thackeray 
 never saw a bov without wanting to tip him — a practical form 
 of sympathv which found gi'eat approval. Leech loved all 
 children, even the terrible ones, and makes us feel it in his 
 drawings. Mr. du Maurier adores the nice and the pretty ones, 
 and even has a fatherly sort of pity for the stupid and the ugly. 
 Mr. Harrv Furniss's " Romps " reflects his keen delight in young 
 
 * See p. 113 ct seq.
 
 His Love of Babies. 295 
 
 people, the wilder the better. Shirley Brooks lo\ed to read the 
 " Jabberwock " to them, and Sir John Tenniel, like his old chief, 
 Mark Lemon, loved them for their childhood's sake — or he would 
 never have been able to give us "Alice in Wonderland." Of 
 course, there may be others on the Staff who ha\"e no particu- 
 larly pronounced feeling in this direction ; but Jerrold would 
 often go out of his wa}' to introduce babies into his serious 
 articles. He speaks somewhere of something " sweeter than the 
 sweetest baby" — and once said that "children are earthly idols 
 that hold us from the stars." So he began " Mrs. Bibs' Baby," 
 and felt humiliated and disappointed when the public showed no 
 glimmer of interest in it, and he was soon induced by his own 
 good sense and the editorial hint to desert his latest offspring. 
 
 Then came "The Female Robinson Crusoe," and the last 
 (modified) success, "Twelve Fireside Saints;" but outside under- 
 takings were almost monopolising his attention. His " Weekl}- 
 Xewspaper," founded on the strength of his "Q Papers," had been 
 born and was already dead. His powerful novel " A Man Made 
 of Money" made his next unqualified success; then in 1850 he 
 became attached to the " Examiner," and two years later 
 " Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper" brought him an editorship and a 
 thousand pounds a }-ear — and he knew at last, and for the first 
 time, the meaning of freedom from care. He became, more- 
 over, independent of the publishers of Punch, to whom- he was 
 pecuniarily indebted, although they had more than once raised 
 his salary (once in order to enable him to dispense with working 
 for the "Pictorial Times") ; but his indebtedness he felt as a 
 tie, which was none the less irksome that it was a golden fetter 
 which bound him to his friends. Still, to the end he sent in his 
 satires, couplets, and epigrams — stinging, brilliant, and original — 
 iokes and sarcasms by the score, but extremely few puns. 
 
 Sometimes, reviving the memories of his early trade, 
 he would enter the compositors' room, and, while waiting 
 for a proof, would seize a "stick," set up some concluding 
 lines or a fresh paragraph in type, and even make his own 
 corrections in proof, almost driving the " reader " out of his 
 mind, until he learned how the corrections and additions had 
 been effected.
 
 296 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 That Jerr old's wit ran in a higher groove than mere verbal 
 quips and cranks is proved by the retorts and epigrams that 
 have been preserved and ticketed in cases like a collection of 
 brilliant butterflies. When one March or April he tumbled 
 backwards into water where, but for the unseasonable weather, 
 no water ought to have been, he suggested that the acci- 
 dent was " owing to the backward spring ; " reminding us of 
 that similar witticism of Henry Compton's, when fine hot 
 weather followed suddenly on ]\Iarch snows — "We have jumped 
 from winter to summer without a spring." His reply was 
 characteristic to the poet Heraud's enquiry as to whether he had 
 seen his "Descent into Hell" (then newly published) — " I wish 
 to Heaven I had ; " together with his well-known retort to 
 Albert Smith, who, before he left the paper, protested coaxingly 
 against Jerrold's merciless chaff, adding, " After all, you know, 
 we row in the same boat." " True," answered Jerrold, quick as 
 thought, " but not with the same skulls." 
 
 But he did not always come off scot-free ; and, like 
 many a wit whose tongue is feared, he could be silenced by a 
 well-directed thrust which, for want of practice and experience 
 in defence, he knew not how to parry. Mr. Charles Williams 
 tells me the story, recounted to him by Thackeray, of how, 
 when one wet night they were all at a little oyster-shop then 
 facing the Strand Theatre, the barmaid Jane, thoroughly out of 
 humour at Jerrold's chaff, slapped down before the little man 
 the liquor he had ordered, with the words, "There's your 
 grog and take care you don't drown yourself ; " with the effect 
 of damping his spirits for the rest of the night. When Alfred 
 Bunn retaliated with "A Word with Punch,"* Jerrold made no 
 reply, to the astonished delight of the rival press. Xo man had 
 greater courage than he ; but he probably found that he had 
 nothing more to say, seeing that from week to week for years 
 past he had written against Bunn all he knew or could think of. 
 And when Shirley Brooks struck at him in " The Man in the 
 Moon " in the course of a mock election-address beginning—" I 
 hate the humbug of the 'wrongs of the poor man' class of writing 
 when any sneaking rascal is found poaching and punished lor it" 
 
 * See p. 227 d seq.
 
 He Sends His Dying Love. 297 
 
 — Jerrold held his peace, and in due time voted to have the 
 damaging assailant invited to join Punch's Staif. Mrs. Landells, 
 without straining their friendship, called him " the little wasp " 
 to his face ; but, as Leigh Hunt more justly said, if he had the 
 sting of the bee, he also had the honey. When Jerrold said in 
 his wife's presence that a man ought to be able to change a 
 spouse like a bank-note — change one of forty for two of twenty 
 — he indulged in kindly chaff which she well understood and 
 could appreciate ; and when, on the occasion of a party at their 
 house, he replied to a question as to who was dancing with 
 his wife, " Oh, a member of the Humane Society, I suppose," 
 she had no objection to Leech making it into a picture for 
 Punch's pages. When Jerrold said anything witty he would 
 always laugh frankly and unreservedly at it, and, like Dickens, 
 he would burst out laughing as he wrote, when he struck upon 
 a comic idea for Punch. 
 
 The report that Mark Lemon said of Douglas Jerrold that 
 "he was doubtless considered caustic because he blackened 
 every character he touched " is probably apocryphal — though 
 Jerrold's occasional treatment of Lemon might perhaps have 
 justified some sort of retaliation from his genial Editor. Still, it 
 was Jerrold's firm belief, as he declared to ]\Ir. Sidney Cooper, 
 R.A., that he had never in his life said or written a bitter thing 
 of anyone who did not deser^•e it. But when he was on his 
 death-bed, the day before he died, he sent a last affectionate 
 message to his old comrades at the Table : " Tell the dear boys 
 that if I've ever wounded any of them, I've always loved them." 
 Horace Mayhew was with him when he passed away, and 
 thence from the bedside brought the dead man's love to them 
 as a token to wipe out the sting of words which, if they 
 had not been forgotten, had been forgiven long ago. 
 
 After 1848 Jerrold wrote less and less for Punch ; but until 
 1857, the year of his death, he faithfully attended at the Table, 
 and exerted himself in Punch's behalf. And when he died — 
 the greatest blow Punch had hitherto suffered b}' death (for 
 Dr. Maginn was never on the Staff) — Henry Mayhew (his 
 son-in-law), Thackeray, Horace Mayhew, Mark Lemon, and 
 W\ Bradbury were his pall-bearers, and Leech, Shirley Brooks,
 
 298 The History of "■' Puxch." 
 
 Tom Ta3'lor, John Oxenford, Percival Leigh, James Hanna}^ 
 Landells, Kenny Meadows, Albert Smith, and John Tenniel 
 attended at his graveside. Dickens took a prominent part in 
 raising a fund for the benefit of the widow, and with Thackera}' 
 and Dr. W. H. (now Sir Wihiam) Russell gave readings, while 
 Dickens' Amateurs made a public appearance, and T. P. Cooke 
 returned to the stage for the occasion — with a result amounting 
 to /2,ooo. Tom Taylor's feeling address, which was spoken 
 at the Adelphi Theatre by Albert Smith, between whom and 
 Jerrold a kindlier feeling had latterly spmng up, concluded 
 
 thus : — 
 
 " . . . If one jov 
 From earth can reach souls freed from earth's alloy, 
 'Tis sure the joy to know kind hands are here 
 Drying the widow's and the orphan's tear ; 
 Helping them gently o'er lone life's rough ways, 
 Sending what light may be to darkling days — 
 A better service than to hang with verse, 
 As our forefathers did, the poet's hearse. 
 
 Two things our Jerrold left, by death removed — 
 The works he wrought : the family he loved. 
 The first to-night you honour ; honouring these, 
 You lend vour aid to give the others ease."
 
 299 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 1 84 1-2. 
 
 rercival Leigh— His Medical Shrewdness— Unsuspected WeaUh— His Abihty 
 and Worlv— His Decay — Kindness of the Proprietors to the Old Pensioner 
 — Albert Smith— Inspires varied Sentiments — Jerrold's Hostility— " Lord 
 Smith"— Parts Company— H. A. Kennedy— Dr. Maginn— John Oxenford— 
 W. M. Thackeray— His First Contribution — "Miss Tickletoby " Fails to 
 Please— He Withdraws — And Resumes — Rivalry with Jerrold— As an 
 Illustrator — A Mysterious Picture— Thackeray's Contributions— And Pseudo- 
 nyms— Quaint Orthography—" The Snobs of England "—He Tires of 
 Punch — His Motives for Resignation — The Letter— Death of "Dear Old 
 Thack " — Punch's Tribute to his Memory. 
 
 How Percival Leigh (otherwise called "Paul Prendergast " in 
 those early days) was sought out by George Hodder, on the 
 strength of the '* Comic Latin Grammar," and how, after a 
 judicious pause, he joined the Staff of Punch, has already been 
 made known. He was twenty-four when, in 1835, ^'^^ took 
 his M.R.C.S. He had been a medical student of " Bart's," 
 but had already abandoned, in great measure, the lancet for 
 the pen. He sent in as his first contribution the article to 
 accompany Leech's '' Foreign Affairs ; " and though he became 
 best known as a humorist, as a doctor he was in his early 
 days equally to be respected. Mr. Arthur a Beckett tells the 
 following stories of his powers in the direction of diagnosis 
 and surgery : — 
 
 Although he had given up practice for a number of ^-ears, he 
 was an excellent doctor. Sir James Paget has told me that when 
 he and " the Professor " [Leigh's nickname at the Table] were 
 fellow-students at " Bart's," the latter was considered quite the 
 best man of his year. He was admirable at diagnosis, and I 
 shall never forget one of his prognostications. He was in the 
 company of a number of litteratctirs and artists who were dining 
 together. A well-known dramatist was expected, and did not 
 turn up to time. The absentee was allowed ten minutes' grace, 
 and then dinner was commenced without him. After a while 
 he came in full of apologies. He had missed one train (he lived 
 in the suburbs), and would have missed another had he not run
 
 300 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 for it. x-Vnd then he laughingly explained to " the Professor " 
 that he thought he had sprained his leg. Percival Leigh, who 
 had been looking at him with keen attention since his entrance, 
 asked him a couple of questions ; and having received replies 
 to them, spoke as follows : " My dear fellow, if j-ou will take my 
 advice, you will go home at once in a cab and get to bed. 
 Send for your doctor and make him overhaul you. But call 
 special attention to the sprain." The dramatist, who was one of 
 " the Professor's '" oldest friends, obeyed orders and departed. Then 
 the rest of the company twitted the doctor on the clever ruse 
 " of getting rid of one who deserved to be punished for keeping the 
 soup waiting." Of course, it was only chaff, but " the Professor " 
 took it seriously. " No, ni}' boj-s," he replied, very gravely, 
 " I did not send him away on our account, but in his own 
 interest. Of course, while there is life there is hope ; but, unless 
 I am very greatly mistaken, we shall never see him again." And 
 "the Professor" was right. Within a month the dramatist had 
 joined the silent majority. 
 
 The second story about my dear old friend is not so grim 
 as its predecessor. 
 
 Mr. Percival Leigh, when he was more than seventy years 
 old, was knocked down by a passing vehicle as he was crossing 
 the road. He was immediately picked up by a policeman and 
 conveyed in a cab to the nearest hospital. " The Professor," 
 who was covered in mud, asked to be taken home, but the 
 constable would not listen to him. So he was carried into the 
 accident ward. After a while he was seen by the house-surgeon 
 and his assistant. The two medicos entirely ignored " the Pro- 
 fessor," and gave their exclusive attention to his leg. " I think 
 you are wrong," said Mr. Leigh, in a mild tone of voice, after 
 he had listened to their conversation for a few moments. The 
 doctors paid not the slightest attention to the observation, and 
 continued their investigations. Now " the Professor " was the 
 most mild and kindly of gentlemen — courteous to a degree, and as 
 polished as a traditional P'renchman^ — but when he was roused he was 
 — well, emphatically roused. He attempted a second remonstrance, 
 but with the same result. The two medicos calmly ignored him. 
 " Drop that leg, you confounded blockheads ! " he thundered 
 out suddenly. " Can't you see, you idiots, that I have fractured 
 
 my ,'' and then he supplied a highly technical and scientific 
 
 description of his accident. The two medicos stared at " the 
 Professor " in blank astonishment. Then "the Professor" abandoned
 
 Percival Leigh. 301 
 
 his incognito, and gave his name and quaUty. " You see, 
 gentlemen," he said, resuming his customary courteous tone, " I 
 venture to beheve that I know more about my leg than. you do. 
 It has been under my personal observation all my life, and I 
 consequently have given more time to studying its constitution 
 and idiosyncracies than you, naturally (with all your numerous 
 engagements), could afford to devote to such a purpose ! " 
 
 Leigh had a philosopher's head and a fine face. In 
 later life he was extremely careless in his person — so much 
 so that when he died Mr. Bradbury, with his usual thought- 
 fulness, went to the funeral with a cheque-book in his pocket, 
 intending, if necessary, to pay the undertaker's expenses. His 
 surprise, therefore, was great when he learned that " the Pro- 
 fessor " had died worth from ten to eleven thousand pounds. 
 Leigh, who li^•ed for some years in Hammersmith Road, in a 
 house which, judged from its exterior, promised little comfort 
 within, was a profound Shakespearean and a good classical 
 scholar, and from these attainments he earned the sobriquet by 
 which he was known. He vied with Jerrold himself in his know- 
 ledge of the Bard, and was fond of spouting the poets, classic 
 and English, with the least possible excuse, breaking out into 
 verse with a loud voice, utterly oblivious of his companions. 
 It was he who introduced into the pages of Punch the assump- 
 tion of scholarship in its readers, and so acquired at once for 
 the paper a position never held by any other humorous journal 
 in this country. His work, which for many years averaged 
 a column and a half each week, included nearly every sort of 
 contribution known to Pimch, including, in 1845, his striking 
 "Pauper Song" — the wail of the poor man who prefers the 
 prison to the workhouse, the second stanza running thus : — 
 
 " There shall I get the larger crust, 
 
 The warmer house-room there ; 
 And choose a prison since I must, 
 
 I'll choose it for its fare. 
 The Dog will snatch the biggest bone. 
 
 So much the wiser he : 
 Call me a Dog ; — the name I'll own ; — 
 
 The gaol — the gaol for me."
 
 302 The History of "Punch." 
 
 In 1843 Leigh began his etfectively satirical " Pu7ich's 
 Labours of Hercules," and in 1849 "Mr. Pipps's Diary" 
 appeared as the text accompanying Doyle's pictures of " Ye 
 Manners and Customs of ye Engh'she." The extraordinary 
 success of this admirable parody was, perhaps, the greatest 
 he ever won, though he achieved many. He was essentially 
 a "safe man" at his work, and for that reason he would act 
 as locum tenens to Shirley Brooks when that Editor was away ; 
 and the only occasions on which he failed (so far as I can 
 ascertain) except towards the end, was in May, 1847, when his 
 wife died, and in April of the following year, when he lost his 
 father. He alwa}'s had a strong feeling for art, both in subject 
 and treatment, and was always very fastidious about his work ; 
 he would touch up a poem o^■er and over again, and take the 
 utmost pains \\\\\\ metre and "swing" until he was satisfied. 
 But as he grew old it became evident that the "Professor" 
 was bevond his work, and althoudi he attended the Table 
 with the utmost regularity up to the very end, the decay of 
 nature robbed him of his value as a member of the Staff. 
 Then came an example of the kindliness of spirit that has 
 animated for so long the little coterie of humorists of Bouverie 
 Street and the generosity of the men for whom they work. 
 For a long while before his death "the Professor's" copy had 
 been practicalh' useless to the Editor ; yet everything was 
 done to spare him the pain of rejection. At hrst ]\Ir. Bur- 
 nand or Mr. Arthur a Beckett would rewrite the paragraphs ; 
 and Leigh's delight when they were printed was sad to see. 
 But soon it was impossible to conceal the fact that they 
 were utterly useless ; and so for some years it was the 
 practice to set his "copy" up in type and to send him proofs, 
 which he duly corrected and returned. But they never 
 appeared in the paper, nor was ever question asked nor 
 explanation offered. Did the old gentleman forget all about 
 them ? Or was he hoping against hope that some day room 
 might again be found for him in the pages to which he had 
 contributed with so much applause ? Or did he appreciate 
 the real motive and kindly feeling of the proprietors, who, 
 though they could not use his work, actually increased his
 
 Albert Smith. 
 
 303 
 
 salary ? Whatever the cause, ''the Professor" to the last 
 maintained a pathetic silence. He died at Oak Cottage, King 
 Street, Hammersmith, on October 24th, 1889, and was laid to 
 rest in the Hammersmith Cemeter}' in the presence of a 
 circle of old Punch friends. For one thing, at least, he 
 had laid the paper under a deep debt of gratitude — he had 
 introduced to it his hospital chum and lifelong friend, John 
 Leech, and that was a service which could never be forgotten. 
 
 The third of the medical 
 trio was Albert Smith, a 
 writer who was not fortu- 
 nate in making a good im- 
 pression on the majority of 
 his associates. With Leech, 
 with whom he had shared 
 rooms in his '' sawbones 
 days," he remained a stead- 
 fast friend ; but it is prob- 
 able that that friendship 
 was maintained by the artist 
 by reason of the other's 
 good nature, and in spite of 
 his manner. Henry Vize- 
 telly, who evidently bore him no particular good-will, wrote to 
 me his recollections of the man in these words : '' He was not 
 the amiable person depicted by Yates in his ' Recollections.' He 
 was vulgar and bumptious in manner until he became polished 
 by concerting with ' swells ' after the success of his entertain- 
 ments. He always had a keen eye for the main chance, and 
 never neglected an opportunity for self-advertisement. Jerrold 
 and Thackeray detested him, though only Jerrold showed 
 this openly — which he occasionally did to Smith's face, in the 
 most offensive manner. Albert Smith retained his position 
 on Punch for some time after Jerrold's animosity had 
 declared itself — first, because his copy was always certain ; 
 and secondly, because he and Leech were gi'eat friends, and 
 Leech was then a power — though not in the same degree 
 as Jerrold, who was almost absolute." These strictures are 
 
 ALBERT SMITH. 
 (^Froiii an Engraving by Cook.)
 
 304 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 repeated in Vizetelh^'s autobiography. Smith's " Ph^-siologies,' 
 he says, which were some of them enlarged from the Punch 
 sketches, brought him great popular favour, in spite of 
 their slight intrinsic worth. Thackeray was invited by 
 Vizetelly to produce similar sketches at a hundred pounds 
 apiece — which was double the amount he was then receiving 
 for the monthly parts of " Vanity Fair;" but he declined to do 
 anything " in the Albert Smith line," and he similarly refused 
 to write for " Gavarni in London," of which Smith was 
 editor. " Pigmy as Jerrold physically was, Albert Smith 
 quailed before him ; " for Jerr old's stinging attacks and 
 repartees were merciless. So Smith bought a toy-whip, which 
 he playfullv produced to his ft-iends with the explanation 
 that he intended to apply it to " Master Jerrold ; " but he 
 was never known to bring it out in his tormentor's presence. 
 Jerrold's "skull" witticism has already been recorded; and 
 of the same kind was his loud enquiry over the Punch 
 dinner-table — when Smith's obtrusive foible of calling his 
 acquaintances by their abbreviated Christian names became 
 intolerable — " I say. Leech, how long is it necessary for a 
 man to know you before he can call you 'Jack' ?" When 
 Jerrold first saw Smith's initials, he had said that he believed 
 they were " onlv two-thirds of the truth " — and he continued 
 to act upon the assumption until Smith left Punch and had 
 become a successful " Entertainer." Then a truce was called, 
 for his Mont Blanc ascent and the " Entertainment " he made 
 out of it (of which Leech himself said, "It's only bad John 
 Parry") had made of Smith one of the lions of the day, and 
 of his St. Bernard, which had accompanied him, the most 
 petted beast in the metropolis. But to the end he remained, 
 generallv speaking, the best-abused humorist of his day. 
 He did not even succeed in escaping the quiet scorn of 
 his occasional companion, Dickens, whose literary style it 
 was reported he was trying to copy. The novelist, who 
 much enjoyed Albert's sobriquet of " Lord Smith," simply 
 shrugged his shoulders as he replied — " We all have our 
 Smiths." It is believed by those who should know best 
 that the cause of the final rupture between Smith, and Punch
 
 Albert Smith's " Phys/ologles:' 305. 
 
 was the discovery that some of his articles were simpl}- 
 adaptations from the French; and this beHef is still current 
 in the Punch office. 
 
 Smith's connection with Punch was through his engage- 
 ment for the " Cosmorama," on which Landells and Last 
 committed infanticide at the starting of Punch. He sent hiS' 
 first paper from his temporar}- rooms at Chertsey ; it was 
 the burlesque, " Transactions and Yearly Report of the Hook- 
 ham -cum-Snivey Literary, Scientific, and Mechanics' Institute " 
 (i2th September, 1841). This was succeeded in the following 
 month with the opening of his "Physiology of a London 
 Medical Student," which was rather laughable in itself, while 
 displaying a wonderful intimacy with the rough and noisy 
 world with which it dealt. The idea, however, had already 
 been sketched by Percival Leigh in " The Heads of the People.'' 
 Smith was now living at 14, Percy Street, Tottenham Court 
 Road, in an unpalatial lodging, where he nominally carried 
 on the profession of surgeon-dentist ; but his best energies 
 were thrown into his literary work, and there is no doubt 
 that that work was to the taste of the Punch readers. Mr. 
 Walton Henning has told me how his father, A. S. Henning-. 
 calling upon Smith concerning his work, found him like a 
 typical Bob Sawyer, with his heels upon the table, playing 
 the cornet as a grand finale to his breakfast. Then he would 
 don his French workman's blouse and scribble for dear life. 
 The "Physiology of London Evening Parties," which was 
 originally written by him in 1839 for the "Literary World," 
 was illustrated by Newman, who was still a far more 
 important man on Punch than Leech ; and the series was 
 followed by " Curiosities of Medical Experiences," the less 
 successful " Side-scenes of Every-day Society," and " Physiology 
 of a London Idler" — which, taken together, were voted the 
 most entertaining descriptions of social life that Punch was ]5ub- 
 lishing," even at a time when Punch was declared to be ^■astly 
 entertaining. \'erse, epigram, jokelets, and articles on current 
 events came from Albert Smith's pen before the strained rela- 
 tions between the parties and the irresistible hostilitv of Jerrold 
 bore him down, though it is probable that the practical joke' 
 u
 
 3o6 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 on him described among the proceedings of the Punch Club 
 had some part in bringing matters to a head ; and on January 
 7th, 1844, his last contribution appeared — " Important and 
 Telegraphic." Punch, in reply to a criticism of the " Boston 
 Atlas," declared that Smith left in December, 1843 ; but Albert 
 Smith himself wrote (Xovember 20th, 1845) to Mr. James 
 Silk Buckingham (who was protesting to him against Punch's 
 attacks) : " I have not written or suggested anything for Punch 
 since January, 1844. ... I withdrew in consequence of being 
 unable to agree with Mr. ]\Iark Lemon, the editor. Indeed, 
 I have been attacked since then through my novel of ' The 
 Marchioness of Brinvilliers ' both in Punch and in ' Jerrold's 
 Magazine,' for which I do not care a straw." 
 
 It was after his retirement from Punch that, in conjunction 
 with A. B. Reach, he started " The Man in the Moon," with 
 the express purpose of. making himself obnoxious to Punch 
 in general and Jerrold in particular, in which laudable desire 
 he in part, at least, succeeded ; while at the same time he 
 turned his attention to the pubHshers by bringing out a little 
 Christmas volume entitled " A Bowl of Punch." But in time 
 all bitterness disappeared ; Albert the Great, as Smith was 
 called, had "discovered" Mont Blanc and Chamonix, and 
 peace prevailed, though to the end Smith had no further 
 access to Punch's pages. 
 
 The last regular contributor of the year 1841 whose name 
 has been preserved is H. A. Kennedy, whose parodies of 
 Horace were as good as anything Leigh aver did of the 
 kind. The parody of Horace's " Donee gratus " is worth 
 preserving, and that (p. 20, Volume ^11.) of "Ad Lydiam " — 
 becomingly rendered into a tender ode " To Judy " — is hardly 
 less excellent. 
 
 Dr. Maginn's connection with Punch began with the first 
 Almanac, while he was, with James Hannay, in residence in 
 the " Fleet." The doctor, as one of the most versatile writers 
 of the day, was looked upon by the " Punchites " as useful 
 for their purpose as he was for any of the rival papers with 
 which he was connected. " He would write a leader for the 
 'Standard' one evening," it is said in J. F. Clarke's ." Auto-
 
 II 
 
 Dr. Maginn.—John Ox en ford. 307 
 
 biographical Recollections," "answer it in the 'True Sun' 
 the following day, and abuse both in the ' John Bull ' on the 
 ensuing Sunday." Such a man could not be without a sense 
 of humour, especially with ample gin and water to enrich 
 it and poverty to point it. He was the brilliant Morgan 
 O'Doherty of "Fraser" and "Blackwood," and was nearly, but 
 not quite, " Captain Shandon " in " Pendennis." Thackeray had 
 an affectionate admiration for his talents. But the times and 
 the doctor were out of gear ; he lost sympathy through his 
 persecution of " L.E.L.," and his misfortunes led him to 
 follow a class of journalism out of all consonance with his 
 powers and better feeling; he is credited with having been 
 the forerunner of scurrilous society-journalism. But no hint 
 of these defects is apparent in his work for Punch, in which, 
 perhaps, he saw an opportunity for some degree of re-instate- 
 ment ; and he conveyed his gratitude in a five-stanza poem in 
 praise of the paper (p. 131, Vol. II.), "Verses by a Bard- 
 Much be-rhymed in Punch!' But he was near his end ; and 
 wdien he died a year afterwards, Punch devoted to him the 
 first of his little black-bordered obituaries. 
 
 The year 1842 was the stormiest and most threatening 
 in Punch's history ; so that, with an empty till and growing 
 liabilities, there was no disposition towards introducing new 
 contributors involving the principle of " cash down." Only 
 three names belong to this year, but all were men of great 
 importance, each in his own line — John Oxenford, W. M. 
 Thackeray, and Horace Mayhew. In common with Covne, 
 Oxenford had a stronger sympathy for the stage than for 
 periodical literature, so that after the tenth volume he ceased 
 to be even an occasional contributor. His first paper was 
 " Herr Dobler and the Candle Counter." The popular conjurer 
 had advertised that to begin his performance and illumine his 
 stage he would light two hundred candles by a single pistol- 
 shot. (This was in the very early days of practical electricity.) 
 The "Times" had reported the entertainment, but complained 
 that, having counted the number of candles, the}-^ found there 
 were onh' eight3'-seven ! — whereupon Oxenford executed a 
 literary dance upon the "Times" reporter. Thenceforward, he 
 u 2
 
 3o8 
 
 The History of "Punchy 
 
 JOHN' OXENFORD. 
 
 {Front a Photograph by F ra- 
 ddle and Young.) 
 
 contributed with some degi-ee of regularity. After his ''Christ- 
 mas Game" (Jamiary 6th, 1844) he was, on the 3rd of the 
 following year, accounted upon the regular Staff, although 
 from that time he did but little. Verse, clever and bright, 
 
 burlesque, and the like, in the true spirit 
 of Punch, came from time to time ; but 
 there was not enough of his work to 
 place him in rank with the chief of the 
 contributors. "There is one," Mr. Jabez 
 Hogg reminds me, " whose name is 
 rarely mentioned in connection with 
 the early days of Punch and the ' Illus- 
 trated London Xews.' I refer to John 
 Oxenford. He did much good work 
 in his day, and his contributions to 
 Punch assisted greatly to increase its 
 reputation. He was a wit of the first 
 water." 
 
 The same number that introduced John Oxenford to the 
 Punch reader presented also William Makepeace Thackeray 
 — a connection that did not immediately attract public notice, 
 perhaps, though it soon bore the richest fruit for both author 
 and publisher. 
 
 It was about se\'en years after the first abortive attempt 
 to found a " London Charivari " that Thackeray — who had 
 been one of the band — commenced that connection with 
 Punch which was to be of equal ad^•antage both to him 
 and the paper. " It was a good day for himself, the journal, 
 and the world," said Shirley Brooks, " when Thackeray found 
 Punch. At first," continues his biogi'apher, " I should gather 
 that he had doubts as to the advisability of joining in the 
 new and, so tar, not very promising venture ; " and on the 
 22nd of May, 1842, we find Fitzgerald uttering a warning 
 note, and writing to a common friend : " Tell Thackeray not 
 to go to Punch vet." But his friend paid little heed to the 
 counsel, for within a month appeared what I am satisfied 
 is Thackeray's first contribution to Punch — " The Legend of 
 Jawbrahim-Heraudee " (p. 254, first volume, for 1842) with a
 
 Thackeray's First Contribution. 
 
 309 
 
 sketch undoubtedly by his liand ; and at the beginning ot 
 the very next vohune, a fortnight later, was begun the series 
 entitled " Miss Tickletoby's Lectures on English History." 
 .These, continued for a time, made no sort of hit, and in due 
 course they were discontinued ; but 
 there seems to have been in them, 
 and especially in the sketches, the 
 germ of the idea, so perfectly 
 worked out a little later by Gil- 
 bert a Beckett and Leech — though 
 not for Punch : '' The Comic His- 
 tory of England" and "The Comic 
 History of Rome." 
 
 When Thackeray joined the 
 Punch circle — or, rather, when he 
 first wrote for it. for he was not on 
 the Staff for some little time — he 
 entered, with the credentials of 
 " Eraser " and the '' Lish Sketch 
 Book," into a company of which 
 several members were already his 
 friends, who, knowing him as a 
 humorist with both pen and pencil, 
 were glad to secure so useful a man 
 as contributor. " Very early in the 
 work," writes Landells in his private 
 papers, which lie before me, " Mr. Mayhew was desirous to 
 secure his co-operation, and it was rather singular that the 
 first paper which the gi-eat man contributed to Puncli was 
 rejected as unsuitable." 
 
 This was hardly correct : it would be more accurate 
 to say that the first extended series was suddenh' cut 
 short. The circumstances of the extinction of Miss Tickle- 
 toby are shown in the following letter by Thackeray, which 
 ■has been placed at my disposal b}" Messrs. Bradbur}- and 
 Agnew : — 
 
 \V. M. THACKERAY. 
 (Frojit a Private Photograph.)
 
 3IO The History of " Punch '^ 
 
 Halverstown, Kildare, 
 Gentlemen, Sept. 27, 1842. 
 
 Your letter, containing an enclosure of ^25, has been 
 forwarded to me, and I am obliged to you for the remittance. 
 Mr. Lemon has previously written to me to explain the delay, 
 and I had also received a letter from Mr, Landells, who told me, 
 what I was sorry to learn, that you were dissatisfied with my 
 contributions to "Punch." I wish that my writings had the good 
 fortune to please everyone ; but all I can do, however, is to do 
 my best, which has been done in this case, just as much as if 
 I had been writing for any more dignified periodical. 
 
 But I have no wish to continue the original agreement made 
 between us, as it is dissatisfactory to you and, possibly, injurious 
 to your work ; and shall gladl}- cease Mrs. \_stc'] Tickletoby's 
 Lectures, hoping that 3'ou will be able to supply her place with 
 some more amusing and lively correspondent. 
 
 I shall pass the winter either in Paris or in London where, 
 very probably, I may find some other matter more suitable to 
 the paper, in which case I shall make another attempt upon 
 " Punch.''— Meanwhile, gentlemen, I remain, your very obedient 
 Servant, ^y M Thackeray. 
 
 Gradually, however, and by sure degrees, Thackeray fell 
 into the spirit of the paper, and became known to the 
 general public first as a ^^ Punch man," and then as ^^ the 
 Punch man," and for some time recognised by that, rather 
 than by his work in other directions. He became more and 
 more highly appreciated as one of those who contributed 
 to that speciality of humour for which Punch had alread)' 
 established a reputation while creating a demand. All the 
 while, during the first ten years, he regarded the paper as a 
 sort of stepping-stone to an independent literary position ; and 
 he was not very long in using his opportunity for making 
 a reputation equal to that of Jerrold himself — but a literary^ 
 and in no sense a political one. Jen^old, whose influence was 
 political quite as much as literary and dramatic, undoubtedly 
 did a good deal of unconscious service in spurring Thackeray 
 with the spirit of emulation. It has already been pointed 
 out how little love was lost between the two men at the 
 weekly Dinner, and how Jen-old sped his galling little shafts
 
 Thackeray versus Jerrold. 311 
 
 of clever personalities at Carlyle's "half-monstrous Cornish 
 giant ; " how, in short, they were, and remained to the 
 end, the friendliest and most amiable of enemies. 
 
 Vizetelh' has recorded how Thackera}' would tear the 
 postal-wrapper nervously from the newly-delivered Punch in 
 order to " see what Master Douglas has to say this week " — 
 (there is a world of dislike and scorn in that courtes}'-title 
 of "Master") — and how, when he gave a lunch in honour 
 of the French humorous draughtsman "Cham," he invited 
 "Big" Higgins, Tom Taylor, Richard Doyle, and Leech, 
 all Punch men, to meet him, but neither Mark Lemon nor 
 Jerrold, for " Young Douglas, if asked, would most likely not 
 come ; but if he did, he'd take especial care that his own 
 effulgence should obscure all lesser lights." It was not 
 Arcedeckne, I am assured by Mr. Cuthbert Bradley (" Cuth- 
 bert Bede's" son), but JeiTold, who, in Mark Lemon's hear- 
 ing, crushingly criticised Thackeray's first public reading to 
 the lecturer's face, with the laconic remark, " Wants a 
 piano ! " Thackeray, as we all know, was free enough 
 himself in his criticisms of his own features, and his many 
 sketches of his dear old broken nose are familiar enough 
 to every lover of the man. Yet he was not best pleased 
 when he entered the Punch dining-room a little late, apologis- 
 ing for his unpunctuality through having been detained at 
 a christening, at which he had stood sponsor to his friend's 
 boy, to be met with JeiTold's pungent exclamation — " Good 
 Lord, Thackeray ! I hope you didn't present the child with 
 your own mug!" And still less was he flattered when he 
 heard that, on its being reported in the Punch office that 
 he was " turning Roman," simply because he defended Doyle's 
 secession, Jerrold tartly remarked that " he'd best begin with 
 his nose." (Jerrold, by the way, uses the same conceit in a 
 letter to Sir Charles Dilke when repeating a rumour of the 
 
 attempted conversion of the novelist by "Lady .") These 
 
 and many more sardonic thrusts would amply account for 
 Thackeray's dislike ; yet that the men's relations were not 
 half so disagreeable as has generally been belieyed is shown 
 by the fact of Thackeray coming up specially to town from
 
 .312 
 
 The History of '' Puxch!' 
 
 jhis lecturing tour in order to support Jerrold on the night 
 of his election at the Refomi Club, and delightedly exclaim- 
 ing, when the result was known — " We've got the little 
 man in ! " Nor would he, perhaps, have shown himself and 
 Jerrold, in the accompanying cut, listening in fi-aternal shame- 
 
 PORTRAITS OF THACKERAY AND JERROLD. 
 {D>-a7UH by IV. 71/. Thackeray.) 
 
 author's MISERIES, NO. VI. 
 
 Old gentleman. Miss Wiggets. Two authors. 
 
 Old gentleman : " I am sorry to see you occupied, my dear Miss Wiggets, with 
 that trivial paper Punch. A railway is not a place, in my opinion, for jokes. I 
 Tiever joke — never." 
 
 Miss W. : " So I should think, sir." 
 
 Old gentleman : "And, besides, are you aware who are the conductors of that 
 paper, and that they are Chartists, Deists, Atheists, Anarchists, and Socialists, to 
 a man ? I have it from the best authority that they meet together once a week 
 in a tavern in St. Giles's, where they concoct their infamous print. The chief 
 part of their income is derived from threatening letters which they send to the 
 nobility and gentry. The principal writer is a returned convict. Two have been 
 tried at the Old Bailey ; and their artist — as for their artist . . . ." 
 
 Gjm)-^ ; " Swin-dun ! Sta-tion ! " (P»;;c/(. p. 198, Vol. XV., 1848.) 
 
 facedness and disgust to a fellow-passenger declaiming against 
 (the wickedness and profanity, of Pinic/i.
 
 Thackeray Self-Judged. 313 
 
 From the beginning, one of Thackeray's strong points on 
 the Staff was that he was a *^ pen-and-pencil man," that he 
 worked indifferently as artist or as writer, and not only as 
 a writer, but as a prose-and-poem man. It has been said, 
 with authority, that Thackeray neNer illustrated any articles 
 but his own ; but that is wholly incorrect. If you open 
 Volume MIL, at p. 266, you will find a drawing of his showing 
 Jack Tar and his Poll waltzing an accompaniment to an article 
 on the " Debate on the Navy," which was written b>- Gilbert a 
 Beckett. To the s^mie writer's chapter on ''The Footman," in 
 his series of '' Puncli s Guide to Servants" (p. 40, Volume IX.), 
 is a characteristic illustration by Thackera}', and again on the 
 following page to " The Gomersal Museu.n." A little farther 
 on, on p. 56, is a clever cut. of a lovers' tetc-a-Utc beside a 
 tea-table, to accompany Percival Leigh's ballad of "The 
 Lowly Bard to his Lad}- Lo^-e ; " and many similar results will 
 reward a more extended search. 
 
 Thackeray's own opinion of his powers as a draughtsman 
 .is not easy to determine. We know, of course, from his own 
 lips, his (? affected) surprise at Dickens not finding his art 
 good enough to illustrate " Pickwick ',' vice Seymour, deceased. 
 ■But in the interval between this application in 1S36 and his 
 later work he probably came to a more critical estimate of 
 ■the real value of his draughtsmanship — that work which had 
 been so laboriously and earnestly evolved from his studies in 
 the Louvre and elsewhere. When ^^izetelly was engi-aving 
 Thackeray's designs to " Mrs. Perkin's Ball," which on account 
 of their unsophisticated artistic character, were retouched by 
 a clever young draughtsman, the artist wrote that there was 
 a "je ne sais quoi " in his "vile drawing" which was worth 
 retaining. " Somehow," he said, " I prefer my Nuremberg dolls 
 to Mr. Thwaites's superfine wax models." After Edmund 
 A'ates had started that brilliant little journal or magazine, 
 which was not destined, however, to live as long as it 
 deserved, Thackeray wrote to him : " You have a new artist 
 on ' The Train,' I see, my dear Yates. I have been looking 
 at his work, and I have solved a problem. I find there 
 is, a man alive who draws worse than mvself ! " Yet he
 
 314 The History of "Punch." 
 
 continued to draw for Punch with zeal ; but when an acquaint- 
 ance told him, probably in all sincerity, "but you can draw," 
 Thackeray brusqueh- put down the compliment to the toadyism 
 of a "snob." Trollope declares that Thackeray "never 
 learned to draw — perhaps, never could have learned ; " but 
 he did not see that in the art of illustration, especially of a 
 humorous character, there is something more important than 
 academic coiTectness and technical mastery. He moved his 
 pencil slowly, with a deliberate broad touch, without haste, and 
 with no more attempt at refinement than was natural to him. 
 Yet his hand was capable of astonishing delicacy of touch ; 
 and I have seen the Lord's Prayer written by him 6ne day 
 at the Punch Table, within the space of a threepenny-piece, 
 which is a marvel of legibility. There is a character about 
 Thackeray's work — his " je ne sais quoi " — that makes us 
 foreive him his daring faults — indeed, we almost come to 
 love him for them — when once we have fi^ankly recognised 
 that it was in gi^eat measure his facility in drawing that was 
 his artistic ruin. There is always something of the carica- 
 turist in his most serious and important sketches — most of all, 
 perhaps, in his etchings. It is in his smallest cuts that he 
 is seen to the best advantage, and in them he occasionally 
 challenges comparison with Doyle and Leech himself. 
 
 In the execution of his Punch sketches, in nearly all the 
 three hundred and eighty of them, Thackeray was as sum- 
 mary as in the turning of a ballad, and I describe elsewhere 
 how he would make a drawing on the wood while the en- 
 graver waited and chatted over a cigar. It was clearly not 
 his opinion that, as is nowadays adjudged to be the proper 
 course, elaborate studies should first be made from the life- 
 model, even for the execution of a simple Punch picture. 
 He prefen-ed, when possible, to confine his pencil to the 
 illustration of his own text ; but on occasion he would pro- 
 duce a "social" cut— a drawing, that is to sa}', with a joke 
 printed beneath. Sometimes it would be in the manner 
 of Leech, as in the joke in Volume IX. (p. 3) called "The 
 Ascot Cup Day," wherein a hot-potato-seller asks a small 
 boy with a broom, " Wh}' are you on the crossing.
 
 Ax V.\ FATHOM ABLE JoKE. 315 
 
 James ? Is your father Hill ? " and is informed " Xo. He's 
 drove mother down to Hascot." More personal was such 
 work as "The Stags, a Drama of To-day," in which a 
 retired thimblerigger and an unfortunate costermonger, under 
 a magniiicent alias, take advantage of the railway mania to 
 make their application for shares — for which they could not 
 pay, of course, if things went wrong — in accordance with the 
 game of "heads I win, tails I vanish," at that time exten- 
 sively played throughout the country. Later on (in \'olume 
 XV.), following " The Hea\nes/' he gave, in seven scenes, a 
 panorama of an " Author's Miseries." In 1847 (Volume XII., 
 p. 59) Thackeray contributed a "social" picture which is to 
 this day a wonder to all beholders. It is entitled " Homd 
 Tragedy in Private Life," and represents a room in which two 
 ladies, or a lady and a servant, are in a state of the greatest 
 alami. What the meaning of it all is there is nothing what- 
 ever to indicate (unless it be that something has fallen on 
 the taller lady's dress); and on its appearance the "Man in 
 the Moon" oft'ered a reward of ^500 and a free pardon to 
 anyone who would publish an explanation. The reward 
 was never claimed ; and Thackeray's contribution remains 
 one of Punch' s Prize Puzzles, unsolved, and, apparently, 
 unsolvable. 
 
 It was in X^'o. 137 — that notable part which contained "The 
 Song of the Shirt " — that Thackeray appeared in his oX\-n 
 right, as belonging not only to the Staff, but to the Table. 
 The contribution was a " Singular Letter from the Regent 
 of Spain ; " and with it Thackera}' took his place at the 
 Dinner as an excellent substitute for Albert Smith. That 
 writer, who had found his successor " a very jolly fellow 
 with no High Art about him," and a chamiing companion 
 at "the 'Cider Cellars," a month later disappeared for ever 
 from Punch as a contributor, refigiuing only in its pages 
 from time to time as an object of attack. 
 
 Thackeray's work on Punch covered Qxexy corner of 
 Punch's held. Burlesques of history and parodies of litera- 
 ture, ballads and songs, stories and jokes, papers and para- 
 graphs, pleasantr}' and pathos, criticisms and conundrums,
 
 3i6 The History of "Puxch." 
 
 travels in the East and raillery in the West, political skits 
 and social satire — from a column to a single line — such was 
 the sum of Thackeray's contribution to Pioic/i. Less prolific 
 than either Jerrold or Gilbert a Beckett, he produced, . never- 
 theless, an enormous amount of "copy" that was always 
 readable, even when it was not his best. He wrote from 
 Paris to his friend, Mrs. Brookfield (September 2nd, 1849) : "I 
 won't give you an historical disquisition in the Titmarsh 
 manner upon this, but reserve it for Finich — for whom, on 
 Thursdav [I have written] an article that I think is quite 
 unexampled for dulness, even in that Journal, and that beats 
 the dullest JeiTold. What a jaunty, offhand, satiric rogue 
 I am, to be sure — and a gay young dog ! " But he did not 
 think his work half so uninteresting as he pretended ; he 
 even regarded with satisfaction that which he produced 
 when gi-eatly out of the vein. "It is but a hasty letter 
 I send you, my dear lady, " he wrote to the same coiTe- 
 spondent, in 1850, "but my hand is weary with writing 
 * Pendennis ' — and mv head boiling up with some nonsense 
 that I must do after dinner for Pujich. Isn't it strange 
 that, in the midst of all the selfishness; that of doing one's 
 business is the strongest of all. What funny songs ^^■e 
 WTitten when fit to hang myself!" 
 
 His first contributions to Punch, after those already men- 
 tioned, were "Mr. Spec's Remonstrance," Volume IV., p. 70 
 (omitting "Assumption of Aristocracy," which has hitherto been 
 credited to him, but was really sent in by Gilbert a Beckett), 
 "Singular Letter from the Regent of Spain," with the three 
 amusing cuts of sailors who; having found a bottle at sea, 
 speculate as to its contents as they open it — " SheiTy, perhaps," 
 /'Rum, I hope!" "Tracts, by Jove .'!" Then, to select the 
 chief and longest series, came " The History of the Xe^:t French 
 Revolution," in nine parts (Volume ^T.), contributions which 
 were leavened by pleasant attacks levelled at Lytton, and at 
 "Jenkins" of the " ^Morning Post." Then followed, in Volumes 
 VII. and VIIL, "Travelling Notes, by our Fat Contributor " 
 .(for Thackeray loved to call himself so, or " Our Stout Com- 
 rnissioner," or "Titmarsh," "Policeman X," "Jeames," "Paul
 
 Jeames '5 Orthograph v. 3 1 7 
 
 Pindar," or other whimsical pseudonym), and " Punch in the 
 East" — the record of a journey undertaken by Thackeray at 
 the invitation of the P. and O. Company, who offered him a 
 free passage to Egypt. 
 
 At this time the railwa}' mania was at its height, and 
 Thackeray took his share' in Punch in stemming the fatal tide, 
 so far as ridicule could be used to do so. One of his first 
 papers on the subject was the " Letter from Jeames, of Buckly 
 Square," signed by " Fitz-Jeames de la Pluche " — the famous 
 Jeames who, first created by Thackeray in the pages of " The 
 Britannia" in 1841, under the title of ''Mr. Yellowplush, my 
 lord's body-servant," began in the same Vol. IX. (1845) his 
 immortal " Diarv." One of the successes of this epistle was 
 what, to Thackeray's delight, was seriously complained of as 
 the "deplorable" inaccurate orthogi'aphy of the illiterate 
 flunkev. Thackeray was certainly not the first to use the 
 de\ice, but he was the first to achieve great success with it, 
 and Arthur Sketchley, Artemus Ward, ]Mr. Deputy Bedford 
 ("Robert"), and all the American humorists who have' 
 adopted the same idea, are but followers where the great 
 Titmarsh led. Jeames's weakness became a strength in 
 Thackeray's hands, and at one time was turned with effect upon 
 Sir Isaac Pitman's " Spelling Refomi," which was then a novel 
 butt for the satirist. The incident has been thus gravely re- 
 corded in the pages of the "Phonetic Journal" :— 
 
 " Ten years ago Mr. Punch had meni a meri kakinashon at the 
 ekspens ov Mr. Pitman and the ' Phonetic News,' which he leiked 
 tu kali the ' Fanatic Nuz.' Here is wun of his sneerz :— ' Voltaire 
 sed ov the Inglish that they save two ourz a day bei kontrakting all 
 their wurdz. The " Fonetic Xuz " woz not then in eksistens. If we- 
 save two ourz," kontiniuz the kaustik pupet, ' in the dayz ov Vol- 
 taire, we must save siks ourz at least nou that we hav our improved 
 plan ov speling, az originali invented bei Winifred Jenkins, and 
 karid to its greatest heit bei Jeames, with the assistans ov Yellow- 
 plush and Pitman.' But Punch, who, leik the ' Thunderer,' never 
 goez agenst publik opinion, sneerz no longer at the Speling Reform 
 moovment, and sensibel men, who ar not fonetik men at all, admit 
 at last that our prezent sistem ov orthograti is bei no meanz 
 perfekt.''
 
 31 8 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 There is little wonder that Thackeray seized on the comic 
 side of this movement, for whimsical spelling always delighted 
 him. On one occasion, indeed, he was so proud of an micom- 
 promising cold that had " sat down" in his head that he wrote 
 to a friend in these terms : — " Br. Lettsob ( attache to the 
 Egglish Legatiob at Washigtol) has beel kild elough to probise 
 to dile with be ol Bulday Icxt at 6 o'clock — if you would joil 
 hib aid take a portiol of a plail joilt aid a puddl, it wd. give 
 great pleasure." 
 
 "The Snobs of England" began in the tenth volume, and 
 continued through fifty-one numbers well into the twelfth. The 
 effect of these papers was remarkable ; the sensation they 
 caused was profound. It may be compared to that of JeiTold's 
 " Caudle Lectures," save that they appealed to a more culti- 
 vated and less demonstrative class, and were appreciated in 
 proportion to their superior merits. The circulation of Punch 
 rose surprisingly under their benign influence, and Thackeray 
 did not leave the subject until he had handled it from every point 
 of view and even carried it abroad. He was, naturally, not 
 a little proud of his first great success, and in his unaffected 
 manner was tempted to speak about it in Societ}- — where more 
 than in anv other quarter the papers were appreciated. 
 Unfortunately, according to Dr. Gordon Hake's memoirs, 
 Thackeray broached the subject to George Borrow. He had 
 been trving to make conversation with that strangely crotchety 
 man, but had completely failed. So, being somewhat em- 
 barrassed, he asked him abruptly, " Have you read my ' Snob 
 Papers' in Punch /" Borrow seemed to thaw. " In Punch ?" 
 he repeated sweetlv. " It is a periodical I never look at." This 
 was as bad as the Oxford University magnate when Thackeray 
 called upon him in 1857 in reference to his lecturing-tour and 
 mentioned his connection with Pufich, the fame of which was 
 great in the land, as a sort of certificate of character — " Pujich 
 — Punch f" repeated the ignorant scholar, " is that not a ribald 
 publication ? " Thackeray, I may add, in order to impart local 
 colour to his chapters on the Club Snob, with characteristic 
 shrewdness obtained an introduction fi-om Mr. Hampton, the 
 secretary of the Conservative Club, to the Secretaries of the
 
 Snobs and Snobbery. 319 
 
 Refomi and the Athenasiim, and begged their permission to 
 inspect their complaint-books — a fact which has not before 
 been recorded ; and from them he gained such an insight into 
 the faihngs of the snobbish chibman, that that portion of the 
 work is unsurpassed for its truth to hfe. It is generally 
 understood that he took Mr. Stephen Price, of the GaiTick 
 Club, as the model for Captain Shandy, and that his type of 
 the sporting snob was Mr. Wyndham Smith. 
 
 There is not much doubt that Thackeray was a little — if e\'er 
 so little — of a snob himself, and Jerrold's suspicion of him was 
 to that extent justified. He did not show it so much by going 
 into Society, for, as he said to a friend, " If I don't go out and 
 mingle in Society, I can't write" — just as Mr. du Maurier goes 
 out in order to study his world, and as Leech rode to hounds 
 for the sake of his health and work. But Thackeray, who was 
 the writer of some of the most caustic articles on " Jenkins " 
 — (under which name Punch habitually attacked the " Morning 
 Post," the aristocratic airs of which were to him a perpetual 
 provocation) — seemed to take a little more interest in Society 
 than mere curiosity or policy required ; and was once thrown 
 heavily in an encounter with the " Post's " reporter. Henry 
 Vizetelly retells the story well in his '' Looking Back through 
 Seventy Years " :— 
 
 A favourite butt for Hannay's savage satire was Rumsey Forster 
 —the Jenkins of the " Morning," or, as Hannay dubbed it, the 
 "Fawning Post" — who had supplanted the ci-devant midshipman 
 in the affections of some pretty barmaid at a London tavern which 
 they both frequented. Forster was most energetic in his particular 
 calling, and is said on one occasion to have obtained admission in 
 the interests of the " Morning Post " to a Waterloo banquet at 
 Apsley House, by getting himself up as one of the extra servants 
 out of livery, called in to assist on these occasions. He was highly 
 indignant with Thackeray for the way in which he persistently 
 ridiculed him in Punch under the cognomen of Jenkins ; and I 
 remember, after the author of "Vanity Fair" had become a 
 celebrity, and began to be invited by other wearers of purple and 
 fine linen, besides Lord Carlisle, to their aristocratic soirees, being 
 highly amused by Forster telling me how he had taken his 
 revenge.
 
 320 The History of "Puxch." 
 
 '* You should know, sir," he said solemnly, " that at Stafford 
 House, Lady Palmerston's, and the other swell places, a little table 
 is set for me just outside the drawing-room doors, where I take down 
 the names of the company as these are announced by the attendant 
 footmen. Well, Mr. Thackeray was at the Marquis of Lansdowne's 
 the other evening, and his name was called out, as is customary; 
 nevertheless, I took very good care that it should not appear in the 
 list of the company at Lansdowne House, given in the ' Post.' A 
 night or two afterwards I was at Lord John Russell's, and Mr. 
 Thackeray's name was again announced, and again I designedly 
 neglected to write it down ; whereupon the author of ' The Snobs 
 of England,' of all persons in the world [it must be candidly con- 
 fessed that Thackeray was himself a bit of a tuft-hunter], bowed, 
 and bending over me, said : 'Mr. Thackeray;' to which I replied : 
 ' Yes, sir, I am quite aware ; ' nevertheless, the great Mr. Thackeray's 
 name did not appear in the ' Post ' the following morning.'' 
 
 In another version of the same story it is recorded that 
 when Thackeray pronounced his name to Rumsey Forster, 
 the latter dramatically retorted, "And I, sir, am Mr. Jenkins" 
 — an account far more artistic, if somewhat less faithful. 
 
 After the "Snobs" were finished and the evergreen 
 " Mahogany Tree," in Volume XIL, " Piaich's Prize Novel- 
 ists" were begun in April, 1847. In their way these parodies 
 have never been excelled, and the fourth of the series — 
 "Phil Fogarty," by "Harry Rollicker " — was so excellent a 
 burlesque that Charles Lever, on reading this story of the 
 hero of "the fighting onety-oneth," good-humouredly declared 
 that he "might as well shut up shop;" and he actually 
 did change, thenceforward, the manner of his books. These 
 " Prize Novels " continued into the following ^'olume, in 
 which " Travels in London " were begun. These ran into 
 Volume XR'., 1848, in which year their author received from 
 Edinburgh a testimonial from eighty of his Scottish admirers. 
 This took the shape of a silver inkstand in the fonn of 
 Mr. Punch's person, and gi-eatly resembled that which a 
 similar subscription had already procured for Mark Lemon. 
 It drew from Thackera}- a charming letter in acknowledg- 
 ment. Then followed " A Dinner at Timmins's " (Volumes 
 XIV.-XV.) and "Bow Street Ballads" (Volume XV.), 1848,
 
 A Quaint Excuse. 321 
 
 " Mr. Brown's Letters to a Man about Town " (Volume XVL), 
 and "Mr. Brown's Letters to his Son" (Volume XVILj, 1849 ; 
 "The Proser" (Volumes XVIIL-XIX.),' 1850, and " Lnportant 
 from the Seat of War" (Volumes XXVL-XXVIL), 1854. 
 These papers, with the exception of " Mr. Punch to an Eminent 
 Personage" (Volume XXVIL, p. no) 
 and " A Second Letter to an Eminent 
 Personage" (Volume XXVIL, p. 113), 
 were the last Thackeray ever wrote for 
 Punch. The statement of his bio- 
 graphers that in the year 1850, " If we 
 except one later flicker in 1S54, 
 Thackeray's long connection with 
 
 Punch died out," is totally incoiTect, — ^/v7f_ WiT ^k^ 
 
 for in 1 85 1 there are forty-one '^ 
 literar}' items and a dozen cuts to his 
 
 Tj. " -T) 4- -C 4.1 „i- i-- i.•^ O INKSTAND PRESENTED TO 
 
 credit. But from that tmie until i8s4 
 
 -^1 THACKERAY BY HIS EDIN- 
 
 he only contributed " The Organ Boy's burgh admirers. 
 
 Appeal" (Volume XXV., p. 144), and 
 
 thenceforward we hear no more of "Policeman X," of Malonev 
 
 and his Irish humour, of the Frenchman on whom, in spite 
 
 of himself, he was always so severe, no more of Jeames, 
 
 Jenkins, or the rest of the puppets who lived for us under his 
 
 manipulation.* 
 
 The labour of producing his Punch work was often irksome 
 to him in the extreme, and many a time would he put Mark 
 Lemon off — now, because he was so well in the swim with his 
 novel then in hand that he begged hard to be let off, and 
 again, because the Muse was coy and would not on any account 
 be wooed. On one occasion he wrote explaining with what 
 weariness he had been battening rhymes for three hours in 
 his head, and could get nothing out : " I must beg }-ou to 
 excuse me," he ingeniously added, " for I've worked just as 
 much for -s'ou as though I had done something." At other 
 
 * The inclusion of the article entitled " A Plea for Plush," in the volume 
 of "Contributions to Punch" in "Complete Works," published by Smith, 
 Elder & Co., is a mistake. The article in question was by Thackeray's friend, 
 " Jacob Omnium." 
 
 V
 
 322 The History of " Punch T 
 
 times he would break away from the company he was in, 
 in order to complete his regulation number of columns. His 
 godson, afterwards the Rev. Francis Thackeray, has told us 
 how the great man once took him to a conjuring entertain- 
 ment and, having secured him a good place, explained " Now, 
 I must leave you awhile, and go and make a five-pound note." 
 And in such a manner, in haste and with disinclination, was 
 often produced what James Hannay calls '' the inimitable, wise, 
 easy, playful, worldly, social sketch of Thackeray." 
 
 Although, as a rule, Thackeray prefen-ed social to political 
 satire, he would sometimes point an epigram with sharp 
 effect. For example, in 1845, the disclosure in the " Freeman " 
 of J. Young's letter, to the discomfiture of the Whigs and Lord 
 Melbourne, suggested to Thackeray the line : " Young's Night 
 Thought — Wish I hadn't franked that letter ! " Its appearance 
 in Punch caused Mr. Sparkes to buttonhole the writer at the 
 Reform Club, and excitedly dilate on the mischief that was 
 being done to the Party by such very public and sarcastic ' 
 means. Thackeray burst out laughing — ''the mountain shook," 
 says the historian — but felt a little genuine pleasure at the 
 circumstance all the same. 
 
 As success and public recognition came to him for his 
 novels — the success for which he had worked so hard — his 
 disinclination to work for Punch increased. No doubt the 
 policy of the paper had something to do with it ; but there 
 can be little question that the great fame and reward he 
 derived from novel writing made more occasional work dis- 
 tasteful to him, and in 1854 — the year of "The Newcomes " 
 — Thackeray corrected his last proof for Punch. He had 
 foreseen it for some time, for in 1849 he had wTitten to Mrs. 
 Brookfield fi-om Paris, "What brought me to this place ? 
 Well, I am glad I came ; it will give me a subject for at 
 least six weeks in Punch" ["Paris Revisited," &c.], "of 
 which I was getting so weary that I thought I must have 
 done with it." Five years afterwards he wrote to the same 
 lady : " What do you think I have done to-day ? I have 
 sent in my resignation to Punch. There appears in next 
 Punch an article so wicked, I think, by poor [ ? Jerrold]
 
 Tha ckera ys R f.sigxa rioN. 323 
 
 that upon my word I don't think I ought to pull any longer 
 in the same boat with such a savage little Robespien^e. The 
 appearance of this incendiary article put me in such a rage 
 that I could only cool m3'self with a ride in the park." 
 Writing a long while afterwards for the public eve, he said, 
 " Another member of Punch's Cabinet, the biographer of 
 Jeames, the author of the ' Snob papers,' resigned his functions 
 on account of Mr. Punch's assaults upon the present Emperor 
 of the French nation, whose anger he thought it was un- 
 patriotic to arouse " — being thus in Punchian policy, if not in 
 motive, in entire accord with Mr. Ruskin. 
 
 A more complete and emphatic statement of the facts, as 
 Thackeray viewed them, will be found in the subjoined 
 letter from the novelist to one of the Punch proprietors, which, 
 bv their courtesy, is here printed for the first time : — 
 
 ."March 24th, 1855. 
 
 " 36, Onslow Sqre. 
 
 " My Dear Evans, 
 
 "I find a note of yours dated Feb. 5, in wh. F, M. E.* 
 states that my account shall be prepared directly. F. M. E. has 
 a great deal to do and pay and think of, but W. M. T. has also 
 his engagements. 
 
 "I hope your 'Poetry of Punch' will not be published before 
 my collected Ballads— Now remember (you wrote me a letter 
 expressly on the subject) that the Cop^-right of all articles in 
 ' Punch ' were mine, by stipulation — and my book would be very 
 much hurt by the appearance of another containing f of its contents. 
 
 " I met Murray the publisher the other day, and cannot help 
 fancying from his manner to me that there is a screw loose with 
 him too about that unlucky Leech article. Lemon, answering 
 one of my letters, said that he personally complained that my 
 account of leaving ' Punch ' was not correct. 
 
 " There was such a row at the time, and I was so annoyed at 
 the wrong that I had done, that I thought I had best leave Lemon's 
 remonstrance for a while and right it on some future occasion. 
 I recall now to you and beg you to show to him and to any 
 other persons who may have received a different version of the 
 story — what the facts were. I had had some serious public 
 
 * Mr. Frederick Mullet Evans. 
 
 V 2
 
 324 The History of "Punch." 
 
 differences with the Conduct of ' Punch ' — about the abuse of Prince 
 Albert and the Chrystal \_stc'] Palace at wh. I very nearly resigned, 
 about abuse of Lord Palmerston, about abuse finally of L. Napoleon 
 — in all which ' Punch ' followed the ' Times,' wh. I think and 
 thought was writing unjustly at that time, and dangerously for 
 the welfare and peace of the Country. 
 
 " Coming from Edinburgh I bought a ' Punch ' containing the 
 picture of a Beggar on Horseback, in wh. the Emperor was repre- 
 sented galloping to hell v\'ith a sword reeking with blood. As 
 soon as ever I could after my return (a day or 2 days after), I 
 went to Bouverie St., saw 3-ou and gave in my resignation. 
 
 " I mention this because I know the cause of my resignation 
 has been questioned at ' Punch ' — because this was the cause of it. 
 I talked it over with 3-ou in, and Leech saw me coming out of 
 your room, and I told him of m}- retirement. 
 
 " No engagement afterwards took place between us ; nor have 
 I ever been since a member of ' Punch's ' Cabinet, so to speak. 
 Wishing you all heartily well, I wrote a few occasional papers 
 last year— and not liking the rate of remuneration, wh. was less 
 than that to wh. I had been accustomed in my time, I wrote no 
 more. 
 
 " And you can say for me as a reason why I should feel hurt 
 at your changing the old rates of pa3'ment made to me — that I 
 am not a man who quarrels about a guinea or two except as a 
 point of honour ; and that when I could have had a much larger 
 svnii than that wh. you gave me for my last novel — I preferred 
 to remain with old friends, who had acted honourably and kindly 
 by me. 
 
 " I reproach myself with having written ^ a line regarding ni}' 
 old ' Punch ' Companions — which was perfectly true, wh. I have 
 often said — but which I ought not to have written. No other 
 wrong that I know of have I done. And I think it is now about 
 time that my old friends and publishers should set me right. 
 
 " Yours ver}- faithfuU}-, dear Evans, 
 
 " W. M. Thackeray. 
 " F. M. Evans, Esq." 
 
 Yet, though he resigned, he would still from time to time 
 attend the Dinners, at which he was always made welcome 
 by the publishers and his late colleagues. \Yhen, dm-ing this 
 period, he was pleading for assistance for the family of one of
 
 THACKERAY IN HIS STUDY. 
 (^Froiu Portion oj a Painting by E. M. Ward, R.A., in the Possession nf Richard Hurst, Esq.)
 
 326 The History of "Punch':' 
 
 the Staff who had passed awa}', he took pleasure in admitting 
 that — " It is through my connection with Punch that I owe 
 the good chances that have lately befallen me, and have had 
 so many kind offers of help in my own days of trouble that 
 I would thankfully aid a friend whom death has called away." 
 So, although he was no longer to be identified with the paper, 
 Thackeray — " the gixat Thackeray " he had become — was 
 bound to it and to several members of the Staff by ties of 
 intimate affection, and his sudden death came with stunning 
 force upon them all. To Leech it was as his own death- 
 knell ; and when he, Mark Lemon, Shirley Brooks, Tom 
 Taylor, Horace Mayhew, " Jacob Omnium," and John Tenniel 
 stood round his gra^-e, they felt, I have been told, as if the 
 glory of Punch had been irremediably dimmed. No verses 
 e^'er penned bv Punch's poets to the memory of one of 
 their dead brethren ever breathed more love or more beauty 
 of thought than those in which Thackeray was mourned, 
 and defended against the charge of cynicism — " . . a brave, 
 true, honest gentleman, whom no pen but his own could 
 depict as those who knew him could desire" : — 
 
 " He was a cynic : By his life all wrought 
 
 Of generous acts, mild words, and gentle ways ; 
 His heart wide open to all kindly thought, 
 
 His hand so quick to give, his tongue to praise. 
 
 " And if his acts, affections, works, and ways , 
 Stamp not upon the man the cynic's sneer, 
 From life to death, oh, public, turn your gaze — 
 The last scene of a cynical career ! 
 
 " Those uninvited crowds, this hush that lies, 
 Unbroken, till the solemn words of prayer 
 From many hundred reverent voices rise 
 Into the sunny stillness of the air. 
 
 " These tears, in eyes but little used to tears. 
 
 Those sobs, from manly lips, hard set and grim. 
 Of friends, to whom his life lay bare for 3-ears, 
 Of strangers, who but knew his books, not him."
 
 w 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PUNCH'S writers: 1843-51. 
 
 Horace Mayhew— '• The Wicked Old Marquis" — A Birthday Ode— R. B. 
 Peake — Thomas Hood — "The Song of the Shirt" — Its Origin — Its Effect 
 in the Country — Its Authorship Claimed by Others — Translated throughout 
 Europe — A Missing Verse — Hood Compared with Jerrold — "Reflections on 
 New Years Day'' — Dr. E. V. Kenealy — J. W. Ferguson — Charles Lever — 
 Laman Blanchard — Tom Taylor — Passed over by Shirley Brooks — Taylor's 
 Critics — Mr. Coventry Patmore — " Jacob Omnium '' — Tennyson v. Bulwer 
 Lytton — Horace Smith — "Rob Roy " Macgregor — Mr. Henry Silver — Intro- 
 duces Charles Keene — His Literary Work — Service to Leech — Retirement 
 — Mr. Sutherland Edwards — Charles Dickens and Punch — Sothern Earns 
 his Dinner — Reconciliation of Dickens and iSIark Lemon — J. L. Hannay 
 — Cuthbert Bede. 
 
 Punch had been running about eight 
 months when, in Wills's words, " a hand- 
 some young student returned from Ger- 
 many and was heartily welcomed by 
 his brother, Mr. Henry Mavhew, and 
 then by the rest of the fraternity. This 
 was at the particular Punch meeting 
 at which Mr. Hamerton was present. 
 Horace Mayhew' s diploma joke consisted, 
 I believe, of " Questions addressees au 
 grand concours aux eleves d' Anglais, du 
 College St. Badaud dans le Departement 
 de la Haute Cockaigne" (Vol. HI. p. 89). Regular occupa- 
 tion was forthwith found for him as sub-editor, his duties being 
 to collect the cuts from the artists, to act as medium of com- 
 munication between the writers and draughtsmen, and to 
 assist Mark Lemon in making-up the paper ; and for these 
 services he received one pound a week. Soon, however, it 
 was found that the editor could very well perform all such 
 duties for himself, and the post of "pony" was abolished. 
 Horace — or "Ponny," as he was invariably nick-named — 
 
 HORACE MAYHEW. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 Bassano.)
 
 328 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 became one of the accepted writers. He was most prolific as 
 a suggestor, and never failed of point and pith in his own 
 numerous little paragraphs. As a proposer he had much of 
 the talent of his brother, but little of his genius. " The Life 
 and Adventures of Miss Robinson Crusoe," written by Douglas 
 Jen-old, was " Ponn3''s " suggestion ; but he carried out his con- 
 ceptions entirel}' in such papers as his extremel}' amusing 
 "Model Men," "Model Women," and "Model Couples;" 
 and his " Change for a Shilling " and " Letters left at a 
 Pastrycook's" are still remembered. 
 
 "Ponny" had not a seat "in the Cabinet" until January 
 nth, 1845, before which time he had no separate existence as 
 a contributor, all his "copy" being entered indiscriminately 
 to the Editor. For a long while his average contribution was 
 thirty-one columns in each volume ; but his main value lay 
 in the short articles and paragraphs of a playfiil and whimsical 
 character. Thus, when the " Birmingham Advertiser" declared 
 with grovelling snobbishness that " in these days it is quite re- 
 freshing to pronounce the name of the Duke of Newcastle," 
 " Ponny " suggested that during the summer months " the name 
 of his Grace should be written up in every public thoroughfare." 
 He was, in tact, in the words of an old friend, " bright, good- 
 natured, and lively, not very clever, but always letting off little 
 jokes ; " "a social butterfly," adds Mr. Sala, " who never 
 fulfilled the promise of his youth." 
 
 He was a strikingly good-looking man, and was justifiably 
 proud of Thackeray's greeting as they met at Evans's — " Ah, 
 here comes Colonel Newcome ! " " From his aristocratic mien 
 and premature baldness," says Vizetelly, " Wiltshire Austin 
 christened him ' the wicked old Marquis.' The keeping of late 
 hours was Ponny Mayhew's bane. For a quarter of a century 
 — save an annual fortnight devoted to recruiting himself at Scar- 
 borough or elsewhere — he scorned to seek repose before the milk- 
 man started on his rounds, and during the greater portion of the 
 year never thought of rising until the sun had set, when he would 
 emerge from his Bond Street rooms as spruce and gay as a lark." 
 He had been engaged to a daughter of Douglas Jerrold (whose 
 other daughter, it will be remembered, was the wife of Henry
 
 Horace (^' Poxxy") AIayhew. 329 
 
 Mayhew), but on tlie gi-ound that "one Mayhew is enough 
 in the family," Jerrold would not hear of it, and the young 
 people remained faithful to each other to the end. Living first 
 with Joseph Swain, the engraver, he afterwards took up his 
 residence for a time with the Lemons at King's Road, Chelsea. 
 " Ponny's " portrait, it has often been said, may be seen in 
 the White Knight in "Alice in Wonderland;" but "the re- 
 semblance," says Sir John Tenniel, " was purely accidental, 
 a mere unintentional caricature, which his friends, of course, 
 were only too delighted to make the most of. P. ^L was 
 certainly handsome, whereas the White Knight can scarcely 
 be considered a type of ' manly beauty.' " He was a great 
 favourite with the Staff, by reason of his many charming 
 qualities. What they thought of him may be in a measure 
 deduced ft-om one or two of the verses borrowed from Shirley 
 Brooks' Birthday Ode, here reproduced from Mr. Hatton's 
 "True Story" in "London Society" : — 
 
 " Is he perfect ? Why, no, that is hardly the case ; 
 If he were, the Punch Table would not be his place ; 
 You all have your faults — I confess one or two — 
 And we love him the better for having a few. 
 
 '' He never did murder, like — never mind whom, 
 Nor poisoned relations, like — some in this room ; 
 Nor deceived the young ladies, like— men whom I see, 
 Nor even intrigued with a gosling, like — me. 
 
 " No ; black are our bosoms, and red are our hands. 
 But a model of virtue our Ponniboy stands ; 
 And his basest detractors can only say this, 
 That he's fond of the cup, and the card, and the kiss. 
 
 "A warm-hearted fellow — a faithful ally, 
 Our Bloater's* Vice-Regent o'er Punch'' s gone bv ; 
 He's as true to the flag of the White Friars still 
 As when he did service with Jerrold and Gil. 
 
 "Here's his health in a bumper! " Old''' Ponny — a fib ; 
 What's fiftv ? A babv. Bring tucker and bib. 
 Add twenty ; then ask us again, little boy, 
 And till then may 3'our life be all pleasure and joy ! " 
 
 * Mark Lemon.
 
 330 The History of '■ Prxc//" 
 
 "Ponnv" Mavhew, who did not actuidly write anything for 
 some rears before his end, died in ^lay. 1872 ; and on p. 191 of 
 the sixtv-second volume a graceful obituary notice" pays tribute 
 to his long and faithful service and his gentle good-nature. 
 
 Bv this time Punch's established reputation brought a great 
 number of anon}*mous contributions, only a ver}- few of which 
 were ever used, and of fewer still was the authorship placed 
 upon record. Early in 1S43, however (p. 82. Vol. IV.), 'Sir. 
 Blackwood, of Edinburgh, sent in one of the earliest of Scottish 
 witticisms, a conundrum ; Joseph O'Leary, a reporter of the 
 " ^loniing Herald," is said to have contributed a poem on " The 
 English Vandal ; ' and R. B. Peake, who had adapted " A Xight 
 ^^^th Punch " for W. 1. Hammond, besfan his little series of 
 
 1 •Punch's ^ro^"incial Intelligence," of 
 
 ^g/b^ which the most notable is a humorous 
 
 W \ report of the University Boatrace of the 
 
 w^ vear ; and then the elder Hood began 
 
 his short but brilliant career. 
 
 Thomas Hood had forgiven and for- 
 gotten the annoyance he had felt on 
 seeing in the lirst number of Punch a 
 bogus advertisement ascribed to him 
 under the title of " Lessons in Punman- 
 THOMAs HOOD. ship," at which he " could only express 
 
 From an Engrax-iH^ by li^'. Hou, his auiazemeut that liis name should be 
 af^crtluPai«tinshyLr..is.) paraded with apparent authority in a 
 
 paper of the verA^ existence of which he was not aware ; "" and 
 Avithin two years he became a fairly constant contributor, after 
 writing to Dickens, " You will be glad to hear that I have made 
 an arrangement with Bradburs^ to contribute to Punch, but that 
 is a secret I cannot keep from you. It ^^"ill be light occasional 
 work for odd times." So he began vdth a sketch redrawn by 
 H. G. Hine, accompanying a " Police Report of a Daring 
 Robberv bv a Xoble Lord " — the first of his stinsinsf attacks on 
 Lord William Lennox, one of Punch's favourite and, it must be 
 admitted, legitimate butts. Then followed at difterent times 
 a score or more of conundrums in the true Hoodian vein under 
 the title of ** Whys and ^^^lens," fair specimens of which are
 
 Thomas Hood is Recruited. 331 
 
 these : " Why is killing bees like a confession ? Because vou 
 unbuzz 'em." " Why is * yes ' the most ignorant word in the 
 language ? Because it doesn't no annhing." " What's the 
 difference between a soldier and a bomb-shell ? One goes 
 to wars, the other goes to peaces." "When is a clock on 
 the stairs dangerous ? When it runs down." A couple of 
 sketches and "A Drop of Gin," an important poem of 
 seventy-six lines somewhat in the manner of the latter por- 
 tion of "Miss Kilmansegg" were followed — enclosed ^^^thin 
 a comic border ! — by his greatest popular effort, " The Song 
 of the Shirt." This appeared, not in the "Almanac," but in 
 the "Christmas Number," on p. 261 of the second volume 
 for 1843. 
 
 The particular incident by which this immortal poem was 
 suggested was one which had called forth a powerful leading- 
 article in the " Times." It was the " terrible fact " that a 
 woman named Bidell, with a squalid, half-stan-ed infant at the 
 breast, was " charged at the Lambeth police-court with pa\\Ti- 
 ing her master's goods, for which she had to give £2 security. 
 Her husband had died by an accident, and had left her with 
 two children to support, and she obtained by her needle for 
 the maintenance of herself and family what her master called 
 the 'good li%ing' of seven shillings a iveekr 
 
 Punch was at once aglow with red-hot indignation, and in 
 an article entitled " Famine and Fashion ! " proposed an ad- 
 vertisement such as this for the firm that employed her — 
 
 "Holland coats from two-and-three are shown 
 By Hunger's haggard fingers neatl}- sewn. 
 Embroidered hemes for 3-our infant made, — 
 The ej'es are sightless now that worked the braid ; 
 Rich vests of velvet at this mart appear. 
 Each one bedimm'd by some poor widow's tear ; 
 And riding habits formed for maid or wife, 
 All cheap — aye, ladies, cheap as pauper-life. 
 For mourning suits this is the fitting mart. 
 For ever}- garment help'd to break a heart.'' 
 
 The subject touched Hood more powerfullv perhaps than 
 others, for his nature was essentially grave and sympathetic.
 
 ^^2 The History of "Punch" 
 
 As he himself had said, it was only for his livelihood that he 
 was a livelv Hood — although he was always brimming over 
 with comicalities ; and he never felt more deeply the dignity of 
 his profession and his own force and weight than when he was 
 engaged on serious work. So Hood conjured up his "Song of 
 the Shirt," moved by the revelations of poor seamstresses who 
 received, as it appeared, five farthings a shirt, out of which sum 
 they had to find their own needles ! Mark Lemon told ]Mr. 
 Joseph Hatton that Hood had " accompanied the poem with 
 a few lines in which he expressed the fear that it was hardly 
 suitable for Pinich, and leaiing it between his discretion and the 
 waste-paper basket." It had, said Hood, already been rejected 
 by three papers, and he was sick of the sight of it. ]Mark 
 Lemon brought the poem up at the Table, where the majority 
 of the Staff protested against its inclusion in a comic paper. 
 But Lemon was deteniiined ; and, after all, was it not for 
 a Christmas number that he destined it — a number in which 
 something serious, pathetic, with a note of pitv and love, 
 was surely not out of place ? 
 
 The effect on its publication was tremendous. The poem 
 went through the land like wild-fire. Xearlv every paper 
 quoted it, headed by the " Times ; " it was the talk of the 
 hour, the talk of the countr}'. It went straight to John 
 Bull's kind, bourgeois, sympathetic heart, just as Carlyle de- 
 clared that Ruskin's truths had "pierced like arrows " into his. 
 The authorship, too, was ^^gorously canvassed with intense 
 interest. Dickens, with that keen insight and critical faculty 
 which had enabled him almost alone among literarv experts 
 to detect the sex of George Eliot, then an unknown writer 
 (though doubtless he was helped in the case I now speak of by 
 Hood's letter to him just quoted), was one of the few who at 
 once named the writer of the verses. And it was well for 
 Hood that he had proof positive of the authorship, for one of 
 the most curious things connected with the poem was the 
 number of persons who had the incomprehensible audacity to 
 claim it. One young gentleman was mentioned by name, 
 either by his friends or himself, and I find a letter in a volume 
 of newspaper cuttings to this effect : " I have just read, to my
 
 " The So.vg of the ShirtT 333 
 
 great surprise, the announcement in your paper that Mr. Hood 
 wrote ' The Song of the Shirt/ because / hioie positively that 
 what I before stated to you is the fact." So hard pressed, 
 indeed, was Hood, that he wrote a pri\ate letter in Februan,', 
 1845, in the following terms : — 
 
 '' As I have publicly acknowledged the authorship of the ' Song 
 of the Shirt,' I can have no objection to satisfy you privately on 
 the subject. M}- old friends Bradbur}- and Evans, the proprietors 
 of Punchy could show you the document conclusive on the subject. 
 But I trust my authority will be sufficient, especially as it comes 
 from a man on his death-bed^ 
 
 Had these literary ^•ultures had their way. Hood would have 
 been brazened out of his verses altogether. 
 
 Punch shared handsomely in the glory of the poet, and its 
 circulation tripled on the strength of it. And ]Mrs. Hood, 
 poor soul, triumphed in her prophecy ; for had she not said, 
 and maintained in spite of each successive rejection from 
 foolish editors — " Xow mind. Hood, mark my words : this 
 will tell wonderfully I It is one of the best things vou ever 
 did!" 
 
 And so this song, which, in spite of its defects, still thrills 
 you as you read, achieved such a popularity that for sudden and 
 enthusiastic applause its reception has rarely been equalled. It 
 was soon translated into eveiy language of Europe — (Hood used 
 to laugh as he wondered how the^- would render " Seam and 
 gusset and band," into Dutch ) ; it was printed and sold as catch- 
 pennies, printed on cotton pocket-handkerchiefs, it was illus- 
 trated and parodied in a thousand ways ; and the greatest 
 triumph of all, which brought tears of joy to Hood's eyes, 
 before a week was out a poor beggar-woman came singing it 
 down the street, the words set to a simple air of her own. The 
 greatest delight of Hood — " the darling of the English heart," 
 as he was called, who was literally dying when he wrote the 
 song, and so fulfilled the sole condition which Jerrold said was 
 all that was needed to make him famous — was the conviction 
 that the interest which the nation was taking in his lines 
 would turn to the real advantage of those in whose cause he 
 pleaded. He felt that he had touched not only the nation's
 
 34 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 heart but the nation's conscience, and he deeply appreciated 
 Kenny Meadows' and Leech's efforts in the same direction, 
 such as are to be seen in the cartoons of " Pin Money, Needle 
 Money," and many more besides. 
 
 Speaking of the *' Song of the Shirt," which brought letters 
 to Punch from every part of the globe, Mr. Ruskin declares it 
 the most impressive example of the most perfect manifestation 
 of the temper of the caricaturist, the highest development of 
 which is to be found in Hood's poetry ; and he compares it to 
 Leech's " General Fe\Tier turned Traitor." There certainly can 
 be no doubt that its force is amazingly assisted by its plainness 
 and simplicity of language. 
 
 It is a curious fact that one verse of the poeni was not 
 printed by Mark Lemon, although it appeared in the original 
 manuscript ; nor is it included in the reprinted " Works." I 
 imagine that its omission was simply a matter of make-up, as 
 it would be hard to compress the poem into the space allotted 
 to it, without using a much smaller type than was usual in 
 Punch ; and an odd number of verses is a serious matter for 
 a sub-editor to wrestle with when he has to arrange a poem 
 into double columns of a given depth. The missing verse, 
 which, to do Mark Lemon justice, is the one most easily 
 spared, nms as follows : — 
 
 " Seam, and gusset, and band, 
 Band, and gusset, and seam, 
 Work, work, work, 
 Like an Engine that works by Steam ! 
 A mere machine of iron and wood, 
 That toils for Mammon's sake, 
 Without a brain to ponder and craze, 
 Or a heart to feel — and break ! " 
 
 In the same number that contained the " Song of the Shirt " 
 was another impressive poem by Hood, " The Pauper's Christ- 
 mas Carol," in seven stanzas ; but it was entirely overshadowed 
 and eclipsed by its fellow-song, so that it lay, as it has done 
 for the most part since, almost unknown, unhonoured, and 
 unsung. Yet it was as ringing and true as any of Jerrold's
 
 Hood's Humour. 335 
 
 most stirring efforts in his championship of the poor. But 
 the two friends were essentially different in their treatment 
 and methods. Hood's satire was never personal, as Jerrold's 
 was ; and, unlike Jerrold, Hood would never tolerate the 
 idea, much less practise it, of placing "■ a wide moral gulf 
 between Rich and Poor, with Hate on one side and Fear 
 on the other." He sought to help the poor by awakening 
 the love and sympathy of Society, and for that reason he 
 selected his epitaph in reference to his poem, for he would 
 never have chosen this as technically his finest work. He 
 was altogether out of harmony with Jerrold's policy of 
 stinging the rich into charity and justice by biting satire 
 and illogical sarcasm, warm-hearted and well-meant though it 
 was. 
 
 At this time Hood was fast approaching his end ; and he 
 wrote for Punch on his death-bed. Though still young, he 
 was becoming more and more afflicted with physical ail- 
 ments. Amongst other troubles, he was getting stone deaf, 
 he said ; but consoled himself with the reflection that his 
 friend Charles Landseer was two stone deafer. And all the 
 while his rollicking fun, and quaintly sudden turn of word 
 and idea were transporting his readers, as he somewhere 
 says, "from Dull-age to Grin-age." His humour was effer- 
 vescent, continuous, and effortless — not like Jerrold's wit, 
 intermittent flashes called up at need — but overflowing in a 
 rich stream of joke, pun, hit, crank, and quip, covering a field 
 far wider than Jerrold's, and more genial. 
 
 The next contribution was his poem ''The Drama," apropos 
 of the State trials in Ireland, and the Fair ]Maid of Perth, 
 with allusion to the Fighting Smith in either case — a poem 
 of 108 lines. Then followed " Reflections on New Year's 
 Day" (January 6th, 1844), from which a couple of specimen 
 verses may well be quoted :— 
 
 " Yes, yes, it's ver}' true and ver}- clear I 
 
 By way of compliment and common chat, 
 It's very well to wish me a New Year ; 
 But wish me a New Hat.
 
 336 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 " Oh, yes, 'tis very pleasant, though I'm poor. 
 To hear the steeple make that merry din ; 
 Except I wish one bell were at the door 
 To ring new trowsers in." 
 
 After a cokimn on "The Awftil State of Ireland" Hood 
 was, on the 3rd of March, 1844, editorially reckoned on the 
 Staff. But the decree of Fate was against him, and he only 
 contributed two more pieces altogether. Punch, as he 
 acknowledged, was the one bright meteor that had flashed 
 across his mi4k-and-waterv way in his latter years, and rave 
 him, together with Sir Robert Peel's tactful and charming 
 bestowal of a pension, his last delight. But already death, 
 he said, had thrown open wide its door to him, and he was 
 "so near to it that he could almost hear the hins:es creak." 
 And when he died, there were engraved upon his tombstone, 
 at his own desire, the simple words, " He Sang the Song of 
 the Shirt." 
 
 The first arrival of 1844 was Dr. Edward A'aughan Kenealy, 
 who, many years after, acted for and defended the historic 
 "Claimant," the self-confessed OtX.o\^, alias Castro, alias "Sir 
 Roger Tichborne," with so much violent ability, lost his 
 balance and came to utter grief. In his )'0uth one of his 
 scholarly relaxations was to translate English verse of yarious 
 sorts into various languages — Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindus- 
 tani, and the like, for he was a remarkable linguist. His unique 
 Punch contribution was the rendering of " The King of the 
 Cannibal Islands" into Greek, and yery good Greek too. The 
 jeu d' esprit is to be found on p. 79, ^'olume VL, as well as in his 
 volume of verse dedicated to Lord Chief Justice Cockburn, 
 whom he was destined afterwards to waste his life in vilify- 
 ing, while shattering his own career in his savage and in- 
 effective assaults. • 
 
 In the following month T. J. Serle struck up an ephemeral 
 connection. He had been ]\Iacready's secretary, and acting 
 manager of Drury Lane, and had written "The Shadow on 
 the Wall," and other successful plays ; and JeiTold's eldest 
 son was named Thomas Serle, after him. His first paper was
 
 Ferguson, Lever, Lam an Blanchard. 337 
 
 " A Fine Lady," on the loth of ]\Iarch ; but after one further 
 contribution, two months later, he appeared no more. About 
 the same time there was printed " The Magnitia," by Frank 
 Moir (May 3rd, Xo. 199). 
 
 J. W. Ferguson was a far more important and more useful 
 contributor, whose work was full of talent, whose versifica- 
 tion was clever and pointed, and whose topical " Punch's 
 Fairy Tales " (with obtrusively obvious morals) are models 
 of their kind. His " Little Frenchman's First Lesson " 
 (May 1 8th, 1844) purports to be a translation of a French 
 poem with which patriots are supposed to implant hatred 
 of England in the minds and hearts of their children — the 
 refi^ain being '' Car ce sont la des perfides Albionnais ! " — and 
 the "Second Lesson," which replies to a French attack, were 
 important efforts. His "La3'S of the Amphitheatre ( Royal j, 
 by T. B. ^NLacaulay, " " Cymon and Iphigeneia," and similar 
 contributions justified his inclusion in the Staff (April, 1845) ; 
 but after the autumn of 1846, by which time he was repre- 
 sented by a score of columns, he disappeared from Pmirh's 
 scene. 
 
 A letter from Charles Lever (6th June, 1844), under the 
 title of "A Famihar Epistle," and over the signature " Archy 
 Delany," for a moment brought that distinguished novelist 
 into contact with Thackeray — a circumstance that was not 
 forgotten by either writer, when the latter paid his rather 
 stiff Dublin visit some time afterwards to the " Harry 
 Rolhcker " whom he so brilliantly parodied in his "Prize 
 Novelists." Then Mr. \V. P. Bull, of Xuneaton, sent in 
 half a column of mock-heroic verse — "A Soliloquy" — which 
 purported to be the commencement of a scene from an 
 unpublished drama entitled "The Chemist," a contribution of 
 which Lemon thought very highly. Xo further items, how- 
 ever, came from that quarter. 
 
 Three recruits appeared with the month of October. A 
 writer named Jackson forwarded a couple of pieces ( " Irish 
 Intelligence" and "The Polka Pest"— the latter well de- 
 scribing the craze with which the new dance inoculated tlie 
 whole country) ; and then Laman Blanchard, Jerrold's life-long^ 
 w
 
 338 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 friend and fellow-worker from the beginning, made a debut 
 that was almost coincident with his death. His " Royal 
 Civic Function " showed what a hand had been lost to 
 Punch ; but it was his delightful " New Year's Ode : To the 
 Winner of the St. Xisbett — Season, 1844," that was the best 
 of his rare contributions. It was at once an elegy of INIrs. 
 Nisbett, and a prayer and prophecy that she might again 
 be seen on the boards. The last verse runs : — 
 
 " Who weds a mere beauty, dooms dozens to grieve ; 
 
 Who marries an heiress, leaves hundreds undone ; 
 Who bears off an actress (she never took leave), 
 
 Deprives a whole city of rational fun. 
 But farewell the glances and nods of St. Nisbett ; 
 
 We list for her short ringing laughter in vain, 
 And yet — bereaved London ! — What think 3'ou of this bet? 
 
 A hundred to one we shall see her again I " 
 
 The prophecy was only partly fulfilled ; Mrs. Xisbett was 
 certainly seen again upon the stage, but Blanchard was not 
 there to enjoy the sight. He died within the same . year, 
 to the passionate gi'ief of Douglas JeiTold. 
 
 The last and most important acces- 
 sion of the year was Tom Taylor, for 
 six-and-thirtv years a Staff officer of 
 Punch, and for the last six of them 
 commander-in-chief. He was twenty- 
 seven years old when he sent in his 
 first ' two contributions — ^^ Punch to 
 Messieurs les Redacteurs of the French 
 Press" and "Startling and most Im- 
 portant Intelligence" (October 19th, 
 1844). According to John Timbs, 
 " Landells in one of his artistic visits 
 to Cambridge met with Mr. T. Taylor, 
 who, having completed his University studies, came to 
 London to embark in the profession of letters, his first con- 
 tribution being to Douglas Jerrold's ' Illuminated Magazine,' " 
 just at the time when Landells ceased his connection. Bristed, 
 
 TOM TAYLOR. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 Bassano.)
 
 Tom Ta ylor's Work. 
 
 339 
 
 in his record of English University hfe, foretold ot " Triuns," 
 generally accepted as a literary portrait of Taylor, " perhaps 
 he will be a nominal barrister and an actual writer for Punch 
 and the magazines. Perhaps he will go quite mad and write 
 a tragedy:" a capital example of a prophecy after the event, 
 so far as it goes — for "Five Years" was published in 1851. 
 
 Tom Taylor prided 
 himself on the classic 
 verve of his prose and 
 verse, and undoul^t- 
 edly assisted in main- 
 taining Punch's liter- 
 ary standard. His 
 work for the paper 
 went on increasing — 
 from six columns in 
 Vol. VII., to forty-two 
 in Vol. XIII. — and 
 soon won him his seat 
 at the Table. For a 
 long while, however, 
 he did not shine as a 
 cartoon-suggestor, the first being " Peel's Farewell " (July 14th, 
 1849), and the second in the following May, the extremely 
 happy burlesque on the picture in the National Gallery — 
 " Leeds ]\Iercury instructing Young England." As time went on 
 and he became known as a writer of taste and versatility, as 
 a dramatist and adaptor of pla}s, i:^'rench and English; art 
 critic of the " Times ; " artist biographer ; and Civil Servant 
 (he attained to the secretaryship of the Local Government 
 Board), the weight of his increasing responsibility and influence 
 seemed to get into what should have been his humorous work. 
 To counteract it, Thackeray, up to the time of his resignation, 
 struggled to maintain the spirit of jollity and the lightness of 
 touch which had formerh' been Punch's true note. But in 
 1874, when Shirley Brooks died, Tom Taylor, who had been 
 identified with the paper ten 3^ears before Brooks had joined it, 
 was promoted, as by right of service, to the supreme command, 
 w 2 
 
 JOHN LEECH, TOM TAYLOR, AND PART OF HORACE 
 MAYHEW. 
 
 (Drawn by R. Doyle.')
 
 340 The History of "-Punch" 
 
 It cannot be said that his editorship was a success. His 
 fun was too scholarly and well-ordered, too veiled, deliberate, 
 and ponderous ; and under him Punch touched its lowest 
 point of popularity. 
 
 " In humour slow, though sharp and keen his mind ; 
 His hand was heavy, though his heart was kind." 
 
 His popularity among the outsiders was great, as I have 
 learnt from man}^ of his old contributors ; for he loved to 
 extend his hospitality to young men at his house, Lavender 
 Sweep, at Wandsworth, and to send kindh' notes of encour- 
 agement and promises of future help. Nevertheless, he was 
 ever the butt of rival publications. In one of them a car- 
 toon, entitled *' An Editor Abroad," was published, showing 
 Mr. Burnand and Mr. du Maurier helping him and his Punch 
 Show out of the mud in which he had stuck ; in another 
 he was represented as " The Trumpet Blower ; " while in an 
 article in "The Mask" (April, i86S), before he had assumed 
 his sway, Mr. Punch is supposed to point to " Mark Lemon's 
 Triumphal Car" and, referring to Taylor, to say: "He is 
 our seraph. . . . His adaptations, I assure you, are delight- 
 ful. You must be well up in Michel Lev3''s repertoire to find 
 him out. He is so very artful." 
 
 A peculiar feature of Tom Taylor's editorship was the 
 hieroglyphical character of his handwriting. His missives 
 of instructions to artists and writers came as a terror to the 
 receivers, who could make little ofthem. " ]\Ir. Tom Taylor's 
 letters," Mr. Swain informs me, " were often very difficult 
 to decipher. His writing was peculiar, and he would also 
 continue the letter if necessary in an}^ odd corner that was 
 vacant. I remember his writing some instructions to an artist 
 one day in this fashion, while I stood at his table, and, while 
 blotting it, saying, ' You can send it off, but I don't think 
 he'll be able to make it out.' " To this experience may be 
 added my own — that I have been the first to decipher one 
 of these notes addressed to an unattached artist, now under- 
 stood for the first time, nearly twenty years after it was 
 written. To the compositors he was a perpetual tribulation ;
 
 Taylor's Epitaph in ''Punch." 341 
 
 and it is doubtful if he could not have given points to Horace 
 Greeley. That his son helped him, towards the end, in a 
 secretarial sort of wa}', was no doubt a saving mere}'. 
 
 His was one of the busiest literary and journalistic careers 
 of the day ; and when he died he left a void — great, it is 
 true, yet in one respect easily enough filled. But it was 
 little to his friends that his humour was not of the brightest 
 and lightest, for his heart was of the warmest, as Mr. George 
 Meredith set forth in the October number of the " Cornhill 
 Magazine," to which he contributed a noble tribute — " To 
 a Friend Recently Lost, T. T." — a sonnet beginning : — 
 
 ''When 1 remember, Friend, whom lost I call 
 Because a man beloved is taken hence. 
 The tender humour and the fire of sense 
 In your good eyes : how full of heart for all ; 
 And chiefly for the weaker by the wall, 
 You bore that light of sane benevolence : " 
 
 ^o' 
 
 The Punch men, themselves, in a whole-page obituary (July 
 24th, 1880J, bore graceful testimony to his personal worth. 
 "That he is not with us," they said, "is hard to imagine. 
 ... A cultivated man of letters, an admirable scholar, he 
 was as free from pedantry as he was incapable of idleness. 
 From first to last he was, in the highest and best sense, 
 * Thorough,' . . . Quick to detect and appreciate talent, he 
 was ready in every way and on all occasions to hold out a 
 helping hand to a beginner." Thus feelingly they spoke of 
 "the dear friend" they had lost. For in his death the}' 
 forgot the little annoyances they had suffered ft'om the tam- 
 pering with their lines and spoiling their points, of which 
 they had sometimes had occasion to complain ; with other 
 drawbacks belonging to an essentially fidgety nature. It 
 may safeh^ be said, that if he left a hard task to his 
 successor to work up the reputation of Punch as a comic 
 paper, he did not at least render it difficult for liim to 
 make his mark by comparison. 
 
 No new humorist appeared in the volumes for 1845. 
 although a poet of eminence found expression on a single
 
 342 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 occasion. To one Kell}' is to be credited some humorous 
 verses on " Dunsinane ; " to J. Rigby, an Irish Song ; to Leech, 
 his Harlequinade verses (which do not aspire even to the 
 dignitv of a " trifle " or doggerel) ; to Watts Phillips, a few 
 articles of little importance ; and to J. King, the verses in 
 M^hich an ''Exiled Londoner" (p. 147, Vol. IX.) apostrophises 
 his beloved Babylon. The one contribution of importance 
 was that of Mr. Coventry Patmore. 
 
 This was written in hot indignation of generous youth 
 (he was but twenty-two years old) at the French atrocity in 
 Algiers, when, during the campaign, General Pelissier filled 
 with straw the mouth of the caves of Dahra, wherein the 
 opposing Arabs, with their women and children, had taken 
 refuge, and set fire to the mass. This foul act of the 
 future Duke of Malakoff caused a thrill of horror to pass 
 through Europe, and the gentle author of "The Angel in 
 the House " was moved by the scandal to the composition 
 of his eight-stanza poem, of which Douglas Jerrold procured 
 the insertion on the i6th of August (p. j^, Vol. IX.): — 
 
 " Rush the sparks in rapid fountains 
 
 Up abroad into the sky ! 
 From the bases of the mountains 
 
 Leap the fork'd flames mountain-high ! 
 The flames, like devils thirsting, 
 
 Lick the wind, where crackling spars 
 Wage hellish warfare, worsting 
 
 All the still, astonished stars ! 
 Ply the furnace, fling the faggots ! 
 
 Lo, the flames writhe, rush, and tear 
 And a thousand writhe like maggots 
 
 In among them — Vive la guerre f^ 
 
 The poem follows the details of the massacre, sickening but 
 for the power the lines display. It continues : 
 
 " And now, to crown our glor}-, 
 Get we trophies, to display 
 As vouchers for our story. 
 And mementoes of this da)' !
 
 Mr. Coventry Patmore. — ''Jacob Omnium." 343 
 
 Once more, then, to the grottoes ! 
 
 Gather each one all he can — 
 Blister'd blade with Arab mottoes, 
 
 Spear-head, blood}' 3'ataghan. 
 Give room now to the raven 
 
 And the dog, who scent rich fare ; 
 And let these words be graven 
 
 On the rock-side — P^i'vc la giicrre f^^ 
 
 It was Mr. Patmore's sole contribution, his Muse never again 
 being startled into any other poetical demonstration of the 
 sort in Punch's pages. The following year he became assistant- 
 librarian at the British Museum. 
 
 " Jacob Omnium's " first appearance, curiously enough, 
 was with a short article which, in the reprinted works of 
 Thackeray, has been ascribed to the novelist. This was 
 "A Plea for Plush" (July 20th, 1846), appropriately signed 
 " ^c\o(f)XvvKr]<;" dealing, it is true, with Jeames's nether gar- 
 ments on a hot day, but still with no internal evidence of 
 st3'le to warrant its ascription to the " Fat Contributor." 
 Henceforward his other few papers were entered to him in 
 his own name of Matthew J. Higgins. He was a great 
 friend of the Punch Staff, particularly of Thackeray and 
 Leech. Of him the former had written in the " Ballad of 
 Policeman X" — 
 
 " His name is Jacob Homnium, Exquire ; 
 And if y'd committed crimes, 
 Good Lord ! I wouldn't ave that mann 
 Attack me in the Times! ■" 
 
 while Leech took his part against Lord John Russell on 
 the occasion of Higgins's " Stor)^ of the Mhow Court Mar- 
 tial." He was shown as a tall, self-possessed gentleman, 
 saying to the little fellow, who is sparring up to him — " Pooh, 
 go and hit one of your own size." Higgins's height, indeed, 
 was gi^eater than that of either Thackeray or his friend Dean 
 Hole — six feet eight ; and when the three friends walked 
 abroad, the sensation among the passers-by was consider- 
 able. On Thackeray and Dean Hole measuring heights once 
 in the house of a common friend, it was found that the}' were
 
 344 The History of "Punch." 
 
 practically equal. "Ah, yes," exclaimed the Dean;' ''the 
 cases are about the same, but one contains a poor dancing- 
 master's fiddle, and the other a Stradivarius." 
 
 Punch's sensation of the year was the fierce revenge 
 taken bv Tennyson in its pages on Buhver Lytton. Buhver, 
 as is explained elsewhere, had been set up by Punch as one 
 of its pet butts from the very beginning ; and when Tenny- 
 son's sledge-hammer onslaught was brought to them, so it is 
 said, by a distinguished man of letters — a particular friend of 
 both parties — they rejoiced exceedingly. Tennyson's broad- 
 side had not been unprovoked. Years before, in 1830, he 
 had published, through Effingham Wilson, " Poems, chiefly 
 Lyrical," which contained the poem "To a Darling Room," 
 afterwards suppressed. Seizing on this, Lytton had re-echoed 
 in his " New Timon : A Romance of London," the strictures 
 which Christopher North has so severely, though good-naturedly, 
 passed upon it in " Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine " for 
 May, 1832, and furthermore taunted the Laureate with the 
 pension of ^200 which had just been conferred upon him. 
 The attack was just the sort to extort a violent reply. 
 
 "Not mine, not mine (O, muse forbid I) the boon 
 Of borrowed notes, the mock-bird's modish tune, 
 The jingling medley of purloined conceits 
 Out-babying Wordsworth, and out-glittering Keats, 
 Where all the airs of patchwork pastoral chime 
 
 To drown the ears in Tennj-sonian rhvme. 
 
 * * * 
 
 " Let school-miss Alfred vent her chaste delight 
 On darling rooms, so warm and bright ; * 
 Chant ' I am weary ' in infectious strain, 
 And ' catch the blue-fly singing on the pane ; ' 
 Though praised bv critics and adored by Blues, 
 Though Peel with pudding plumb the puling muse ; 
 Though Theban taste the Saxon purse controls. 
 And pensions Tennyson while starves a Knowles." 
 
 * The author here quotes in a footnote a few lines from the poem, beginning 
 
 " O, darling room, my heart's delight " 
 
 and then observes: "The whole of this Poem (!!!) is worth reading, in 
 order to see to what depths of silliness the human intellect can descend."
 
 Tennyson's Retaliation on Lytton. 345 
 
 PuncJi (p. 64, Vol. X.) had rushed in to the rescue 
 with the clever retort : — 
 
 " The New Timon " and Alfred Tennyson^ s Pension. 
 
 " You've seen a lordly mastiff's port, 
 Bearing in calm, contemptuous sort 
 The snarls of some o'erpetted pup 
 Who grudges him his ' bit and sup : ' 
 So stands the bard of Locksley Hall, 
 While puny darts around him fall, 
 Tipp'd with what Timon takes for venom ; 
 He is the mastiff, Ttm the Blenheim." 
 
 But Tennyson's was not by an}- means " the lordly mastiff's 
 port." He was stung by the contemptuous reference to the 
 pension, and proved the truth of Johnson's aphorism — 
 
 , "Of all the griefs that harass the distrest. 
 
 Sure the most bitter is the scornful jest " 
 
 and he straightway wrote the ten verses that appeared 
 under the title of " The New Timon, and the Poets " (p. 103, 
 Vol. X.), signing them " Alcibiades " : — • 
 
 " We know him, out of Shakespeare's art, 
 And those fine curses which he spoke ; 
 
 The old Timon, with his noble heart. 
 That, strongly loathing, greatly broke. 
 
 So died the Old : here comes the New. 
 Regard him : a familiar face : 
 
 I thought we knew him : What, it's you. 
 
 The padded man that wears the stays — 
 
 * * # 
 
 " What profits now to imderstand 
 The merits of a spotless shirt — 
 A dapper boot — a little hand — 
 
 If half the little soul is dirt ? 
 
 * * * 
 
 " A Timon, you ! Nay,- nay, for shame : 
 It looks too arrogant a jest — 
 The fierce old man — to take his name. 
 You bandbox. Off, and let him rest." 
 
 This crushing rejoinder was cordially welcomed by Thackeray
 
 346 The History of "Punch." 
 
 and the rest of the Staff, who loved to castigate the fopperies 
 of the conceited poetaster, and Lytton, it is said, was not a 
 httle astonished at the virihty of " school-miss Alfred." But 
 Tennyson's anger soon cooled ; perhaps his conscience smote 
 him ; for the very next week he toned down the savagery 
 of his first verses in an " Afterthought," in which he said : 
 
 " And / too talk, and lose the touch 
 I talk of. Surely, after all, 
 The noblest answer unto such 
 
 Is kindly silence when they brawl." 
 
 The first set of verses are not to be found in the poet's 
 collected poems ; but the second are included, only " kindly 
 silence " is replaced by " perfect stillness." After that Tenny- 
 son broke, silence no more ; and Lytton subsequently made 
 what was put forward as an amende honorable, in a speech 
 at Hertford (October, 1862), when he said that "we must 
 comfort ourselves with the thought so exquisitely expressed 
 by our Poet Laureate," and so forth. The quarrel between 
 Punch and Lytton faded, first into a truce, and then into 
 friendship; and in 185 1 we find several of the Staff playing 
 "Not so Bad as we Seem" — written specially for them — 
 at Devonshire House, before the Queen and the Prince Con- 
 sort. It may not inappropriately be mentioned that when 
 Woolner's bust of Tennyson was presented to Trinity College 
 and the authorities excluded it from the chapel and library 
 on the ground that there was no precedent for paying so 
 much honour to a living person, Punch, by the hand of 
 Shirley Brooks, published one of the finest parodies extant 
 of the Laureate's style, beginning with the line — 
 
 " I am not dead ; of that I do repent." 
 
 In January, 1847, Horace Smith, the brother of James — 
 they of the " Rejected Addresses " — contributed a column 
 " Christmas Commercial Report ; " and John Macgregor — 
 "Rob Roy" — began his acknowledged series of papers and 
 sketches with "Costumes for the Commons" and "Meet- 
 ing of the Streets," the pecuniary results of which he devoted
 
 Mr. Henry Silver. 
 
 347 
 
 HENRY SILVER. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 Elliott and Fry.) 
 
 to police-court poor-boxes. He was hardly more than a 
 lad at the time ; but he was already a strong writer, and 
 his references to the French Revolution have the intrinsic 
 merit that the}' were written by one who was in Paris at 
 the time when the "Citizen King" took flight to England. 
 
 Mr. Henrv Silver, ex-Pimc/i Staft' 
 officer, first appeared anonymousl}' in 
 Punch in Febniar}-, 1848, with an 
 obituar}' notice, sent from Norwich, 
 where he was articled to Sir William 
 Foster, Bart., solicitor. It was called 
 ''The Death of Mr. Wimbush's Ele- 
 phant" — the Jumbo of the period, 
 which had died at the age of eighty- 
 four. He was then only twenty years 
 of age, and, encouraged by this success, 
 he began contributing trifles to " The 
 Month." This publication was edited by 
 Albeit Smith in 1851 ; but although it 
 
 was illustrated by Leech, and was one of the most genuinely 
 humorous works of its kind, it ran for onh' six months. 
 When "The Month" came to a sudden stop, the articles 
 remaining unpublished were turned over to Mark Lemon to 
 see what use he could make of them. Some were by Mr. 
 Silver, who was forthwith summoned fi-om his anonymity 
 by a line in Punch : " ' Naughty Boy ' has not sent his 
 address." Mark Lemon was not kept waiting for the 
 answer, and after paying him for several of his previous 
 contributions (an attention highly appreciated) he at once 
 installed the young man as a writer at the rate of one 
 guinea per column. This, in due course, was raised to 
 thirty shillings, and at that remained until 1831, when he 
 received a weekly stipend of six guineas, which the Editor 
 declared to be the maximum then payable to a Punch 
 writer. Some years previous to this, and soon after the 
 death of Douglas Jerrold, ^Slr. Silver had been summoned to 
 occupy the place at the Table left vacant by the great 
 satirist. " Mv chief work," he writes in answer to my inquiry,
 
 348 The History of "Punch" 
 
 "was in the decade ending with the 'Sixties, though it by 
 no means ceased then. I often filled four or five columns 
 a week, and contributed ' Punch's History of Costume 
 (illustrated by Tenniel), "'Our Dramatic Con-espondent,' 
 ' Our Dramatic Spectator,' with a great amount of prose and 
 verse, and sundry pages of the ' Essence of Parliament ' when 
 Shirley Brooks was away." 
 
 Perhaps Mr. Silver's greatest service to Punch, as else- 
 where explained, was his introduction of Charles Keene, with 
 whom he was very intimate for more than forty years. His 
 friendship with Leech, a fellow-Carthusian, though of course 
 greatly his senior, is another interesting passage of his life, 
 testified to by the many hunting sketches which, with a score 
 or more of Keene's, decorated the billiard room of the fine old 
 house in Kensington where Leech had died, and which Mr, 
 Silver subsequently occupied until it was pulled down in 1893. 
 At Leech's death ]Mr. Silver was invited b}' ]\Iark Lemon 
 to apply to the Governors of Charterhouse for the gift of 
 an admission into "Gown-boys" for the son of the great 
 draughtsman who had been so good a friend. After many 
 fruitless efforts he was at length successful, and received the 
 welcome present from the hands of Lord John Russell — as is 
 set forth elsewhere. On the death of Lemon, Mr. Silver 
 severed his regular connection with Punch. 
 
 The advent of the brilliant journalist Mr. Sutherland 
 Edwards was the other event of 1848. " I was engaged on 
 Punch," he says, " at the recommendation of Gilbert a Beckett, 
 who had thought well of satirical verses and poems con- 
 tributed by me to a paper called VPasquin.' Douglas Jerrold, 
 however, had been attacked rather severely in ' Pasquin ; ' 
 not by me, but by James Hannay. Hannay and myself wrote 
 the whole of ' Pasquin ' up to the time of my quitting that 
 publication in order to write for Punch ; and we considered 
 ourselves jointh* responsible for what appeared in its columns. 
 Jerrold was away in the Channel Islands at the time of my 
 being engaged on Punch ; and on his return to London he 
 showed himself annoyed (not unnaturally, perhaps) at the 
 Editor, Mark Lemon, having engaged me. 'Two youths,' he
 
 Charles Dickens Sends a Contribution- 
 
 349 
 
 was reported to have said, ' throw mud at me, and because 
 one of them hits me in the eye 3'ou clasp him to }-our 
 bosom.' Mark Lemon now asked me to give up writ- 
 ing for Punchy but to contribute as much as I hked to a 
 magazine he was about to start with the assistance of the 
 contributors to Punch. It was to have been called 'The 
 Gallanty Show ; ' but it ne^•er came out. After I had 
 contributed to Punch for some weeks, I wrote a few articles 
 for one of ' Punch's Pocket-Books ; ' then finding I was 
 not wanted, I ceased to send in contributions, and my en- 
 gagement came to an end. ... I resumed my connection 
 with Punch when Mr. Burnand became Editor (thirt^'-two 
 years afterwards), and still write for it from time to time, 
 but only as an occasional contributor." In this year Richard 
 Doyle made a slight literary appearance in the paper, with 
 an article on '' High Art and the Royal Academ}-." 
 
 Charles Dickens is supposed to have contributed to Punch 
 in the following year (1849) an article entitled "Dreadful 
 Hardships Endured by the Shipwrecked Crew of the London, 
 Chiefly for Want of Water" — a criticism on the scandalous 
 condition of the suburban water supply. Mr. F. G. Kitton 
 has examined the original manuscript preserved by Mrs, 
 Mark Lemon in her autogi-aph album. Mr. Hatton found it 
 among Lemon's papers, bearing on the outside, in the Editor's 
 handwriting, the inscription, '' Dickens' onh' contribution to 
 Punch/" But the alleged contribution is absolutely undis- 
 coverable in the pages of the paper. The explanation is, in 
 Mr. Kitton's words, that '' about the time the manuscript was 
 written, several pictorial allusions to foul water in suburban 
 London appeared in Punch, which bear directly upon the sub- 
 ject of Dickens's protest, and it is surmised that the Editor, 
 on the receipt of Dickens's contribution, considered that gi'eater 
 prominence would be given to the matter to which they 
 referred by means of a cartoon than by a fe^^' lines of text. 
 Hence we find the rebuke enforced by the pencil of the 
 artist, instead of the mere literary lashing which Dickens 
 intended to inflict upon that particular public grievance." 
 It may safel}^ be suggested that this was the onl}- occasion
 

 
 -And is Rejected. 351 
 
 on which, after his reputation was made, Dickens was ever 
 "dechned with thanks." This MS., it may be added, was 
 sokl at Sotheby's on the 9th of July, 1889, and was knocked 
 down for ^16. 
 
 The curious fact remains that Dickens, who was the inti- 
 mate friend of Piincli s Editor for the best part of their working 
 hves, whose publishers were Pitnch's proprietors as well as 
 the publishers and part proprietors of the "Daily Xews," which 
 Dickens edited, never contributed to PinicJi, nor was in any 
 wa}' identified with it, save, indeed, with its Dinner-Table. At 
 that function he was at one time a frequent visitor, and also 
 was he present when at the Prince of Wales's wedding a 
 brilliant company assembled at the publishing office to see the 
 cortege go by. It was on that occasion that Sothern, one of the 
 invited guests, arrived on the other side of the way, but, owing 
 to the denseness of the crowd, was utterly unable to force 
 his way across. His friends caught sight of him, and pointed 
 to a policeman. Sothern took the hint. " Get me through," 
 he whispered, " and Til give you a sovereign." "Afraid I can't," 
 said the man regretfully, " but I'll try." A prodigious effort was 
 made, but unsuccessfully, loud protests going up from the 
 packed crowd. Sothern was at his wits' end ; he could not 
 bear the thought of losing such a dinner in such a company, 
 but his invention did not fail him. " Look here," he said to 
 the constable ; " put your handcuffs on me, drag me through 
 and land me at that door, and I'll give you /a-o pounds." The 
 man seized the idea and Sothern together ; he slipped on the 
 handcuffs, and with a loud " Make way, there ! " dragged his 
 prize through a mass of humanity that was only too happy to 
 assist the law as for as might be ; and after a few moments of 
 crushing, pushing, and general rough handling, the dishevelled 
 comedian was successfully landed at Punch's publishing door. 
 "You'll find the money in my waistcoat pocket," said Sothern. 
 But he did not observe that, after the policeman had secured 
 it, a stealthy addition was made to the money in the con- 
 stabular palm by one of his Punch friends ; and only when 
 the man disappeared in the crowd did Sothern realise that a 
 timelv bribe had left him to mix with his friends for the rest
 
 352 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 of the day and to eat his dinner with hands firmly secured in 
 his manacles ! 
 
 It is said that Dickens held aloof from Punch on account 
 of Thackeray's success in it. If so, the jealousy must have been 
 all on Dickens' side ; for Thackeray's well-known exclamation, 
 when he hurried into the Punch office and slapped down before 
 Lemon the latest number of "Dombey and Son" containing 
 Paul Dombev's death, "It's stupendous ! unsuipassed ! There's 
 no writing against such power as this ! " was that of a 
 generous and magnanimous man. Bryan Proctor (" Barry 
 Cornwall " ), Avriting to E. Fitzgerald in 1870, said, " I saw a good 
 deal of Thackeray until his death. ... I did not observe 
 much jealousy in Thackera}" towards Dickens, nor vice versa. 
 The)' travelled prett)' comfortabh' on their dust}' road together. 
 Each had a quantity of good-nature, and each could afford 
 to be liberal to the other." The probable explanation is that 
 Dickens simply did not care to interrupt his triumphant career 
 of novelist in order to write occasional articles in a paper in 
 which anonymity was the rule and rejection so painfully possible. 
 
 Once, however, by the hand of Leech, Dickens made an 
 appearance in Punch, and, curiously enough, only once. This 
 was in the drawing of the awful appearance of a " wopps " at 
 a picnic (p. 76, Vol. XVII.), where the novelist appears as the 
 handsome, but not very striking-, youth attendant on the young 
 lady who is overcome at the distressing situation. It must 
 be admitted that the portrait is hardly recognisable. 
 
 But a serious quarrel broke out between Dickens and the 
 Pxinch men, publishers and Editor alike — a quarrel wholly on 
 Dickens's side. So gi^eat had been his intimacy and his influence 
 that he could cause the insertion of a cartoon and even bring 
 about the alteration of the Dinner dav. But now, on the 
 unhappy differences between himself and his wife, trouble 
 arose between old friends. Mark Lemon had naturally leaned 
 towards the wife, fi^om chivalr}- and sense of right, and the 
 publishers preferred to take no share in a quarrel in which 
 they certainly had no concern. On May 28, 1859, the whole 
 of the back page of Punch was given to an advertisement of 
 "Once a Week," which was to follow "Household Words," 
 
 I
 
 Dickens' Q ua rrel. 353 
 
 and to an explanation of the position of affairs between 
 " Mr. Charles Dickens and his late Publishers." The following 
 paragraphs are all that it is needful to quote from the 
 statement : — 
 
 " So far as 1836, Bradbury and Evans had business relations with 
 Mr. Dickens, and, in 1844, an agreement was entered into by which 
 they acquired an interest in all the works he might write, or in any 
 periodical he might originate, during a term of seven years. Under 
 this agreement Bradbury and Evans became possessed of a joint, 
 though unequal, interest with Mr. Dickens in ' Household Words,' 
 commenced in 1850. Friendly relations had simultaneously sprung 
 up between them, and they were on terms of close intimacy in 1858, 
 when circumstances led to Mr. Dickens's publication of a statement, 
 on the subject of his conjugal differences, in various newspapers, 
 including 'Household Words' of June 12th. 
 
 " The public disclosure of these differences took most people by 
 surprise, and was notoriously the subject of comments, by no means 
 complimentary to Mr. Dickens himself, as regarded the taste of this 
 proceeding. On June 17th, however, Bradbury and Evans learnt 
 from a common friend, that Mr. Dickens had resolved to break off 
 his connection with them, because this statement was not printed in 
 the number of Punch published the day preceding — -in other words^ 
 because it did not occur to Bradbury and Evans to exceed their 
 legitimate functions as proprietors and publishers, and to require the 
 insertion of statements on a domestic and painful subject in the 
 inappropriate columns of a comic miscellany. No previous request 
 for the insertion of this statement had been made either to Bradbury 
 and Evans, or to the editor of Punch, and the grievance of Mr. 
 Dickens substantially amounted to this, that Bradbury and Evans 
 did not take upon themselves, unsolicited, to gratify an eccentric 
 wish by a preposterous action. . . . Bradbury and Evans re- 
 plied that they did not, and could not, believe that this was the sole 
 cause of Mr. Dickens's altered feeling towards them ; but they were 
 assured that it was the sole cause, and that Mr. Dickens desired to 
 bear testimony to their integrity and zeal as his publishers, but that 
 his resolution was formed, and nothing could alter it." 
 
 So this foolish estrangement went on until, years afterwards, 
 Clarkson Stanfield on his death-bed besought Dickens to resume 
 his friendship with the man with whom, after all, he had had 
 no cause of quarrel. So Dickens sent to Lemon (whom he 
 
 X
 
 354 
 
 The History of "Punch. 
 
 doubtless suspected of having written the pubhshers' damag- 
 ing defence just quoted) a kindly letter when " Uncle 
 Mark" appeared as Falstaff before the pubhc, and when 
 Stanfield was buried the two men clasped hands over his 
 open grave ; and later on, when Dickens died, some of the 
 most touching and beautiful verses that ever appeared in 
 Punch were devoted to his memory. 
 
 In 1850 appeared James Hannay, 
 Mr. Sutherland Edwards' associate in 
 "Pasquin," and founder (I am informed 
 by his cousin, Mr. J. L. Hannay, the 
 police magistrate) of " The Puppet 
 Show." It was when he was approached 
 by the proprietors of this periodical (the 
 Vizetelly brothers), and was asked to 
 write for it as well — " Something in the 
 manner of Sterne, with a dash of Swift " 
 — he replied that in that case his re- 
 muneration would have to be " Some- 
 thing in the manner of Rothschild, with 
 a dash of Baring." Hannay was at that time on the 
 " Morning Chronicle," after having, like Jerrold and Stanfield, 
 given a trial to the Royal Xavy and found it wanting. He 
 literally fought his way into Punch, just as Shirley Brooks 
 did a few years subsequently, and was assisted from within 
 by the kindly appreciation of Thackeray. Perhaps Jerrold 
 was reconciled to the accession in \\e\\ of Hannay having 
 started " The Puppet Show " with the main object of violent!}' 
 assaulting his old friend and chum Mr. Edwards, who, in 
 spite of all journalistic amenities, remained his chum, for 
 these assaults were only attacks pour rire. 
 
 For a time Hannay's pen was of the utmost value to Punch. 
 His earliest contributions were notes on a tour in Scotland — his 
 native country — he describing himself as ** The Scotchman who 
 went back again." But he did not remain very long with 
 Punch ; besides being a wit, he was a scholar with a very 
 serious side to his character, and the amusement of the public 
 became, in his eyes, less important than their instruction. He 
 
 JAMES HANNAV. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 T. Rogers.)
 
 Jamrs Hanxay. 355 
 
 was only twenty-three when he produced his first novel of 
 "Singleton Fontenoy, R.X.," which so pleased Carlyle that it 
 induced the old philosopher to invite him to his house. Then 
 he turned lecturer on literary subjects, became "Quarterly" 
 reviewer, married a daughter of Kenny Meadows, took to 
 diplomacy in a small way, and was appointed Her Majesty's 
 Consul at Barcelona, where he died in 1873. Mr. Holman 
 Hunt, one of the band of wits and youthful geniuses of whom 
 Hannay was the wittiest of all, writes to me of him as " a 
 contributor of great power who might with self-control have 
 gained a great position-^a friend who used to come on our 
 nocturnal boating expeditions up the river. He was one of 
 the dear crew who in different capacities and with varied 
 powers once manned life's larger boat with me." 
 
 Sir John Tenniel contributed a few pieces in 185 1 (p. 56, 
 Vol. XX.) and later, but they were of little importance. 
 Cuthbert Bede was as much a writer as a draughtsman, as he 
 showed by his parody of the "High-mettled Racer." Then 
 came another of Punch's stars of the first magnitude, Shirley 
 Brooks. 
 
 X 2
 
 356 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS : 1 852-78. 
 
 Shirley Brooks — His Wit and Humour — Training — Lays Siege to Punch — 
 And Carries him by Assault — " Essence of Parliament " — Williarh Brough 
 — Mr. Beatty Kingston — F. I. Scudamore — M. J. Barry — Dean Hole — Mr. 
 Charles L. Eastlake — Mr. Francis Cowley Burnand — His Little Joke with 
 Cardinal Manning — " Fun " — " Mokeanna" — Its Success — Thackeray's Con- 
 gratulations to Punch — " Happy Thoughts " — And Other Happy Thoughts — 
 — Mr. Burnand as a Ground-Swell ■ — Promoted to the Editorship — The 
 Apotheosis of the Pun — Mr. J. Priestman Atkinson — Mr. John Hollingshead 
 — Mr. R. F. Sketchley — "Artemus Ward" — A Death-bed Ambition— H. Savile 
 Clarke — Locker-Lampson and C. S. Cah-erley — Miss Betham-Edwards — 
 Mr. du Maurier's "Vers Nonsensiques " — Mr. A. P. Graves — Rev. Stainton 
 Moses — Mr. Arthur W. a Beckett — " A. Briefless, Junior " — Mortimer 
 Collins — Mr. E. J. Milliken— "The'Arry Papers " — Gilbert a Beckett — " How 
 we Advertise Now" — Mr. H. F. Lester — Mr. Burnand and the Corporal. 
 
 Shirley Brooks — he dropped his 
 first names of Charles William — -was 
 perhaps the most brilliant and useful 
 all-round man who ever wrote for 
 Punch. His rapidity was extraor- 
 dinary. The clergyman who boasted 
 that he could write a sermon in an 
 hour " and think nothing of it " courted 
 the reply that probably the congrega- 
 tion thought nothing of it either. But 
 the single hour in which Brooks began 
 and finished the composition of his 
 " Rime of the Ancient Aldemian" (1855) 
 — a poem of fift}- stanzas, that fills nine pages in his volume of 
 selected work — brought him criticism of a different sort. His 
 facility was not less astonishing, and I have heard repeated 
 some of his flashes of epigram enclosed in polished verse 
 which it would be hard to believe were extempore but for 
 the circumstances under which they were inspired. Indeed, 
 
 SHIKLEV BROOKS. 
 
 (From a Photograph by Lotnbardi 
 and Co.)
 
 Sh/rley Brooks. 357 
 
 his fancy, like himself, was a diamond of great fire and high 
 polish, and rich hy bounteous favour of nature. He was as 
 witty as Jerrold without the sting ; but, when he chose, he 
 could strike as hard, and, as he himself once said, never care 
 "a horse's mamma." 
 
 He had been articled to a solicitor, but he prefeiTed the 
 comic muse, and Punch on "Joe Miller" was more to him than 
 Coke upon Littleton. His humorous prose and graceful witty 
 verse were cast upon the waters of the comic press. He was 
 thirty-two before he had his best chance of making himself 
 widely known in the line he especially loved. This was in 
 1847, when he began to write for the ''Man in the Moon," 
 which was just started under the editorship of two PuncJi 
 men — Albert Smith and Angus B. Reach. For the latter 
 he had a close and tender friendship. When Reach fell ill, 
 Brooks did all his journalistic work for months, and would 
 touch not a penny of the money ; as the cheques arrived, they 
 were immediately forwarded for the benefit of the sufferer. He 
 was his colleague on the "Morning Chronicle," for which Brooks 
 was gallery-reporter in the House of Commons for five sessions 
 as well as leader-writer, and when Reach was sent through 
 France on an expedition of inquiry into the condition of the 
 agricultural classes, Brooks was despatched through South 
 Russia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. And in 1852 he wrote in 
 conjunction with him "A Stor}- with a Vengeance," which was 
 partly illustrated by Charles Keene ; but the artist was at that 
 time so little known that it was not considered worth the 
 publisher's while to mention his name. 
 
 Under Reach's editorship, then, he appeared in the " Man 
 in the Moon," and the next 3^ear (1848) in Hannay's "Puppet 
 Show." It was for the pages of the fomier (November, 1847) 
 that Brooks wrote one of the severest assaults on Punch ever 
 published — the more severe for the excellence of its quality. 
 It was entitled "Our Flight with Punch" (in imitation 
 of Tom Tavlor's " Flight with Russell " and his far less 
 happy " Flight with Louis Philippe," in Punch, i\ugust and 
 October, 1847, Volume XIII. ), in which the "Man in the 
 Moon " was supposed to fly, genie-like, with Punch over
 
 358 The History of "Punch." 
 
 the land which at one time he ruled with his wit ; and the 
 " Drear}^ Hunchback," as he was apostrophised, was caustically- 
 besought to awake and stem the tide of his supposed degenera- 
 tion. It is hardl}^ surprising that this poem, clever as it is, 
 was not reprinted in the posthumous collection of the writer's 
 poems. 
 
 But not immediately did he conquer his position. There 
 were still years to wait, which were occasionally occupied with 
 a pleasing attack on Punch, one of which, it is said, drew from 
 Leech his picture of two little " snobs " in a low coffee-house. 
 " Punch is very dummy and slow this week, I think," says the 
 first disreputable-looking " fast man." " So do I," replies the 
 other. " It's their own fault, too, for I sent 'em some dem'd 
 funny articles, which the humbugs sent me back." '' That's just 
 the way they served me," resumes his friend — "the great 
 fools!" But at last, at the end of 1851, his first contribution 
 to Punch was received, and he was soon invited to join the 
 Staff. He was not long in making a mark with " Miss Violet," 
 but it was not among his strongest contributions. Neverthe- 
 less, "Epicurus Rotundus" was now a made man on the 
 highway to success. 
 
 It was his charm and grace as much as his vigour that 
 compelled the admiration of his fellows and their admission 
 that he was the most valuable accession that the Staff had ever 
 received. At the dinner given to Thackeray in 1856, Jerrold, 
 in proposing Brooks's health, pronounced him " the most rising 
 journalist of the day," and Mark Lemon declared openly that 
 " Shirley's pen is the gi-acefullest in London." It was, in fact, 
 the general opinion at the time that his verses combined much 
 of the technical merit of Pope's with the keen sarcasm of 
 Swift ; and of such verse he contributed not fewer than six 
 hundred pieces in the course of his Punch career. One of their 
 merits was the unexpected spontaneity of their humour— the 
 faculty that is distinctive of some of the best of his mots, such 
 as that when looking at Edmund Yates's book-shelves which 
 caused him to pause before one of the volumes and read off 
 " Homer's Iliad," and murmur, " Homer's — Yes — that is the 
 best." On one occasion he, with Mr. George Chester (my
 
 Brooks Appointed Editor. 359 
 
 informant), was on a visit to Mark Lemon at Crawley, and at 
 the breakfast-table a discussion arose between the two men 
 upon noses, their shapes and characteristics. Turning kindly 
 to one of his host's little daughters, and looking at her delicate 
 little 7iez retrousse, he said, " When they were looking about for 
 a nose for you, my dear, they chose the first that turned up" — 
 a joke often since repeated and well-nigh worked to death. 
 
 The contribution bv which he will certainly be best and 
 most gratefully remembered is his " Essence of Parliament " — 
 a work which was entirely his own conception, and which 
 was continued for twenty years from week to week while 
 Parliament was sitting, with cleverness, refinement, truth, and 
 humour that are invaluable to the historian and delightful to 
 the general reader. For this work his experience and training 
 as the '' Chronicle " reporter were invaluable to him. Brooks 
 was essentially a politician in feeling, full of suggestion — apt, 
 happy, and ingenious — and yet could turn with ease and equal 
 facility to social, literary, poetical, or art-critical work, to his 
 daily " leader " or weekly article for the '' Illustrated London 
 News." He was in his time the cartoon suggestor-in-chief, 
 and towards the end of Mark Lemon's life rendered great 
 assistance in the editorship of the paper ; although Percival 
 Leigh was the recognised locum tenens. Lemon had been 
 dead but just a week when Brooks wrote (June ist, 1870) 
 from the Punch office to a fi"iend : — 
 
 " Yesterda}' I accepted the Editorship of Punch. It will be a tie, 
 and give me trouble, but I seem to have been generally expected to 
 take the situation, and it is not good to disappoint General Expecta- 
 tions, as he is a stern officer. Wish me good fortune — but I know 
 you do. 
 
 '* I was offered a seat on a four-horse coach, for the Derby, along- 
 side M. Gustave Dore. But I am here. Who says I have no self- 
 denial ? " 
 
 — which shows that he was already in harness. 
 
 In his editorship he took the utmost pride, and he would 
 defend his paper with spirit. When an ill-mannered acquaint- 
 ance told him "that of all the London papers he considered
 
 360 The History of '' Pcxch!' 
 
 Punch the dullest," Brooks replied, " I wonder you ever read 
 it." "I don't," said the other. "So I thought," retorted the 
 Editor, "by your foohsh remark." 
 
 Shirley Brooks fell ill with a complication of disorders, 
 and Mr. Burnand did him the same service on Punch that 
 he had done for Lemon, and that Leigh did for himself and 
 Tom Taylor. When he was near his end, and a newspaper 
 acquaintance called persistently to inquire how he was pro- 
 gressing, "Tell him," said the sick man, with a shrewd smile 
 about his lips, " that he shall have his ' par ' in good time." 
 He was engaged in writing " Election Epigrams " and " The 
 Situation" on his death-bed; and died in February, 1874, 
 before their publication. He was buried in the cemetery 
 of Kensal Green, close to where Thackeray lay by Leech, 
 and within whose walls, though at some distance apart, Doyle 
 was to sleep, and Henry Mayhew. 
 
 Neither Robert nor William Brough ever drew for Punch, 
 but it is the belief of their brother, Mr. Lionel Brough, that 
 they were both at one time literary contributors. Of this, 
 however, I have no record. William was brother-in-law to 
 Mark Lemon, but the two men were not on the best ot 
 terms. Robert, a provincial Jerrold, with all Douglas's power 
 of sarcasm and some of his genius, had started the "Liverpool 
 Lion," and was a brilliant comic draughtsman. It was the 
 success of his play, " The Enchanted Isle," that brought him 
 to London, where he wrote burlesques and so forth ; but he 
 will be remembered for his clever illustrations to most of 
 Punch's rivals of his time, as well as his creation of " Billie 
 Barlow" — the "Ally Sloper" of the day; and it was not to 
 Punch's advantage that he did not enlist Brough's humorous 
 talent. 
 
 In the year 1854 — or it may have been a few months later 
 — Mr. W. Beatty Kingston made an earh' appearance with a 
 cockney ballad on the subject of the admission of female 
 searchers to the penetralia of H.M. Record Office, of which at 
 that time he was a "flickering light" at £100 a 3-ear. Soon 
 he took service under the Hapsburgs, and left England after- 
 wards for nearly a quarter of a century. In 1883 he resumed
 
 A Brilliant Epigram. 361 
 
 comic operations on the invitation of Mr. Burnand, and con- 
 tinued, until June, 1887, to contribute a good deal of verse, 
 illustrated bv Mr. Sambourne and Mr. Furniss. MauA' of these 
 pieces have since been republished in " My Hansom Lays ; " 
 while of those which have since appeared some, such as 
 "A Triplet" and ''The Wizard's Curse," have passed into 
 the category of " stock recitations." 
 
 Then F. I. Scudamore, still remembered for his vers, de 
 societe, was a passing contributor. But in 1855 he joined 
 " The Comic Times," with other of old Punch outsiders, and 
 then obtained an appointment in the Government Telegraphs, 
 and, with a Companionship of the Bath, the superintendence 
 of the Constantinople Post Office. 
 
 Mr. Ashby-SteiTy's name belongs to the following year, but 
 he appeared solely as a draughtsman ; his literary connection, 
 which began twenty-four 3^ears later, will be spoken of in its 
 proper place. Michael John Barr}^ was another who at this 
 time (1857) shed no little brilliancy on Punch; and to him 
 is now credited the admirable " Peccavi " despatch — perhaps 
 the most finished and pointed that ever appeared in Punch' s 
 pages, and certainly one of the most highly appreciated and 
 most loudh' applauded : — 
 
 ^'•''Peccavi! I've Scinde^ said Lord Ellen* so proud — 
 Dalhousie, more modest, said ^ Vovi\ I've Oude / ' '' 
 
 This brilliant couplet, according to the "Times," is said to 
 have been contended for by " both Punch and Thomas Hood ; " 
 and it never was finally decided which of the two great 
 humorists followed the other. Their claims, indeed, are not 
 irreconcilable. Latterly, the credit has been claimed, with 
 some show of authority, for Barry, who was generally regarded 
 in his day as one of Jerrold's peers in wit. It is curious to 
 observe that in the House of Commons debate on the Candahar 
 question, Mr. P. J. Smyth was reported to have referred to 
 " the unexampled brevity of the General's despatch after he had 
 won his great victory on the Indus," in the quaint belief that 
 the first half-line of the epigram was Lord Ellenborough's 
 actual report. 
 
 * Lord Eilenborough.
 
 362 The History of "Punch'' 
 
 The Very Rev. Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester, always 
 a spoilt child of Pjinch's, and the intimate friend of Leech, 
 was more of a Punch man than most contributors, as he 
 was one of the very few outsiders who were ever entertained 
 at the Wednesday Dinner.^ " Some six-and-thirty years ago," 
 he infonned me, " Mark Lemon wrote to me, ' Ptmch is 
 proud of such a contributor,' and I have his letter. I wrote 
 a few short paragraphs about Oxford, and some longer articles 
 in verse, entitled ' The Sportsman's Dream ' and ' My Butler.' 
 Leech told me, ' You are an honorary member of our weekly 
 meetings, and will be always welcome. ' " His chamiing book, 
 "A Little Tour in L-eland," written "by an Oxonian," had 
 the advantage of Leech's pencil, and by his friendship with 
 that artist, as well as with Thackeray and others of the 
 Staff, he was for a time identified in some measure with 
 Punch itself, besides obtaining recognition as the beau-ideal 
 of " the genial, jolly parson." That he did not become a 
 regular contributor to the paper 'was due, it is believed, to a 
 subsequent misunderstanding. 
 
 In " Jack Easel," the writer of a number of delightful letters 
 upon artistic and social topics at home and abroad, it is difficult 
 to recognise Mr. Charles L. Eastlake, the able Keeper of the 
 National Gallery. From 1859 to the autumn of 1862 Mr. 
 Eastlake contributed eight-and-twenty articles of importance, 
 one of them in verse, and the majority headed " Our Roving 
 Correspondent." "Jack Easel on the Continent" and "The 
 Royal Academy Exhibition " were the subjects of many of 
 them, and their note was lively enough to cause his papers 
 to be looked forward to by Punch's readers. 
 
 Mr. Francis Cowley Burnand, when he first appeared 
 in Punch, in 1863, was no mere recruit; he was a proved 
 humorist, though of short standing, and his debut was an 
 astonishing success. His debut, that is to say, as a Punch 
 writer, for eight years previously he had sent up from Cam- 
 bridge a couple of drawings which Leech had made artistically 
 suitable for publication. 
 
 Mr. Burnand was bom in 1837 — having been too gallant, 
 
 * See p. 85.
 
 Mr. F. C. Burn and. 
 
 363 
 
 it was said, to come into the world before his Queen had 
 ascended the throne, and too loval and zealous to delay his 
 appearance after she had taken her place. He was sent 
 to Eton, where, however, he did not care much for football, 
 beino^, as he expressed it, " more shinned against than shin- 
 ning ; " and thence, at the 
 age of seventeen, he went 
 into Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge. In three years 
 he had graduated and had 
 founded the still flourish- 
 ing " A.D.C. ; " at the 
 same time, he determined 
 to enter the Church. He 
 placed himself under the 
 Rev. H. P. (afterwards 
 Canon) Liddon ; but soon 
 left for the seminary of 
 the Oblates of St. Charles, 
 at Bayswater, the head of 
 which was Dr. (Cardinal) 
 Manning. While there his 
 passion for play-writing 
 was too strong to be re- 
 sisted, and before he left 
 Dr. Manning confessed 
 that he feared his young friend had no " vocation," i.e. for the 
 ecclesiastical state. Mr. Bumand, taking a wider view of the 
 term, entirely acquiesced with Dr. Manning, and added rather 
 timidly that he " thought he had a vocation for the stage." 
 Dr. Manning raised his eyebrows, wrinkled his forehead, 
 sniffed, and then said : " A ' vocation ' concerns the spiritual 
 welfare. You cannot speak of * going on the stage ' as a 
 ' vocation.' You might as well call ' being a cobbler ' a 
 ' vocation.' " " Well, yes. Dr. Manning," rejoined Mr. Bur- 
 nand very nervously ; " but — if I were a cobbler I should 
 still have the cure of soles." 
 
 An unsuccessful trial of the stage at Edinburgh, and a 
 
 F. C. BURNAND. 
 {From a Photograph by F. T. Painter, Ramsgate.)
 
 364 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 call to the Bar in 1862, indirectly shaped Mr. Burnand's 
 career, and, throwing him into playwriting and humorous 
 journalism, led him quickly into a talented circle. With Mr. 
 W. S. Gilbert, H. J. Byron, Matt Morgan, Jeff Browse, and 
 others, Mr. Burnand helped to strengthen Tom Hood's addi- 
 tional staff of " Fun," then newly established, under the 
 proprietorship of a looking-glass maker, named Maclean — 
 whom, by reason of his expansive smile and shining teeth, 
 Byron used to call " Maclean teeth." Mr. Burnand's fresh 
 and bright productions sparkled on the pages and caught 
 the eye of Mark Lemon ; but it was an unusually happy 
 and original idea that was to bring the two men closely 
 together. Mr. Burnand had conceived a series of burlesque 
 stories, satirising the sensational style of the day, to be ac- 
 companied by an equally burlesque imitation of the illus- 
 trations that were to be seen in publications such as the 
 "London Journal." To his own daughter, as ''one of his 
 oldest friends," Mr. Burnand once confided the following 
 facts and circumstances for publication : — 
 
 " The astute proprietor of ' Fun,' in which I had achieved some 
 success, observed that ' Mokeanna ' wouldn't do. I am not sure 
 but that he was right ; but if he had been a literary editor he 
 would have seen the idea in a rough copy, and would have 
 suggested improvement. This good he did me, however— I read 
 it to a friend, who thought some of it good and most of it the 
 contrary, and so, in a temper, I burnt the entire manuscript, 
 and, being quite sure of the humour of the idea, commenced re- 
 writing it. Then I communicated with Mark Lemon ; he jumped 
 at the idea — determined to say nothing to anybody, except those 
 who had to illustrate it, and the first number of 'Mokeanna' 
 appeared on February 21st, 1863, with an illustration by Sir 
 John Gilbert, burlesquing his own style, whilst the page in 
 Punch was, in arrangement, a facsimile of the ' London Journal.' 
 The proprietors rushed down to the office, terrified with the 
 thought that, by accident, the ' London Journal ' had been 
 sewn up with Punchy and it took a lot of explanation in Mark 
 Lemon's best manner to make them see the joke in its right 
 light. The success of the experiment was immediate. Thackeray 
 was supposed to have perpetrated the burlesque imitation, but
 
 The "New Boy." — ''Happy Thoughts." 365 
 
 Thackeray knew nothing whatever about it, though, as 1 have 
 since learnt, he was greatly tickled by it and, subsequently, was 
 personally most kind to the ' New Boy,' as he called me, on 
 the Punch Staff." 
 
 The illusion was complete, and the fun most apt and 
 full of spirit. The various artists (" Phiz," Charles Keene, 
 Mr. du Maurier, and Sir John Millais) each drew a picture 
 for it, in every case burlesquing his own style and trotting 
 out his peculiarities. The public laughed heartily — first, at 
 itself for having been deceived by the verisimilitude to the 
 " London Journal," and then at the work upon its merits ; 
 and " Mokeanna, or the White Witness " became the talk of 
 the hour, and one of the good things of Punch. Charles 
 Dickens was among those who most admired the execution 
 of the jen d! esprit, and he displayed considerable interest 
 in the writer. 
 
 In due time ]\Ir. Burnand was called to the Table. " My 
 first appearance," he tells me, "was at the Inn at Dulwich 
 where Punch sometimes dined in the summer in those days. 
 Thackera}' drove there,i and left early. He had come on 
 purpose to be present on this occasion, and before quitting 
 the room he paused, placed his hand on my shoulder, and 
 said, 'Gentlemen, I congi-atulate you on the "New Boy!"' 
 I felt, and probably looked, very hot and uncomfortably 
 proud ; and then he shook me warmly by the hand." 
 
 Mr. Burnand' s next success — a phenomenal success, too, 
 on which his reputation as a humorist will stand unshaken — 
 was " Happy Thoughts." For popularity and for immediate 
 advantage to the paper this clever series, with its exquisite 
 fooling and keen appreciation of humour, was second only 
 to the "Caudle Curtain Lectures," and among the greatest 
 hits that Punch has ever made. It has since been admir- 
 ably translated into French by M. Aurelien de Courson under 
 the title of " Fridoline ! " — " happy thought ! " being, how- 
 ever, somewhat inadequately rendered " ingenieuse pensee ! " 
 Then followed his imitations of popular writers — including 
 " Strapmore," by " Weeder," and " One-and-three," by 
 " Fictor Nogo" — "Happy Thought Hall," with illustrations
 
 366 The History of "Puxch." 
 
 by himself, "More Happy Thoughts," "Out of Town," ani 
 many others, which are still to be found on the bookstalls. 
 His, too, was the song " His 'Art was true to Poll," which 
 achieved so great a success when Mrs. John Wood intro- 
 duced it into "My Milliner's Bill" many years after it first 
 appeared in Punch. 
 
 And in addition to the mass of work he has contributed 
 to Punch, there are "The Incompleat Angler," "The New 
 History of Sandford and Merton," " The Real Adventures of 
 Robinson Crusoe," more than a hundred burlesques — beginning 
 with his exceedingly popular perversion of Jerrold's " Black- 
 Eyed Susan " — and a number of comedies and adaptations : 
 a total ri^'alling, and in some cases surpassing, the industry 
 of the most hard-working of his predecessors in PuncJi's 
 editorial chair. Moreover, he has been a lecturer with 
 "realistic notions," as he proved on the occasion when 
 he was giving a public reading dealing with a yachting 
 cruise, and, as he stood behind his reading-desk, stooped 
 and rose with a regular maritime motion, relieved by an 
 occasional roll, until the more susceptible among his 
 audience began seriously to ask themselves if they were 
 good enough sailors to sit out the reading to its ground- 
 swell, breezy end. 
 
 In August, 1880, after the death of Tom Taylor, Mr. 
 Burnand, who had been acting-editor in his last illness, was 
 called upon to take up the task of restoring to Punch its 
 ancient reputation for liveliness and fun, and with a dinner 
 to every contributor, outside as well as Staff, the proprietors 
 inaugurated the new era. Mr. Burnand at once made great 
 changes among the outside contributors, and introduced new 
 blood upon the Staff. For himself, he showed his chief 
 strength as a punster of extraordinar}- ability ; probably no 
 one before him ever tied so many and such elaborate knots 
 in his mother-tongue as he. " Mr. Burnand's puns are 
 generally good, and sometimes very good," said a critic in 
 the "Spectator;" "but they are really too plentiftil. . . . 
 When it comes to be a question of a volume of four hundred 
 pages, with an average of ten puns to a page, the reader is
 
 Tolerance and Humour. 367 
 
 likely to suffer from an indigestion .... a cake that is all 
 plums is likely to lie rather heavily on the person who eats 
 it." But he was constrained to admit artistic merit in the 
 humour of such passages as this : " There was a dead pause 
 in the room. How long it had been there it was impossible 
 to say, for it was only at this minute that the three became 
 aware of it. And the Bishop sniffed uncomfortabl}-, as though 
 there was something wrong with the drainage." 
 
 But there was something of greater import brought in by 
 Mr. Burnand's editorship than the literary tone. It was 
 tolerance, political and religious, and wider sympathy than 
 had lately been the case. The heavy political partisanship 
 of Tom Taylor gave way to the more beneficent neutrality 
 of Mr. Burnand — a personal neutrality, at least, even though 
 Whig proclivities still coloured the cartoons to a certain, yet 
 not unreasonable degree. And a larger religious tolerance 
 and warmer magnanimity developed in Punch, such as comes 
 chiefly from quarters where oppression has been known. 
 
 So he who lias been called " the Commandant of the 
 Household Brigade of British Mirth" has marched gaily 
 along in Piuich's service for more than thirty years. 
 Prodigal of his jokes, he sometimes makes the best of them 
 outside the pages of his paper. Thus in Xovember, 1893, ^^ 
 wrote to the press in contradiction of the statement made by 
 a police-court prisoner named Burnand, that he was the brother 
 of the editor of Punch : " I beg to say that I have no brother, 
 and never had any brother. I have two half-brothers (this 
 man is neither of them), but two half-brothers don't make 
 one whole brother." And people chuckled as the little joke 
 was copied from one paper to another all over the English- 
 speaking world, and applauded the excellent quaintness of 
 PuncK s Aristophanes. So, when a fictitious dinner of the 
 Punch Staff at Lord Rothschild's was reported in the press, 
 Mr. Burnand briefly dismissed the matter with the remark 
 that the only dish was — canard. 
 
 Again, in the autumn of 1894, ^^'hen he fell ill, alarming 
 reports were spread. One of his colleagues on the Staff 
 received a request for a column obituary notice of the dying
 
 368 The History of "Punch." 
 
 man from the editor of a leading daily newspaper. But 
 Mr. Burnand was much better, and was greatly cheered 
 on learning the particulars. "Really," he said, "that's more 
 than I expected. A column ! Wh}^, that's what they gave 
 to Nelson and the Duke of York ! " 
 
 Mr. J. Priestman Atkinson's literary achievements in 
 Punch are spoken of in the chapter where "Dumb Crambo's" 
 pictorial contributions are treated. From August, 1877, to 
 October, 1880, they are frequent, and consist for the most 
 part of fanciful verse accompanied by cuts from the same 
 hand. There is a chamring prose story, however, in the 
 Pocket-Book for 1879, seasonably entitled "The Invention 
 of Roast Goose." But with Mr. Burnand' s editorship Mr. At- 
 kinson's energies were exclusively concentrated on humorous 
 sketches and " Dumb Crambo " eccentricities. 
 
 In 1864 Islr. John Holhngshead — "Practical John" — 
 was dramatic critic of the " Daily News." His notices at- 
 tracted the attention of Shirley Brooks, with the result that 
 he was invited to contribute to Punch. But it was in 1881 
 that he was taken on the salaried outside Staff, writing for 
 the paper for several years, chiefly on the subject of social 
 reform. He is the inventor, to whom Londoners should be 
 grateful, of" Mud-Salad Market" and the "Duke of Mudford; " 
 and the " Gates of Gloomsbury," " The Seldom-at-Home 
 Secretary," and " The Top of the Gaymarket," are also 
 his. It was with his pen that Punch attacked so lustily 
 our licensing system — or want of system ; and from him, too, 
 came the burlesque " Schopenhauer Ballads," and other 
 contributions, which, many of them, have been reprinted 
 in "Footlights," "Plain Enghsh," and "Niagara Spray." 
 
 In the same year came Mr. R. F. Sketchley, late 
 Librarian of the Dyce and Forster collection in the South 
 Kensington Museum, who was destined to become one of 
 Punch's Staff officers. " I find," he writes, " that I became 
 a contributor to Piaich in 1864. At the beginning of 1868 
 I was honoured with an invitation from Mark Lemon to join 
 the Table. I served also under his successors — Shirley Brooks, 
 Tom Taylor, and Burnand ; and finally retired of my own
 
 Mr. R. F. Sketchley. — " Artemus PVard." 
 
 369 
 
 R. F. SKETCHLEY. 
 
 (Fram a Photograph by Hills 
 and Saunders^ Oxford.) 
 
 accord in 1880. I have seen it stated that in an iUness of 
 Shirley Brooks I did some of the ' Essence of Parhament.' 
 If I had been called on to take up the pen of that most 
 brilliant man of letters, I should have been in despair. All 
 I did was to turn the Queen's Speech 
 on the opening of Parliament into 
 verse. 
 
 " I was never a prominent member 
 of the Staff, but I am, and alwavs shall 
 be, proud of having been connected with 
 Punch. I wrote both prose and ^"erse 
 — more of the former than the latter — 
 and my contributions ranged in extent 
 from a column down to a single line. 
 ]My subjects were generally ' topical,' 
 sometimes ' imaginary,' and the verse 
 included a good manv parodies." ]\Ir. 
 Sketchley, it should be observed, is one 
 of the few members of the inside Staff— at least, within the 
 last fort}- years — who have ever resigned their appointments, 
 Richard Doyle, ]\Ir. Henry Silver, and Mr. Harry Furniss 
 being the others. His strong point was prose parody, the 
 best, perhaps, being the quaint quasi-Gulliverian sketch called 
 "A Fortnight in Sparsandria," which he contributed to Punch's 
 Pocket-Book. Sober in judgment and wise in counsel, he was 
 greatly missed when his genial companionship was lost to 
 Punch's Knights of the Round Table. 
 
 Passing over Mr. W. S. Gilbert's connection with the 
 paper — which is described in the section devoted to arristic 
 contributors — we find another humorist, equally distinguished, 
 who identified himself with the paper the same year, 
 Charles F. Browne, better known as " Artemus Ward." He 
 had arrived in England early in the year, and soon after his 
 arrival he was invited by Mark Lemon to contribute. Ward 
 was at that time in tailing health, and, according to his 
 secretary and manager 'Sir. Hingston, two or three of the 
 papers produced in accordance with the understanding that 
 was entered into were written with painful effort — the reason, 
 
 Y
 
 370 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 no doubt, why so little of his usually rollicking humour is 
 to be found in them. Nowadays many Americans profess to 
 regard Punch with a sort of scornful amusement, and " Life," 
 with an assumption of lofty disdain, is for ever sneering at 
 it as a survival of the unfittest ; and the same line is taken 
 in England by New Journalists and Newer Critics. Not that 
 
 the New American Journalist was 
 unknown in Ward's day. He had 
 already declared that " Shakespeare 
 wrote good plase, but he wouldn't 
 have succeeded as the Washington 
 correspondent of a New York daily 
 paper. He lacked the reckisit fancy 
 and imagination." Anyhow, he did 
 not live so near to the Jin dc sieclc ; 
 nor was he ashamed to own that for 
 years it had been his pet ambition 
 to write for the " London Charivari." 
 Unhappily, its realisation came too 
 late to permit him to do justice to 
 his talent and his humour ; and he 
 himself was only too conscious of his sad shortcoming,, or, 
 rather, of his failing powers. Only eight papers had come 
 from his hand when it closed in death. In September the 
 first of his papers was published — " Personal Recollections ; " 
 the last in November — "A Visit to the British Museum ; " they 
 are garrulous and discursive, and a good deal of the humour 
 they contain was repeated from earlier works. That they 
 should have contained any at all, under the circumstances, is 
 the wonder ; indeed, one is irresistibly reminded by them 
 of his own humorous reference to one of the burlesque 
 " pictures " illustrative of his '' Lecture." '' It is by the 
 Old Masters," he said, in his quaint, sad way; "it is the 
 last thing they did before dying. They did this, and then 
 they died." 
 
 It is, indeed, curious how many of Punch's most valued 
 contributors were working for the paper up to within a few 
 hours, a few minutes, of being called away — Jerrold, Thomas 
 
 " ARTEMUS WARD." 
 
 (From a Photograph by S. A, 
 Walker.)
 
 Sa vile Clarke. — Locker-Lampson. 
 
 371 
 
 H. S.WILE CLARKE. 
 
 (_Fro7ii a Photograph by the 
 Woodhiirytypc: Company.) 
 
 Hood, C. H. Bennett, John Leech, Shirley Brooks, and Artemus 
 Ward ; and many a time have the pubhc hiughed aloud at 
 jokes and pictures wrought when the hand was stiffening in 
 death, when the brain that had imagined them had already 
 ceased to think. 
 
 H. Sa\'ile Clarke, previously a 
 " Fun " contributor, and a disciple of 
 James Hannay, made his Punch debut 
 with a set of verses in August, 1867 ; 
 but he did not follow them up, except 
 in a very small way, until Mr. Bur- 
 nand's editorship, in 1880, encouraged 
 him to write regularly. This he soon 
 began to do, his main work being 
 Society verse, mosth* bearing on medi- 
 cal and scientific subjects, for he was 
 brought up as a doctor. " Songs of the 
 Sciences," " Lyrics in a Library " (verse 
 on books), verse on the minor picture exhibitions, clever trilies 
 hke the "Carmen Culinarium " (December, 189 1), and the 
 important and strikingly able and successful parod\-, " Modern 
 Life in London, or Tom and Jerry Back Again," illustrated 
 by Mr. Priestman Atkinson — these formed the staple of his. 
 Punch work. But he was not enthusiastic about writing for 
 the paper, as the chance of gaining reputation by unsigned 
 contributions was very small. " I feel strongly," he wrote 
 to me vears ago, " as many writers do on the paper, as to 
 the inequality of authors and artists. It keeps very good 
 men off it." 
 
 " Berkelev Square, 5 p.m." was a poem of five stanzas that 
 fomied Frederick Locker - Lampson's sole contribution to 
 Punch ; it was published at the same time as Savile Clarke's 
 maiden effort (August, 1867), and was illustrated by Mr. du 
 Maurier. It was Locker-Lampson, it may here be mentioned, 
 who sent in C. S. Calverley's ewe-lamb — a charade — to 
 Punch's pages. 
 
 On the 25th of July, 1868, a lady-contributor made her 
 debut in Punch's pages. This was Miss M. Betham-Edwards, 
 Y 2
 
 372 The History of "Punch." 
 
 who was already well known as the authoress of " A Winter 
 with the Swallows," and whose travel " Through Spain to 
 the Sahara/' dealing with much the same scene, was then 
 expected from the press. In the earlier part of the year a 
 friend had shown to Mark Lemon a clever skit by the 
 young lady, and the Editor forthwith commissioned her to 
 write a series of papers to be called "Mrs. Punch's Letters 
 to her Daughter" — a sort of belated sequel to Jerrold's 
 "Punch's Letters to his Son." These letters, which ran 
 through six numbers — the last in November 7th of the same 
 year^ — are contributions of the worldly-wise order, cvnical, 
 satirical, and shrewd. Two years later Mark Lemon died, 
 and Miss Betham-Edwards dropped out of the outside Staff 
 position which she was by courtesy supposed to occupy. 
 Certain contributions she sent in were returned ; she took 
 the hint, and the connection was severed. 
 
 It was about this time that Mr. du Maurier wrote his 
 admirable "Vers Xonsensiques," and proved the literary talent 
 which he afterwards displayed in so striking a manner in his 
 lecture on "Social Satire" and in his novels. But, as has 
 already been pointed out in several other cases, he is not by any 
 means alone in having used both pen and pencil in the paper. 
 Thackerav is the principal example of the twin-talent ; but 
 others, in very various degi'ees, are Cuthbert Bede, Watts 
 Phillips, Thomas Hood (a single cut, and a wonderful one, too), 
 Richard Doyle (a single contribution), John MacGregor, with 
 Sir John Tenniel, and Messrs. Alfred Thompson, Ashby-Sterry, 
 W. S. Gilbert, W. Ralston (one literary effort), J. Priestman 
 Atkinson, J. H. Roberts (one poem), Harry Furniss (a dramatic 
 criticism), and Arthur A. Sykes. As a rule, however, artist 
 and author has kept strictly within his own field, although a 
 bold experiment of a curious kind was once proposed. On 
 that occasion the literary Staff had been complaining, with 
 malicious frankness, that the drawings in a certain issue — (it 
 is not necessary to particularise) — were not up to the mark. 
 They were at once challenged by the artists, who declared that 
 they would strike — that tJiey would do the text, and allow the 
 literary men to do the pictures. The idea was seized upon ; the
 
 Mr. Alfred P. Graves. 373 
 
 result, thev thought, would be screamingly funii}-. But the 
 Editor would not hear of it ; he imagined, not without reason, 
 that the public, who would be called upon (but would probably 
 decline) to pay, would not see the point of the joke. Years 
 after a similar discussion arose ; and those who heard it are not 
 likelv to forget the mock-philosophic-gastronomic blank verse 
 composed hx 'Six. Sambourne on the spur of the moment just 
 to illustrate how xqxx easy cle\'er verse-writing really is. 
 
 Whilst Punch has been greatly indebted for much of its 
 humour to Scotsmen, several Irishmen also have contributed 
 not a little to its success. Mr. Alfred Perceval Graves is one of 
 these, although it is long since he wrote for the paper. " I con- 
 tributed to Punch," he says, '' during Shirley Brooks's editor- 
 ship. Tom Taylor was then secretary to the Local Government 
 Board, and I was private secretary to the Parliamentary Under 
 Secretary for the Home Office, Mr. Winterbotham. Meeting on 
 business, we struck up a friendly acquaintance, and. Punch being 
 then a close borough, Taylor smuggled in verses and jokes of 
 mine for a while, till he thought I had established a claim to 
 introduction to Shirley Brooks. My work onh' went on from 
 1 87 1 to 1874, as I became so engaged on literary work of a 
 severer kind, and educational work as an Inspector of Schools, 
 that I had not time for Punch ; and when I cared to return 
 to it Taylor had gone, and the present Editor was surrounded 
 bv fresh men, so I ha^'e not resumed my connection with it." 
 
 Mr. Graves— the author of the popular "Father O'Flynn," 
 perhaps the best of all his Irish songs — wrote for Punch " The 
 Tea-Table Tragedy," "The Ballad of the Babes in the Wood," 
 and those admirable " Lines of Farewell to the Irish Humorist, 
 Baron Dowse, on leaving the House of Commons" — 
 
 " Dick Dowse, Dick Dowse, 
 Is it lavin' the House ? " 
 
 Then there is " On St. Patrick's Day falling on a Sunday," 
 and in Punch's Pocket-Book the lines on "A Frog," and "A 
 Cauliflower" — a parody of "The green, immortal Shamrock." 
 But another merit in Mr. Graves was his coaching of Charles 
 Keene on the subject of his Irish jokes, for which the former
 
 374 The History of "Punch." 
 
 was greatly responsible in the years of his Punch con- 
 nection. 
 
 Nursery jingles newly adapted and applied to the morals 
 and manners of the day are always a favourite vehicle of 
 satire with the public, and have been freely used b}- pro- 
 fessional humorists. Punch offers many instances of happy 
 examples of the work. The first of a long series of " Nursery 
 Rhymes for the Times" was begun by Mr. Charles Smith 
 Cheltnam on January 9th, 1875, as well as in the Almanac 
 of the same year. The writer forthwith became a busy 
 contributor. About fifty of these rhymes appeared in Punch 
 in quick succession, and there were many other pieces besides. 
 "The Infallible Truth," a comment in verse on the passage 
 at arms which was then (November 13th, 1875) taking place 
 between Lord Redesdale and Dr. Manning on the subject of 
 infallibility, showed that Punch's "papal aggression" was still 
 rankling in his bosom. Mr. Cheltnam remained a contributor 
 until the death of Tom Taylor, when he transfen^ed his pen 
 to the service of " Fun." 
 
 On April ist, 1872, the Rev. F. D. Maurice died, and 
 PuncJi contained a set of verses to his memory, in which the 
 beauty and the strength of his character were set forth with 
 deep sympathy, and not without power or poetical thought. 
 They weie fi-om the hand of the Re^-. Stainton Moses, of 
 Exeter College, Oxford, for seventeen years an assistant 
 master at the University College School. He was the editor 
 of the leading London organ of Spiritualism. The more 
 ribald of his pupils and acquaintance declared that his 
 spiritualism was of another sort ; but there is no doubt that 
 he was very popular with all men, and exercised gi-eat 
 influence among the faithful. 
 
 Eighteen years after the death of Gilbert Abbott a Beckett, 
 his son, Arthur W. a Beckett, restored the family name to 
 Punch's Staff. He had been nominated to the War Office 
 by Lord Palmerston, but he soon found that he could walk 
 in no other path but that which his father had trodden. 
 Like him, he became an editor at twenty, by assuming for 
 a space the direction, relinquished by Mr. F. C. Burnand,
 
 Mr. Arthur ^ Beckett. 
 
 T «7 r 
 
 of an evening paper called the "Glow-Worm" — whose light, 
 after Mr. a Beckett left it, steadily reftised to burn with the 
 requisite effulgence. ]\Iark Lemon was then approached ; but 
 he would have nothing to say to — or, rather, nothing to do 
 with — the sons of his old friend, who thereupon sought else- 
 where the encouragement the}" had hoped for in Punch s 
 show. ]Mr. Arthur a Beckett started a satirico-humorous 
 paper of great ability and promise, the 
 staff including himself and his brother, 
 Matt Morgan, Frederick Clay, and 
 Frank Marshall, with ]\Iessrs. Alfred 
 Thompson, Austin, T. G. Bowles, and 
 T. H. Escott — most of them Civil 
 Servants. But in the full tide of its 
 success its financial foundations were 
 weakened by one in the managerial 
 department, and the whole thing 
 came to the ground. After a few 
 vears of an active journalistic career 
 he was invited by Tom Taylor, 
 who had succeeded to the command, to contribute to 
 Punch. A curious success attended his opening chapters. 
 His first paper on a '' Pubhc Office" fp. 226, Vol. LXVI.;, 
 as well as the tweh-e following — that is to say, his con- 
 tributions to thirteen consecutive numbers — were all of them 
 quoted in the "Times," though whether or not through 
 Taylor's intermediar}' did not appear. After the fourth 
 number 'Mr. a Beckett was put on the salaried Staff, and 
 in August, 1875, was imited to join the Table. Since Mr. 
 Burnand's promotion to the editorship Mr. a Beckett has 
 acted as his locum tenens, just as Shirley Brooks did to 
 Lemon, and Percival Leigh to Brooks. 
 
 Being called to the Bar in 1881, Mr. a Beckett was 
 enabled to re\'ive the humours of his father's " ]Mr. Briefless," 
 by the filial creation of the happily-named " A. Briefless, 
 Junior." The " Papers from Pump Handle Court " from this 
 self-sufficient, inflated, and utterly hopeless Junior, have been 
 a feature in Punch for years past, and by them the author 
 
 ARTHUR A BECKETT. 
 
 (Front a Photograph by A. 
 Bassano, Limited.)
 
 376 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 has — so says an expert — "charmingly illuminated the legal 
 profession bv his queer fancy." One of the best papers in 
 the collection is an account of a visit to the studio of a well- 
 known firm of West-End photographers in the character of a 
 legal celebrity, which is wittil}' called " A ^Matter in Camera." 
 Up to December, 1894, he had contributed to a thousand 
 and eighty consecutive numbers, his work including many 
 " series," besides the usual topical subject-articles. 
 
 ^Mortimer Collins became an occasional, and by no means a 
 prolific, contributor of verse from the year 1874. The sonnet 
 in Punch on p. 2^1, Vol. XI. (December, 1846), has been 
 ascribed to him, but there is no ground for the statement (he 
 would then have been only nineteen years of age), nor did he 
 contribute otherwise than from 1874 to 1876. His light lyric 
 touch mav be traced in man}- a poem. In " Where shall we 
 go?" (p. 105. Vol. LXIX., September nth, 1875) his dainty 
 pen is to be recognised ; as in " Lady Psyche's Garden Party," 
 and various other verses of similar style and pleasant flavour. 
 The attack on Mr. Whalley and " Crede Byron " (July 20th, 
 1875) are his, and the verses on the Burnham Beeches, and, 
 in September, " Causidicus ad Canem." The charming " Son- 
 nets for the Sex" (June 17th, 1876) and, on July 8th, the 
 humorous prose in praise of goose-quill and sealing-wax, 
 entitled '' Mr. Oldfangle's Opinion," were full of pleasing 
 turns of thought — little presaging the writer's death three 
 weeks later. When he died, Punch contained an obituar)" 
 notice of the writer (p. 57, Vol. LXXI., August 12th, 1876), 
 in which it is said, " He wrote the ' Secret of Long Life,' 
 to teach men to live a century, and himself died at forty- 
 nine." He was in this respect a curious echo of Thomas 
 Walker, who wrote his "Art of Attaining High Health" in 
 his paper "The Original," and did not survive the completion 
 of his task ; and the prototype of the Duke of ^Marlborough, 
 who died while engaged on an essay on the "Art of Living" 
 for the " Nineteenth Century." Had he lived, he would 
 certainly have been promoted to the Staff; and the fact that 
 his funeral was ofificiallv attended by Tom Ta^-lor, Percival 
 Leigh, and Mr. Arthur a Beckett, on behalf of Punchy is
 
 Mr. E. J. MiLLiKEN. i-j-j 
 
 testimony of the respect in which his co-operation was 
 held. 
 
 The hterar}' post on Punch which corresjxjnds with that 
 of Chief Cartoonist has for years past been occupied b}' Mr. 
 Edwin J. Milhken. The position is an onerous one, and carries 
 great responsibihty with it. He who fills it is at once " the 
 Puncli Poet" par excellence and the big drum, so to speak, 
 of the political orchestra. For many years Mr. Milliken 
 has written the letterpress explanatory of the Cartoon, either 
 in verse or prose, as well as the preface to each succeeding 
 volume. To his pen, too, we have owed during the same 
 period those verses which it has been the graceful practice 
 of Punch to de^'ote to the memory of distinguished men. 
 Remarkable for their tact, dignity, and good-sense — instinct 
 with lofty thought and deep feeling — these poems are often 
 masterpieces of their kind, models of taste and generous 
 sympath}'. In particular, those published upon the deaths 
 of Lord Beaconsfield, John Bright, and Lord Tennyson, mav 
 be remembered as worth)^ of the men they were designed 
 to honour, ag well as for the felicity with which they 
 set down what was in the heart of the nation, and the 
 eloquence with which its sentiment was expressed. 
 
 On January 2nd, 1875, there appeared in Punch some 
 lines entitled "A Voice from Venus," the planet's transit 
 having at that time just occurred. They were Mr. ]\Iilliken's 
 first contribution — a bow drawn at a venture — for he was 
 entirely unknown to anyone connected with the paper. 
 Tom Taylor asked for a guarantee of the originality of the 
 verses — in itself a flattering distrust — and, receiving the 
 necessary assurance, printed them forthwith. From that time 
 forward the young writer contributed with regularity-, and 
 for two years was put severely through his paces bv the 
 Editor, who, in order to '' tr}^ his hand," as he said, gave 
 him every sort of work to do. Then came a personal inter- 
 view of a gratulatory nature, in which Taylor promised to invite 
 Mr. Milliken to the Table as soon as a vacancy occurred. At 
 the end of the second year of probation this promise was ful- 
 filled, and early in 1877 " E. J. M." cut his initials on the board.
 
 5/ 
 
 78 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 It is worthy of remark that the successful career of Mr. 
 Milhken is in direct opposition to his training, for he began 
 hfe, much against his will, as a man of business in a great 
 engineering firm. But literature was his goal, and the appre- 
 ciation of the editors of a few magazines and journals to some 
 extent satisfied his ambition. In point of fact, Mr. Milliken, 
 in respect to his work, is the most modest and retiring of 
 
 men ; and the only contribution to which 
 his name appeared, for years before or 
 after, was the set of memorial verses to 
 Charles Dickens which were printed in 
 the "Gentleman's Magazine" in 1870. 
 
 Without a doubt "The 'Any Papers" 
 are the most popular and best known 
 of Mr. ]\Iilliken's contributions, although 
 " Childe Chappie's Pilgrimage," "The 
 Modern Ars Amandi " (1883), "The 
 Town " (1884), " Fitzdotterel ; or. 
 T'other and Which " (a parody of 
 Lord Lytton's " Glenaveril "), 1885; 
 "Untiled; or, the Modern Asmodeus " (1889-90), and "The 
 Xew Guide to Knowleds^e," have successivelv loomed lar^e 
 in Punch's firmament. But it is the great creation of 'Arry 
 for which Mr. Milliken is most applauded — and least under- 
 stood. It is generallv supposed that the 'Arry of Mr. 
 Milliken corresponds to the similar character conceived by 
 Charles Keene and INIr. Anstey. But the author means him 
 for a great deal mpre. 'Arry with him is not so much a 
 personage as a type — as much an impersonal symbol as 
 Mr. Watts's Love, or Death, or other quality, passion, or fate, 
 without individuality and, in spirit at least, without sex. 
 
 It is often suggested that ]Mr. Milliken's 'Arrv is the 
 survival — or, at least, the descendant — of the "gent" of Leech 
 and the "snob" of Thackeray and Albert Smith. He is 
 nothing of the sort. The gent and the snob had at least this 
 merit ; the}' aspired, or imagined themselves, to be something 
 more and better than they reall}' were. But 'Arry is a self- 
 declared cad, without either hope or desire, or even thought, 
 
 E. J. MILLIKEX. 
 
 [From a Photograpli by 
 Messrs. Bassano.)
 
 Crea tion of '"Arrv." 379 
 
 of redemption. Self-sufficient, brazen, and unblushing in his 
 irrepressible \iilgarity, blatant and unashamed, he is distin- 
 guished by a sort of good-humour that is as rampant and as 
 offensive as his swaggering selfishness, his arrogant familiarity 
 and effrontery, and his sensuous sentiment. He is a 
 mean-souled and cynical camp-follower of the army of King 
 Demos, every day expanding, every day more objection- 
 able in his insolent assurance. Originally designed as an 
 illustration of the 'Arryism of the rougher classes, then 
 promoted to be characteristic of the low sort of sliop- 
 lad and still lower kind of mechanic " with views " of a 
 clear-cut kind within the narrow limits of his materialistic 
 philosoph}^ he has developed into a t}'pe of character — 
 almost, indeed, into a t5'pe of humanit}'. And as 'Arryism 
 is rife in every walk of society, so 'Arry's experiences have 
 become more informed, but not for that reason more culti- 
 vated or more refined. And therein lies the one inevitably 
 weak point of Mr. Milliken's invention. Like Frankenstein, 
 he seems to have created a Monster, who has outgrown the 
 purpose he was originally intended to serve. For when he 
 finds himself considering the 'Arryism of the "upper classes," 
 he is bound, by his otherwise admirable convention, to retain 
 the Cockney slang of which he is such a master, even 
 though the speaker is supposed to have advanced so far in 
 his views and knowledge of life as to be able to discuss 
 matters of art, science, and literature. For, be it observed, 
 a bank-'oliday at the Welsh 'Arp, "wich is down 'Endon wy," 
 is no longer a spree for him, however uproarious the "shindy," 
 and however ready his " gal " may be to sit on his knee 
 and "-change 'ats " to the accompaniment of cornet and con- 
 certina. He travels — on the cheap, of course — but still he 
 travels, and discusses Venus of ]\Iilo, and 'Igh Art, and the 
 philosophic questions of the " dy," and resolves all his medita- 
 tions into the " motter " that " Socierty's all right." Without 
 soul, without ideality, without aspiration, save of the baser 
 sort, he represents no good quality nor redeeming virtue but 
 physical health — the promise, it may at least be hoped, of a 
 posterity that in the future, perchance, may justif\' his existence.
 
 380 The History of "Punch:' 
 
 He is the raw, the offensively raw, material from which 
 respectable and useful descendants may eventually be made. 
 At present Mr. ]\Iilliken shows the 'Arryism that is per- 
 meating and fouling all classes, almost to the highest ; but there 
 the convention fails — only because it is a convention — for 
 'Arrv is made to fill the part which has more recently, and 
 perhaps with greater fitness, been accorded to the Bounder.* 
 But, apart from the satirical creation, Arry is a most 
 amusing personage — his forms of speech, the quaint turns of 
 his vulgar thought, being in themselves irresistibly laughable — 
 their grossness merged in their genuine humour, and in the art 
 so well concealed. 'Arry alone has stamped ^Ir. ]\Iilliken 
 as a satirical humorist of the fi^ont rank, and has gone far 
 towards making the public forget his other phase — the grace- 
 ful and sympathetic poet. The philologists, too, proclaim 
 their debt of gi^atitude to the author as the most complete 
 collector of modern English slang, with suitable context and 
 situation. Dr. Murray's great " Xew English Dictionary " 
 accepts 'Arrv as a name " used humorously for : A low-bred 
 
 * I have been fortunate in ascertaining Mr. Milliken's own estimate of 
 'Arry in a prit^ate letter to a friend. Although it was not written for publication, 
 I have received permission to quote the following sentences : — 
 
 " 'Arry — as you say — the essential Cad, is really appalling. He is not a 
 creature to be laughed at or with. My main purpose was satirical— an 
 analysis of and an attack on the spirit of Caddishncss, rampant in our days in 
 many grades of life, coarse, corrupting, revolting in all. I might have con- 
 fined myself to the ' Humours of 'Arry,' when my work would have been 
 more genial, and, to many, more attractive. But then I should have missed 
 my mark. On the other hand, I might hav-e made it a more realistic study, 
 but then I should have got very few readers, and certainly no place in the 
 Flinch pages. So it was a compromise ; not a consistent study of an individual 
 Cad, but of the various characteristics of Caddishness. It has been said 
 that an ordinary cad could not have done or said or known all that my 'Arry 
 did. Quite true, quite well known to me while writing ; and indeed I forestalled 
 
 the objection in the preface of the book As to 'Arry's origin, and 
 
 the way in which I studied him, I have mingled much with working men, 
 shop-lads, and would-be smart and ' snide ' clerks — who plume themselves on 
 their mastery of slang and their general "cuteness and ' leariness.' I have 
 watched, listened, and studied for years ' from the life,' and I fancy I've a 
 good memory for slang phrases of all sorts; and my 'Arry 'slang,' as I have 
 said, is very varied, and not scientific, though most of it I have heard 
 from the lips of street-boy, Bank-holiday youth, coster, cheap clerk, counter- 
 jumper, bar-lounger, cheap excursionist, smoking-concert devotee, tenth-rate 
 suburban singer, music hall 'pro' or his admirer," etc. etc.
 
 SuGGESTOR-IN-Or DINAR Y. 
 
 381 
 
 fellow (who drops his Jis) of lively temper and manners," 
 and quotes " 'Arry on 'Orseback " in Punch's Almanac for 
 1874 as his debut in print. And, finally, Herr C. Stoffel, of 
 Nijmegen, has publislied a philological volume on the " 'Arr}- 
 Letters" in Punch, from 1883 to 1889, examining the cant 
 words with the utmost elaboration, gravity, and knowledge, 
 and producing one of the most valuable treatises on the 
 subject that have hitherto been published. 
 
 In addition to the work already indicated, Mr. Milliken 
 (as shown in the chapter on cartoons) devotes a great deal 
 of attention to the devising of Mr. Punch's ''big cuts," both 
 for Sir John Tenniel and Mr. Linley Sambourne. The 
 Almanac double-page cartoons, too — usually \ery elaborate 
 designs — have been planned b}- him for a good many years, 
 as well as most of Mr. Sambourne's fanciful calendars and 
 "months" in the Almanacs. It will thus be seen that — with 
 all his work in prose and ^•erse, from a paragraph to a 
 preface, and from a series to an epigram — Mr. Milliken 
 is Writer-of- all-work and "General Utility" in the best sense ; 
 and a more loyal and devoted servant 
 Punch has never had. 
 
 Alfred Thompson's work, which 
 began in 1876, is considered with that 
 of Punch's artists. Then came Gilbert 
 Arthur a Beckett, who after a short 
 spell of regular work was summoned 
 to tlie Table. His first contribution 
 had, in fact, been published by 'Shirk 
 Lemon, but immediatelv afterwards 
 that Editor treated him just as he had 
 treated his brother ; and not for 
 some years did he receive the call. 
 Tom Taylor it was who, attracted b>' 
 the quality of the work which the 
 elsewhere, sent the coveted invitation.* 
 
 GILBERT A BECKETT. 
 
 {From a Fhotograph by 
 Messrs. Bassatw.) 
 
 brothers were doing 
 In 1879 — five years 
 
 * Connection with Punch has run strangely in families— as the reader may 
 see by reference to the "Family Trees" on the next page.
 
 382 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 
 E 
 
 B 
 
 Z 
 
 2 
 
 
 :^ 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 < 
 
 <.■ 
 
 h'-'J 
 
 in 
 > 
 
 1! 
 
 i\ 
 
 -*i 
 
 ^l ill 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 c 
 
 o 
 
 
 c 
 
 Q 
 
 
 c 
 
 < 
 
 
 u 
 
 ■ M 
 
 
 -K 
 
 2S 
 
 c 
 
 4) 
 
 0) 
 
 >■ 
 
 rr 
 
 c 
 
 
 
 bJ 
 
 z 
 
 hf) 
 
 < 
 
 u 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 in 
 
 c 
 
 
 c 
 
 z 
 
 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 z 
 z 
 
 
 u 
 
 .ft 
 
 ■"£■3 
 
 a- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 l> 
 
 
 
 
 "ri 
 
 
 
 
 ro ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 F 
 
 "g 
 
 u* 
 
 [I 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 H 
 
 . c 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 
 
 c/: ■"> 
 
 b. 
 
 •a 
 
 o 
 
 
 X 2 
 
 E 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^W pj- 
 
 o 
 
 >^ 
 
 c 
 
 
 Pi 
 
 
 
 
 B 
 
 
 
 • = £ 
 
 L. 
 
 
 
 
 kb 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 
 -J 
 
 
 
 .11 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 -^ 
 
 km 
 
 V 
 
 -a; 
 
 0; 
 
 u. 
 
 p 
 
 E 
 
 •^ 
 
 ■s. 
 
 o — 
 
 — t 
 
 d 
 
 
 z5 
 
 •5; 
 
 " a 
 
 
 bjo 
 
 
 
 
 *- ^^ 
 
 JC 
 
 L^ 
 U 
 
 
 u 
 
 •n"^ i 
 
 c 
 
 rt 
 
 i?i;S 
 
 3 
 
 _^ 
 
 111. 
 on 1 
 ngc 
 1 Bi 
 
 0. 
 
 j: 
 
 •* 
 
 V 
 
 u; - cj 
 
 
 
 Davi 
 
 (yo 
 Dalzi 
 
 
 
 
 s 

 
 Gilbert a Beckett. 383 
 
 after his brother Arthur — Gilbert k Beckett joined the salaried 
 Staff, and three }-ears later he was appointed to the Table. 
 He had a ^•ery quaint humour and a wonderfulh' quick and 
 startling sense of the incongruous. He was sadl)' hampered 
 by his affliction, but he was an accomplished, high-principled, 
 sensitive fellow, of whom one of his companions declared that 
 " he was the purest-minded man I ever knew." Under more 
 favourable conditions of health he would probably have made 
 a greater mark ; but as it was, he did good work. He was 
 a happy parodist, and a very neat and smart versifier — at the 
 age of fifteen he had gained the prize for English verse at 
 Westminster, which was open to the whole school — and in 
 the wildly absurd vet laughable vein of his bogus advertise- 
 ments (of which he did many under the head of " How we 
 Advertise Xow " — a continuation of Jerrold's earlv idea) 
 none of his Punch brethren could touch him. He was, 
 perhaps, best known to the world as part author of the 
 famous political burlesque of ''The Happy Land;-" less, 
 perhaps, as part author of "The White Pilgrim;" and least of 
 all as a musical composer, as it was under the pseudonym of 
 "Vivian Bligh" that he put forth his songs and his music 
 for the " German Reeds' Entertainment." But his work on 
 Punch was always relished, and, considering his sad physical 
 afflictions, he held his own on the Staff. He contributed 
 both prose and verse, smart and apt of their kind. He 
 wrote — in part, at least — the admirable parodv of a bov's 
 sensational shocker (p. 119, Vol. LXXXH., March nth, 
 1882). With the exception of this and the comical "Ad- 
 vertisements" he did very few "series," but his contribu- 
 tions were always varied and excellent in their wav, 
 and himself appreciated as a useful and clever man. Per- 
 haps his chief claim to recollection was his suggestion, as 
 explained elsewhere, of the famous cartoon of " Dropping 
 the Pilot." The Dinners were his greatest pleasure, and 
 he attended them with regularity, although the paralysis of 
 the legs — the result of falling down the stairway of Gower 
 Street Station — from which he suffered (in common with 
 his uncle Sir William a Beckett, and with one of the
 
 384 The History of " Puxch!' 
 
 Mayhew brothers as well) rendered his locomotion and 
 the mounting of Mr. Punch's stairway a matter of painful 
 exertion. Although he did useful work for Punch, he never 
 became a known popular favourite ; yet when he died — on 
 October 15th, 1891 — a chorus of unanimous regret arose in 
 the press^ for he was one of those few men who count none 
 but friends among their wide circle of acquaintance. 
 
 Mr. Horace Frank Lester, late of Oxford University, 
 afterwards barrister-at-law, author and journalist of the first 
 rank, but at that time unknown to PuncJi, first appeared on 
 January 5th, 1878, with a slashing satire on busybody amateur 
 statesmen which greatly tickled Tom Ta3dor's fanc}'. But 
 his first real hit was in September, 1880, with a form of 
 contribution then comparatively new. It was a '' Diarv of 
 the Premier at Sea," when Mr. Gladstone was on board the 
 Graniully Castle, and, so far from " husbanding his energies," 
 as his doctor directed, was supposed to receive deputations, 
 make speeches, convert the man-at-the-wheel from Toryism, 
 and try to cut down the mainmast with his axe. Then fol- 
 lowed political diaries, parodies (such as " ' The Entire History 
 of Our Own Times ' bv Jestin ^lachearty," and innumerable 
 poems), comic Latin verse, " Journal of a Rolling Stone," 
 "Advice Gratis," "Queer Queries," legal skits, and so on. 
 An amusing incident occurred in respect to one of the 
 "Advice Gratis " series. Mr. Lester had spoken of a mythical 
 book called " Etiquette for the Million : or, How to Behave 
 Like a Gentleman on Nothing a Year, piiblisJicd at t/iis 
 Offtccy A corporal stationed at Gal way Barracks wrote and 
 asked for the price of it, " as I am extremely anxious to have 
 the book referred to." Mr. Burnand's reply was simply, 
 " Sold!'
 
 385 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 PUNCH'S WRITERS: 1880-94. 
 
 Robert" — Mr. Deputy Bedford — Mr. Ashby-Sterry — Reginald Shirley 
 Brooks — Mr. George Augustus Sala — ^Ir. Clement Scott — The "Times" 
 Approves — Mr. H. W. Lucy — "Toby, M.P." — Martin Tupper and Edmund 
 Yates — ]\Ir. George Grossmith — Mr. Weedon Grossmith — Mr. Andrew Lang's 
 "Confessions of a Duffer" — Miss ^lay Kendall — Miss Burnand — Lady 
 Humorists — ^Ir. Brandon Thomas and Mr. Gladstone — Mr. Warham St. 
 Leger — Mr. Anstey — "Modern Music-hall Songs" — "Voces Populi" — Mr. 
 R. C. Lehmann — 'Slv. Barry Pain — ?klr. H. P. Stephens — Mr. Charles Geake 
 —Mr. Gerald Campbell— R. F. Murray — Mr. George Davis — Mr. Arthur 
 A. Sykes — Rev. Anthony C. Deane — Mr. Owen Seaman — Lady Campbell — 
 Mr. James Payn— Mr. H. D. Traill— Mr. A. Armitage— Mr. Hosack — 
 Arthur Sketchley — Henry J. Byron — Punch's Literature Considered. 
 
 " Robert, the City waiter " made his 
 low-comedv bow in 18S0. "Robert's" 
 literary father is Mr. Deputy John T. 
 Bedford, whose opportunities for studying 
 the wavs of the Citv waiter have neces- 
 sarily been manv and excellent. The 
 result of his keen observation was intro- 
 duced to Punch through chance. " My 
 introduction to Punch," Mr. Bedford in- 
 forms me, " arose from the quite acci- 
 dental circumstance that ^Ir. Burnand 
 and myself were introduced at the same 
 time, by Mr. F. Gordon, on the director- 
 ship of the ' Grand Hotel ' at Charing Cross ; and very 
 shortly afterwards ... on the appointment of Mr. Burnand 
 as Mr, Tom Taylor's successor, I ventured to congratulate 
 him, when he said to me, ' If anv fun is to be found in 
 the City, I shall expect you to bring it to me.' I replied 
 that I had sometimes thought that there was some to 
 be got out of a City waiter, as waiters were not quite so deaf 
 as was generally considered. I tried my hand, and my first 
 attempt was very kindly received ; it was printed on p. 64, 
 z 
 
 JOHN T. BEDFORD. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 E. J . Stoneha7n.)
 
 386 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 Vol. LXXIX. (August 14th, 1880;, under the title of 'Notes 
 from the Diary of a City Waiter.' . . . There is no truth in the 
 statement that Robert was based upon a certain waiter. He is 
 certainly imaginary" — a statement which disposes of the asser- 
 tion that the famous old "Cock Tavern " is famous nowadays 
 for the original of "Robert" in the person of its head-waiter. 
 Since 1880 Mr. Deputy Bedford is to be credited with more 
 than two hundred contributions, of which, however, only a 
 proportion belong to the " Robert " series. " You will find some 
 of them," writes Mr. Bedford, " signed J. Litgue, a iiotn de phmie 
 that puzzled Mr. Burnand himself, until I revealed the secret 
 that it was French for 'Bed-ford'; and he, with his excellent 
 knowledge of French, was thoroughly sold." "Robert" has 
 been republished in book form, and has attained an extra- 
 ordinary circulation, though some of Mr. Bedford's critics have 
 declared that the chief attraction has been the admirable 
 illustrations by Charles Keene with which the little book 
 is embellished. For severe critics there are ; one of whom, 
 in order to prove that " Robert" was not a humorous creation 
 at all, took the curious course of translating one of his articles 
 into good, well-spelt English, and then triumphantly asking — 
 " Where is the humour now ? " 
 
 A complete contrast to Mr. Bedford 
 
 became a contributor to Punch a fort- 
 
 j^t/tfj/flk night after him — Mr. J. Ashby-Sterry. 
 
 ^H^^H Twenty-nine years had passed since 
 
 ^^QPPHBjl his boyish drawings had been ac- 
 
 <^Jf cepted ; and during the interval he 
 
 had relinquished the pencil for the 
 pen, had become a well-known jour- 
 nalist, and the author of sundry volumes 
 of light literature. He was one of the 
 first to be summoned b}- the new 
 Editor, and he responded nobly to the 
 call. Since August 28th, 1880, he has 
 contributed as largely as any outsider 
 to Punch's pages. Innumerable picture-shows, new books, 
 articles of all kinds, and countless verses of every description 
 
 J. ASHBY-STERRV. 
 
 {From a Photograph by Samuel 
 A. Walker.-)
 
 Reginald Brooks. — Mr. G. A. Sala. 387 
 
 on every possible topic, with paragraphs long and short, are, 
 so to speak, the hors d'omvres of his contribution. Many 
 series of poems and papers are his, of which the best-known 
 is that of the "Lays of a Lazy Minstrel " (begun August 28th, 
 1880), with their riverside idylls and love-carols ; but to his 
 hand also are to be credited " Simple Stories for Little Gentle- 
 folk," " Holiday Haunts, by Jingle Junior on the Jaunt," " Club 
 Carols," "Uncle Bulger's Moral Tales," "Songs of the Streets," 
 " Rambling Rondeaux," and " Paper-knife Poems." But it is 
 his fluent, melodious, and unpretentious verse that has made 
 him popular in Punch. 
 
 Reginald Shirlev Brooks, the son of Mr. Burnand's brilliant 
 predecessor, was working for Punch in 1880, and the following 
 year he was called to the Table, and remained there without 
 much distinction until 1884. He wrote some smart papers, but 
 his groove was not that of the sober and respectable Fleet 
 Street Sage. He preferred wilder spirits, and he accordingly 
 retired, taking with him the sympathy of his companions. 
 He died soon after. 
 
 After the escapade of Mr. George Augustus Sala in respect 
 to Alfred Bunn's quarrel with Punch and the resultant " Word 
 with Punch" of half a centurs' ago (which was illustrated by 
 Mr. Sala's lively pencil, as is explained in another chapter), none 
 would ever have thought that his pen would have been driven 
 in Punch's service. Lemon had declared him a "graceless 
 young whelp," and nothing that Mr. Sala ever cared to do had 
 tended to change that opinion. Shirley Brooks and Tom Taylor 
 carried on the sentiment as a sort of dynastic vendetta, and 
 Mr. Sala's name was kept on Punch's Lidex Expurgatorius 
 until the accession of Mr. Burnand. Punch was then no longer 
 the close borough, and the new Editor sought talent where he 
 could find it. Lie invited Mr. Sala to contribute, and the 
 invitation has been responded to whenever anything " Punchy " 
 has occurred to the writer — as in the rhymed travesty of Tenny- 
 son's opening verses of "The Princess." It is an amusing fact 
 that on one occasion Mr. Sala contributed a skit on himself 
 — fehcitously entitled ''Egos of the Week"— with the startling 
 and satisfactory result that one or two papers, taking the 
 z 2
 
 388 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 thing au sc'riciix, commented on the fact, and expressed their 
 pleasure that " at last Mr. George Augustus Sala has had the 
 drubbing by Punch he has so long and so richly deserved " ! 
 
 Mr. Clement Scott, the doyen of the dramatic critics. Civil 
 Servant (like so many of the Punch Staff), member of the 
 clever band that nurtured "Fun" into life, and brother-in-law of 
 Mr. du Maurier, also had to wait till Mr. Burnand was Editor 
 before he was given the opportunity to write for Punch. " It 
 struck him," writes Mr, Scott, " that he might mingle among 
 the essentially comic .pages an occasional poem that might ven- 
 tilate some grievance in a pathetic manner or describe some 
 heroic subject in the ballad style. . . . The first subject Burnand 
 sent me was the overworked and underpaid clerks in London. 
 It took my fancy, and in three hours after I received his letter I 
 sent him ' The Cry of the Clerk ! ' To my intense surprise, 
 the morning after it appeared in Punch I found it quoted in 
 extenso in ' The Times '^an unusual honour. I believe Dr. 
 Chinery the instant he read the poem clipped it out with his 
 own scissors and said, ' I don't know if this has ever been done 
 before, but we must quote the poem to-morrow morning.' The 
 sub-editor was aghast, but the poem was printed as from Punch." 
 
 These verses, indeed, struck people's consciences, as Thomas 
 Hood had struck them years ago with "The Song of the 
 Shirt." It brought into relief the enforced "respectability" 
 of the men who earn but a few shillings a week, and yet are 
 supposed to be "above charity." 
 
 It was the last verse that most struck home : — 
 
 " Why did I marry ? In mercy's name, in the form of my brother 
 was I not born ? 
 
 Are wife and child to be given to him, and love to be taken 
 from me with scorn ? 
 
 It is not for them that I plead, for theirs are the only voices 
 that break my sorrow, 
 
 That lighten my pathway, make me pause 'twixt the sad to- 
 day and grim to-morrow. 
 
 The Sun and the Sea are not given to me, nor joys like yours 
 as you flit together 
 
 Away to the woods and the downs, and across the endless acres 
 of purple heather.
 
 Mr. Clement Scott.— Mr. H. IV. Lucy. 389 
 
 But I've love, thank Heaven ! and mercy, too ; 'tis for justice 
 
 only I bid you hark 
 To the tale of a penniless man like me — to the wounded cr}- 
 
 of a London Clerk ! " 
 
 Then he took the part of tlie shop-girls ^^•ho are never 
 allowed to sit down (" Weary Womankind ") ; of the London 
 children who cry for fresh air ("The Children's Cry"), and 
 described as well man}- a deed of daring by sea and land, 
 in which sailors, soldiers, engine-drivers, policemen, life-boat- 
 men, and coastguardsmen were concerned. In his little volume 
 of " Lays and Lyrics " nearly a score of these Punch poems 
 are republished. 
 
 The Parliamentary phase of Punch is the one which has 
 remained constant from the beginning of the paper. All else 
 has been subject to change — the quality of its satire, the 
 character of its literature, the intention of its art, and the 
 class of its humour. But in his attendance upon Parliament 
 Puncli has been persistently assiduous and consistently frank, 
 neither awed by its majesty nor sickened by its follies. Par- 
 liament has alwa5's been regarded in his pages in the spirit 
 of benevolent patronage and control, which, though unques- 
 tionabl}^ pedagogic, has always been just and sympathetic 
 in tone. It was in order to continue the chain forged by 
 Shirle}' Brooks and Tom Taylor in their " Essence of Parlia- 
 ment," without the dropping of a link, that Mr. Burnand's 
 first Staff appointment was made with a view to filling the 
 place that had been left vacant by Tom Taylor's death. His 
 attention, like that of many others, had long been attracted to 
 the brilliant weekh' articles in the "Observer," entitled "From 
 the Cross Benches" — papers that dealt with the week's 
 Parliamentar}' proceedings with singular cleverness, humour, 
 and originality — and at the proper moment he sought out 
 the author of them, Mr. Henry W, Lucy, of the " Daily News." 
 
 Mr. Lucy had already graduated as the Pepys of Parlia- 
 ment ; for he had been known in gallerv and lobby of the 
 House for the past ten years, and was acting as chief of the 
 Parliamentary Staff for his paper. He was, therefore, con- 
 sidered particularly well-fitted for the new post on Punch, and
 
 390 
 
 The History of ''Puxch." 
 
 he readily accepted the invitation. His first contribution was 
 a sort of prospectus of Toby's Diary, which was pubhshed 
 on January Sth, i8Si. Thenceforward ^Ir. Lucy became 
 known as "Toby, M.P. ; " and when a puzzled Member of 
 Parliament, familiar with his face, would occasionally ask him 
 in the Lobby, " By the way, where are you member for ? " he 
 would answer ''Barks," and pass on. It is not imcommon 
 
 to find unregenerate members taking to 
 themselves the credit of the witticisms 
 which Toby puts into their mouths; so 
 that there is perhaps excuse for the 
 biographer of Lord Sherbrooke (Robert 
 Lowe), who attributed to his subject the 
 capital exclamation with which Mr. Lucy 
 endowed him. When he saw a deaf 
 member get his ear-trumpet into posi- 
 tion in order to listen to a tedious 
 orator, he remarked (according to Toby): 
 " What a pity it is to see a man thus 
 wasting his natural advantages ! " And 
 Lowe has had the credit of it ever since. 
 
 Xo one in the House knows its members so well as Mr. Lucy; 
 no one out of it is so well acquainted with its procedure ; 
 and when for a short time he reluctantly filled the editorial 
 chair of the " Daily Xews," he was unhappy till he got back 
 to Toby's "kennel" in the gallery of the House of Commons. 
 But the Essence of Parfiament as distilled by " Toby " 
 is by no means the only, hardly even the most voluminous, 
 of Mr. Lucy's Pinich work. In the recess he is a constant 
 contributor as 'Six. Burnand's deputy in the character of 
 Punch's reviewer — "The Baron de Book-Womis," through 
 whose personality "My Baronite" appears from time to 
 time ; while among his serial articles have been " The 
 Letter-bag of Toby, ]\I.P.," and the set of Inter\'iews with 
 Celebrities at Home, parodies of the "World's" articles, 
 which delighted none so nmch as Ednumd Yates himself.* 
 
 H. W. LUCY. 
 
 {From a Photograph by 
 IValery, Limited.') 
 
 * Having mentioned the name of Edmund Yates, I may here contradict 
 the statement that that distinguished journalist ever wrote for Punch. The
 
 " Toby, M.P" 391 
 
 Mr. Lucy joined the Table on his return from Japan in 
 1884. 
 
 But it is as "Toby" that he has gained most of his 
 popularity. He showed the way about the House of Com- 
 mons to Mr. Harry Furniss ; and, up to the withdrawal of 
 the latter, his "Diary" was always illustrated by that artist. 
 Later on Mr. Edward J. Reed took the place ]\Ir. Furniss 
 resigned, and the pair continue to set before the world 
 their humorous versions — perversions, it would be hardly fair 
 to say — of Parhamentary proceedings. Mr. Lucy's touch is 
 light and original, imparting an appearance of interest and 
 entertainment to the dullest debate, and of verisimilitude 
 to the most doubtful statements. Yet the "Diary" is not 
 without its value as a record, while it remains an amusing 
 commentary upon the work of the Session, and an entirely 
 inoffensive caricature of the men and speeches with whom 
 it deals. 
 
 In 1884, when the entertainer's platform was offering 
 inducements superior to those of the stage, Mr. George Gros- 
 smith began a series of sketches in Punch, entitled " A'er}' 
 Trying," the fourth article of which contained a skit of 
 Mr. Flowers, the Police ^Magistrate at Bow Street, under the 
 heading of " The Good-humoured Magistrate," and another 
 
 belief arose partly through Martin F. Tapper's " My Life as an Author " : — 
 " I remember also how he dropped in on me at Albany one morning, just as 
 I happened to be pasting into one of my books a few quips and cranks anent 
 my books from Punch. He adjured me ' not to do it ! for Heaven's sake 
 spare me ! ' covering his face with his hands. ' What's the matter, friend ? ' 
 'I wrote all those,' added he in earnest penitence, 'and I vow faithfully never 
 to do it again ! ' ' Pray don't make a rash promise, Edmund, and so unkind 
 a one too ; I rejoice in all this sort of thing — it sells my books, besides — I'se 
 Maw-worm — I likes to be despised!' 'Well, it's very good-natured of you 
 to say so, but I really never will do it again ; " and the good fellow never 
 did— so have I lost my most telling advertisement " (p. 326). Considering, how- 
 ever, that Yates was on the worst of terms with Mark Lemon, we may easily 
 believe that he did not contribute to his paper, and as during his early friend- 
 ship with Mr. Burnand he never hinted at writing for Punch as an outsider, 
 the statement may be dismissed. Moreover, so fantastic is the scene described 
 that, if strictly accurate, it was most likely a practical joke played off upon 
 the egotistical old gentleman, whose worst enemies never accused him of a 
 sense of humour.
 
 392 The History of "Punch." 
 
 dealt with Mr. Vaughan. Then came his fimn}^ musical 
 sketches, with a few bars of absurd music sprinkled here and 
 there in imitation of the London concert books. A few songs 
 he also contributed to the paper, "The Duke of Seven Dials" 
 becoming " popular even unto Hackney." Then, in collabora- 
 tion with his brother, Mr. Weedon Grossmith, he produced 
 "The Diary of a Nobody." It was a domestic record of 
 considerable length, which dealt in an extremely earnest way 
 with Mr. Samuel Porter, who lived in a small villa in Hollo- 
 way, and had trouble with his drains, and was sometimes 
 late at the office, with similar circumstances of striking interest 
 and concern, which seemed to him to call for public notice. 
 The " Diary " was afterwards republished in book form. 
 
 The light and dainty touch of Mr. Andrew Lang has not 
 been denied to Punch. A number of trifles in verse appeared 
 in 1883 and the two following years, the most important of 
 them being a sonnet to Colonel Burnaby — the one contribution, 
 it may be said, that the author has thought well to republish. 
 Some years later he produced the laughable series " The Con- 
 fessions of a Duffer" — papers so humorous that it is difficult 
 to accept Mr. Lang's disclaimer that " a comic paper is a thing 
 in which I have no freedom to write." 
 
 Besides Mr. W. Ralston, with his single contribution of 
 " K.G.— O.E.D." (November 22nd, 1884), Miss May Kendall 
 was the chief comer of the year 1885. This lady helps to 
 make, up Piinch's bevy of lady literary contributors — Miss 
 Betham-Edwards, Mrs. Frances Collins, Lady Campbell, Miss 
 Burnand (an occasional reviewer, or " Baronitess "), Miss 
 Hollingshead, and Mrs. Leverson, being the others. She is 
 one of the few lady humorists of any consequence in her 
 day. Women, as a rule, are humorists neither born nor 
 made. Often enough they are wits, more frequently satirists. 
 They can make, we are told, but they cannot take, a joke ; at 
 any rate, they are usually out of their element in the comic 
 arena. Moreover, as butts for the caricaturist they are un- 
 satisfactory, for in proportion as his efforts are successful, his 
 sense of chivalry is outraged ; and we have seen how Keene 
 and others recoiled from the idea. Onl)- on one occasion
 
 . Miss May' Kendall. 393, 
 
 did Mr. Furniss make the attempt, and that indirectly and 
 in a sense unintentionally — and the circumstance brought a 
 miniature storm about his ears. No woman has ever yet 
 been a caricaturist, in spite of the fact that her femininity 
 befits her pre-eminently for the part. That she has desisted 
 is a mercy for which man may be devoutly thankful. At 
 the present time the rule here laid down as to lady humorists 
 is proved by an exception in the person of Miss Murphy, a 
 lady, it is said, of much beauty, who worked her way up 
 from a subordinate position to the editorship of ''The Mel- 
 bourne Punch," a really comic production ; but the unequal 
 battle that would follow any extensive imitation of her example 
 is altogether too painful to contemplate. 
 
 Miss Kendall's first poems, which were introduced to the 
 notice of Punch by Mr. Andrew Lang in sincere admiration of 
 their cleverness, were " The Lay of the Ancient Trilobite," 
 and "Ballad of the Ichthyosaurus," which were printed in the 
 numbers for January 24th and February 14th, 1885. It is Miss 
 Kendall's peculiar talent that she is able to extract delicate 
 humour out of the most unpromising subjects, and even in these 
 lays, which together constituted her maiden effort, the charac- 
 teristic is clearly shown. One verse may serve as an 
 example ; it is from the poem which shows how the 
 Ichthyosaurus aspires to a higher life, and how the all-absorbent 
 Ether remains in triumph after we have played out our little 
 parts to their puny end: — 
 
 " And we, howsoever we hated, 
 
 And feared, or made love, or believed, 
 For all the opinions we stated, 
 
 The woes and the wars we achieved, 
 We too shall lie idle together — 
 
 In very uncritical case ; 
 And no one will win — but the Ether 
 
 That fills circumambient space." 
 
 Quaintly humorous ideas are spread among her score of con- 
 tributions — and tenderness, too ; but it is as a humorous versifier 
 of refinement and originality that she has appealed strongly to 
 Punch readers, although, as she herself says, " it seemed very
 
 394 The History of "Punch!' 
 
 wonderful to be in Punch, which I had venerated from my 
 youth up." 
 
 The single contribution of Mr. Brandon Thomas has a 
 rather interesting story. It was a patriotic song of a stirring 
 sort, called '' Britannia's Volunteers," composed at a time — in 
 1885 — when patriotism was thick in the air. It was put to 
 music by Mr. Alfred Allen ; and two days after it was written, 
 Mr. Thomas was at the house of Mr. Woodall, M.P., and there 
 he sang the song. An old gentleman, who covered his mouth 
 and chin with his hand, sat in the front row, and levelled 
 a piercing look at the singer, listening with intense interest. 
 During the second verse Mr. Thomas, who was much affected 
 by the gazer, sang straight at the aged owner of the wonder- 
 ful eyes : — 
 
 " They were no conscripts Marlbro' led, 
 But freemen — Volunteers, 
 A free-born race from fathers bred 
 
 That won for us Poictiers ; 
 No conscript names were on the roll — 
 
 All heroes dead and gone — 
 That blazoned bright on Victory's scroll 
 
 The name of Wellington : 
 And Inkerman's immortal height 
 
 Will tell for many a day 
 How sternly sons of Freedom fight, 
 
 Let odds be what they may. 
 Thus Liberty scorns vain alarms. 
 And answers back with cheers ! 
 No conscript legions flogged to anns 
 Have yet flogged Volunteers ! " 
 
 Then the masking hand was removed, and the face of Mr. 
 Gladstone was revealed. The sight of him seemed to stimu- 
 late the singer, an enthusiastic Conseiwative, and as he gave 
 forth the last verse, with singular effect, his eyes so filled 
 with tears that he could hardly see the piano keys :— 
 
 " They think to crush old England, 
 And take her mighty place ! 
 When they wipe out from ev'r}^ land 
 The language of her race ;
 
 Mr. Brandon Thomas. — Mr. W. St. Lf.ger. 395 
 
 When Justice meekly sheathes her sword, 
 
 And Freemen ne'er make laws ; 
 When Tyrants rule by force and fraud 
 
 And dead is Freedom's cause ; 
 When Liberty shall see her home 
 
 Low levelled with the turf, 
 And watch each son in turn become 
 
 A tyrant-driven serf ; 
 When Freedom's sacred name's forgot 
 
 Within the hearts of men — 
 They'll crush us to the earth, but not — 
 
 By Heav'n ! — but not till then ! " 
 
 When it was finished, Mr. Gladstone applauded \igoroiisly, 
 as though unconscious of the pointed way in which the verse 
 had been sung at him, or respectful perhaps of the sincerity 
 of the singer ; and Mr. Burnand, who was present, and had 
 been watching the scene with much amusement, enquired, 
 aside, " Who wrote that ? " ''I did." '' When ? " "Two days 
 ago." "Have you sent it anywhere?" "No." "Then let 
 me have it." So with the metre slightly changed it appeared 
 in Punch on May 23rd. 
 
 Some of the most delicate and humorous vei'S de socieU 
 of the day have come from Mr. Warham St. Leger, and 
 some of the best have appeared since the end of 1886 in 
 the pages of Punch. "The Lay of the Lost Critic" was the 
 first of his contributions, and it was sent in, not by its 
 author, but by a friend who had read it. So well was it 
 thought of that Mr. St. Leger was invited at once to become 
 a contributor, and accordingly he sent in many poems during 
 the four years that followed, together with odd papers in 
 . the form of letters, especially on pseudo-scientific lines. All 
 these poems were collected into a volume entitled "Ballads 
 from Punch," in which perhaps the most striking are that "To 
 my Hairdresser," and the irresistibly comic satire on modern 
 ordnance, in which during a naval battle, after all the fighting 
 has been done by ramming, " the last stern order of the 
 brave" is whispered through the ship: "We're going to fire 
 the guns ! ! " This desperate course is taken and described
 
 396 
 
 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 — the air gi'ows thick and dark with broken breech, flying 
 tube, and disrupted armour-plate, and when all was over — 
 
 "... They punished the seven survivors 
 For wasting the ordnance stores.'' 
 
 Mr. Anstey (Guthrie) was already famous for his little 
 series of successful books, "Vice Versa," "The Giant's Robe," 
 " The Tinted Venus," " The Black Poodle," and " A Fallen 
 Idol," when he was invited to contribute to Punch. In 
 each and all of these stories there had been a clear and 
 
 original idea, worked out with in- 
 genuit}' and invested with rich and 
 delicate humour. Their author was 
 clearlv a man for Punch. So thought 
 Mr. Burnand, and ]\Ir. Anstey shared 
 the opinion. On November 4th, 1885, 
 therefore, appeared his tirst contribution 
 "Faux et Preterea Xihil." His work 
 was consistently good, and at the end 
 of 1886 he was called to the Table, 
 taking his place and eating his first 
 Dinner in January, 1887. 
 
 Mr, Anstey's writings attracted 
 attention from the beginning, and in 
 their reprinted form have been no less successful — the truest 
 test of quality. Among the most delightful of these was 
 the "Model Music Hall Songs" — songs and dramas virgin i bus 
 ptierisque, adapted to the requirements of the members of 
 the London County Council which sought out and found 
 indecenc}' in a marionette's pursuit of a butterfly. The 
 idea opened up to Mr. Anstey a comic vista, which he has 
 developed for our delectation. The songs and dances, with 
 their words and directions, are for the most part scream- 
 ingly funny, consisting partly in the perfectly realised absurdity 
 and inanity of the performance, and partly in that quality 
 of absolute truthfulness to life which we are forced to realise 
 in the presentation of them. Laughter is often produced b}- 
 the mere faithfulness of an imitation, whether the thing copied 
 
 F. ANSTEY. 
 
 {From a Photograf>h by Messrs. 
 Bassano, Limited.)
 
 Mr, Anstey's Sa tire 3 97 
 
 is funny or not. Simple mimicry has the power to make us 
 laugh ; and over that power, in all its phases of motive, act, 
 and talk, Mr. Anstey has absolute control. In addition, he 
 has a genius for plot-making and verse-writing, be it original 
 or parody, which in its own line is unsui"passed in modern 
 literature. In his analysis of character and motive he seems 
 to set before us our own weak selves laid bare, until his 
 voces popiili become voces auimi, the voice of the people 
 speaking unpleasantly like the ^'oice of conscience. 
 
 In this comic reproduction of actual experience Mr. Anstey 
 has travelled over the road pointed out by Mr. Burnand in 
 his "Happy Thoughts" and ''Out of Town;" but, adding 
 gi^eath' to the scientific truth of it, he seems to have lost 
 something of the geniality and joviality of the fomi. Mr. 
 Anstey has placed Societ}' on the dissecting-table, and prob- 
 ing with a little less of the sympathy shown by ]\Ir. du 
 Maurier, he cames his observation, consciously or uncon- 
 sciously, to a much farther and more merciless point. Not 
 that he has no kindly feeling for his subjects ; he has — but 
 he reserves it for his good people. Towards his snobs and 
 cads and prigs he is pitiless ; he turns his microscope upon 
 them, and with far less mercy than is to be found in a 
 vivisector he lays bare their false hearts, points to their lying 
 tongues, and tears them out without a pang of remorse. It 
 is all in fun, of course ; but it is unmistakable. Still, who 
 shall find fault vrith what is the essence of justice and truth, 
 which mercy only interferes with to weaken ? 
 
 The burlesques in the '' Model Music Hall Songs " are 
 often as good as their originals — ^just as some of the Rejected 
 Addresses by the Smiths were as good as the genuine poems 
 they parodied ; and the representation of them is placed before 
 the reader with more than photogi-aphic truth. In " So Shy ! " 
 we see the lady " of a mature age and inclined to a com- 
 fortable embonpoint," who comes forward and sings — 
 
 " I'm a dynety little dysy of the dingle, 
 So retiring and so timid and so coy — 
 If you ask me why so long I have lived single, 
 I will tell you — 'tis because I am so shoy."
 
 398 The History of " Pua-ch.'' 
 
 It is a notable fact that songs of this sort were driven 
 off the better-class music-hall stage about this time, and 
 there is little doubt that Mr. Anstey, to whom Mr. Bernard 
 Partridge afterwards rendered artistic help, took yeoman's 
 share in the campaign. More certain it is that with '' Mr. 
 Punch's Young Reciter " he effectively suppressed the drawing- 
 room spouter. Xo one with a sense of humour who has 
 read that series can now stand up and recite a poem of a 
 sentimental or an heroic nature from the pens of .Mr. Cle- 
 ment Scott or Mr. G. R. Sims without genius to back him ; 
 and no one who heard it could retain his gravity to the end. 
 "Burglar Bill" melted almost to repentance by the innocent 
 child who asked him to burgle her doll's house, and whose 
 salvation was finally wrought b}^ the gift of the bab3''s jam- 
 tart — killed the Young Reciter by dint of pure ridicule and 
 honest fun. He has made an unsophisticated reciter as im- 
 possible as a sympathetic and sentimental audience. 
 
 And in "Voces Populi " — the popular dramas in dialogue, 
 in which the conversation accurately and concisely describes 
 the character, temperament, and tastes of the speaker — there 
 is a humorous verbal photography of extraordinary vividness. 
 'Arr)^ is no longer a symbol and a type, as he is in Mr. Milli- 
 ken's hands ; he is a definite person in one particular position 
 in life and no other, and what he says could not, we feel, 
 possibly have been said in any other way, nor by any other 
 person. And so along the whole gamut of the classes 
 through which Mr. Anstey leads us. The humour is pene- 
 trating, and it is difficult to say where the truth ends and 
 the caricature begins. Who can forget the visit to the Tudor 
 Exhibition, when Henry VHI.'s remarkable hat was on 
 view ? " 'Arry," says 'Arriet to her escort ; " look 'ere ; 
 fancy a king goin' about in a thing like that — pink with a 
 green feather! Why, I wouldn't be seen in it m3'self!" 
 'Any, who is clearly farceur, replies with a pretty wit : 
 "Ah, but that was ole 'Ener}- all over, that was; he wasn't 
 one for show. He liked a quiet, unassumin' style of 'at, he 
 did. * None o' yer loud pot'ats for Me ! ' he'd tell the 
 Royal 'atters ; ' find me a tile as won't attract people's
 
 And Parody. 399 
 
 notice, or you won't want a tile yerselves in another minute ! ' 
 An' you may take yer oath they served him prett}' sharp, 
 too ! " And so it is all through ; the talk of the people, of 
 everybody in all sorts of positions in life, is recorded in these 
 " Voces," and in all there is the same quality of nature. 
 
 In " Travelling Companions," nearly as amusing and quite 
 as observant, we are made to feel that the two heroes detest 
 each other hardly more than Mr. Anstey detests Culcherd, 
 the more unsympathetic and contemptible of the two. They 
 are nearly as despicable as they are funny, and their 
 creator has little pity for them on that account. There is a 
 "plentiful lack of tenderness," but an abundance of humour 
 to excuse it. This quality is not visible in *"' Mr. Punch's 
 Pocket Ibsen " — a parody so good that we sometimes wonder 
 if the part we are reading is not reall)^ from the hand of the 
 Norwegian master. Nothing, surely, could be truer, nothing 
 touched with a lighter hand than "Pill-doctor Herdal " — 
 an achievement attained solely by a profound study of the 
 dramatist. Again, in "The Man from Blankle3^'s " and in 
 "Lyre and Lancet" we have social satires grafted on to a 
 most entertaining plot — a creation in both cases which may 
 be compared with Keene's drawings for observation, and with 
 Goldsmith's and Moliere's plays for the happy construction 
 of these comedies of errors. The plots assuredl}' would have 
 extorted the admiration of Labiche himself, so complicated 
 and ingenious are they. Besides, everything seems so natural, 
 so inevitable, " so much of a lesson," that it is hardl}" to be 
 wondered at that "The Man from Blankley's " was on more 
 than one occasion actually given out as the text for a sermon 
 delivered from the pulpit. 
 
 Another excuse for music-hall treatment of an exquisite 
 sort is afforded by the story of "Under the Rose," which 
 is inimitable. For example : — 
 
 The Sisters Sarcenet (on stage) : " You men are deceivers 
 and awfully sly. Oh, you a7'c ! " 
 
 Male Portion of Audience (as 7S expected from tlicm) : 
 " No, we areiiH! " 
 
 The Sisters S. (archly) : " Now you know you are !
 
 4O0 
 
 The History of '' Punch" 
 
 You come home with the milk ; should your poor wife ask 
 
 why, 
 'Pressing business, my pet,' you serenely reply, 
 When you've really been out on the ' Tiddle-y-hi ! ' 
 Yes, you havef^ 
 Male Audience fas before): "No, we've not!''^ 
 The Sisters S. (with the air of accusing angels) : " Why, 
 you know you have ! " 
 
 It is sometimes objected that the root of Mr. Anstey's success 
 lies near the surface, and is nothing but the vividness of his 
 dialogues. It is a great deal more ; it lies in the truth of 
 his characters, subtly drawn, but irresistible, and, now and 
 again, tenderly pathetic. Thus may you see the optimist 
 and pessimist, and the link between them, in the following 
 scene in the Mall on Drawing-Room Day : — - 
 
 Cheery Old Lady (delighted ) : " I could see all the coach- 
 men's 'ats beautiful. We'll wait and see 'em all come out, 
 John, won't we ? They won't be more than a hour and a half in 
 there, I dessay." 
 
 A Person with a Florid Vocabulary : " Well, if I'd ha' 
 known all I was goin' to see was a set o' blanky nobs shut up 
 in their blank-dash kerridges, blank my blanky eyes if I'd ha' 
 stirred a blanky foot, s'elp me dash, I wouldn't ! " 
 
 A Vendor (persuasively) : " The kerrect lengwidge of hevery 
 flower that blows — one penny ! " 
 
 In the composition of his " Voces " and kindred work, it 
 has been the practice of Mr. Anstey to visit the needful spot, 
 where he would try to seize the salient points and the 
 general tone, the speakers and the scene, trusting to luck for 
 a chance incident, feature, or sentence that might provide a 
 subject. Sometimes he would have to go empty awa}' ; but 
 as a rule he would find enough to provide the rough material 
 for a sketch. Sometimes, too, he would combine hints and 
 anecdotes received from his acquaintance with his own ex- 
 perience and invention ; on rarer occasions he would happen 
 upon an incident which could be worked up into a sketch very 
 much as it actually occurred, though with strict selection and 
 careful elaboration. On the whole it may be taken that the
 
 Mr. R. C. Lehmaxs. 
 
 401 
 
 conversations are mostly what might have happened, but 
 tliat the}' never were shorthand reproductions of overheard 
 talk ; and the incidents are almost invariably invented. 
 Occasionally something in an exhibition or show would sug- 
 gest a typical comment, or a casual remark might provide an 
 idea for a character ; but a good deal is certainly unconscious 
 reminiscence and fragmentary observation, and the residue 
 pure guess-work. 
 
 Of the artistic quality of Mr. Anstey's work there can be 
 no question — neither of its humour, nor of its value as a 
 complete reflection of English, and especially of Cockney, life. 
 Old-fashioned people may and do denounce it as new- 
 fangled ; but does anyone doubt the sort of welcome that 
 would have been accorded to it by Jen-old and Thackeray and 
 Gilbert a Beckett if they had had the good fortune to have 
 an Anstev in their midst half-a-centurv 
 
 ago ? 
 
 Mr. R. C. Lehmann, grand-nephew 
 of W. H. Wills, one of Piaich's early 
 crew, had a good reputation as a Cam- 
 bridge wit before Mr. Burnand captured 
 him for Punch. In April, 1889, he 
 began to edit "The Granta," the clever 
 " barrel-organ of the Cambridge under- 
 graduates," satirical, brightly humorous, 
 and freshly youthful. On the 14th of 
 the following December there appeared 
 in Punch his first contribution, a dia- 
 logue entitled "Among the Amateurs," 
 which has since been reprinted in "The Billsbury Election." 
 
 Mr. Lehmann lost no time in de\'ising series of articles, 
 which all Punch readers will remember. Such were " Modern 
 Types" and "Mr. Punch's Prize Xovels" (one of the most 
 successful, including parodies of a score of the leading authors 
 of the day), "In the Know," "The Adventures of Picklock 
 Holes," "Letters to Abstractions," "Lord Omiont's Mate and 
 Matey's Aminta," "Manners and Customs," and "Studies in 
 the New Poetry." Within four months of his first contribution 
 A A 
 
 R. C. LEHMANN'. 
 
 {From a PhotograpSi by Elliott 
 and Fry.)
 
 402 The History of '' Punch" 
 
 Mr. Lehmann was promoted to the Table — an iinpreceden- 
 tedlv rapid promotion — and he has ever since been one 
 of the most dihgent of contributors. Literary merit apart, 
 Mr. Lehmann's "Conversational Hints for Young Shooters" 
 has probabh" been received with gi-eater favour throughout 
 the country, on account of its subject and its felicitous treat- 
 ment, than any of the young author's works. Country 
 readers are essentiallv sportsmen — in conversation, if not in 
 fact ; and nothing in humorous writing delights them more 
 than a clever burlesque on their favourite topic. You may 
 hear the book praised where one of the writer's more 
 ambitious efforts may pass unnoticed ; and one of its passages 
 is quoted with unction in many a shooting party. " Johnson, 
 who was placed forward, again stood under a canop)' of 
 pheasants, and shot with brilliant success into the gaps. . . . 
 The only theory which is accepted as explaining the cata- 
 strophe is one that imputes a malignant cunning to the 
 birds." 
 
 The )-ear that saw ]Mr. Lehmann's a]")pointment witnessed 
 also the calling of his kinsman, Mr. Barrv Pain, one of the 
 chief contributors to "The Granta." His story of "The 
 Hundred Gates," printed in " Cornhill," struck Mr. Burnand as 
 a work of promise ; indeed, Mr. Burnand is reported to 
 have found it so funnv that he thought he must ha"ve 
 written it himself The annexing of the writer was at once 
 effected. One of his earliest contributions to PuncJi was 
 the amusing parody of Tennvson's "Throstle," just before 
 Christmas, 1889 ; and a collection of comic Cambridge defini- 
 tions in imitation of Euclid followed. Then came a set of 
 short stories called " Storicules," and a series of articles con- 
 stituting a mock guide to conduct for N-oung ladies. Since 
 1892 Mr. Pain's work has fallen awav, probably only for a 
 time ; for Punch has proved well-nigh irresistible to everv 
 genuine humorist who is anxious to bring his faculty to bear 
 on the risibility of the English public. 
 
 Mr. Henry I'ottinger Stephens, one ot the wits of the 
 " Sporting Times," the founder of the " Topical Times," and 
 member of the staff of the "Daily Telegraph," was for two
 
 Mr. C. Geake and Others. 403 
 
 or three years on the outside salaried Staff of PiincJi. Con- 
 tributing from 1889 to 1 89 1, he wrote a series of "queer 
 tales" as well as some attacks on the then South Western 
 Railwa}^ management, under the title of " The \Va3's of 
 Waterloo." Such dramatic criticisms as were not undertaken 
 by Mr. Burnand or relegated by him to Mr. Arthur a 
 Beckett, and numerous trifles besides, fell to him to do ; but 
 on his departure for America the connection was broken, and 
 not afterwards resumed. 
 
 Passing by Mr. C. W. Cooke, we find Mr. Charles Geake, 
 member of the Bar and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, 
 as the chief recruit of the year 1890. To "The Granta " he 
 had sent a casual contribution, and Mr. R. C. Lehmann, 
 appreciating his talent, proved his esteem by installing Mr. 
 Geake as the Cambridge editor of that paper. From " The 
 Granta" to Punch has become a natural ascent, and on 
 Jul)' 12th, 1890, ]\Ir. Geake made his first bow to London 
 readers. Three months later a packet of Punch office 
 envelopes announced that he had been placed on the foot- 
 ing of a regular outside contributor, and that it was now 
 his privilege to send his work straight to the printer's. At 
 first he wrote nothing but verse ^ — society verse, ballades,, 
 rondeaux, topical verse, and parodies in verse and prose, and 
 then burlesques of books, such as the capital imitation of 
 ''The Tale of Two Telegrams" (a "Dolly Dialogue" in the 
 manner of " Anthonv Hope"), p. 97, Vol. CVII., Septem- 
 ber ist, 1894, ^md"The Blue Gardenia" (October 20th, 1894, 
 p. 185), with various skits and topical matter. "Lays of 
 the Currenc}" " are among the chief of Mr. Geake's poetical 
 '' series," and "Chronicles of a Rm^al Parish" — the adven- 
 tures and misadventures of a rural parishioner who wishes to 
 patronise the Parish Councils Act — his principal effort in 
 comic prose. 
 
 The year 1892 brought three new writers: Mr. Gerald 
 F. Campbell, who began by contributing (on April 23rd) 
 poems of sentiment, such as " Town Thoughts from the 
 Country," and three months later " The Cry of the Children " 
 and "Alone in London;" R. F. Murray, the American-born 
 A A 2
 
 404 The History of "Punch." 
 
 author of "The Scarlet Gown," who, through Mr. Andrew 
 Lang's introduction, sent in a few verses shortly before his 
 death ; and Mr. Roberts, who finds his place among the artists. 
 
 Mr. George Davies was an important accession of the 
 following year. On only half-a-dozen occasions had he ever 
 been in print, and that in obscure publications, when he com- 
 posed an "Ethnographical Alphabet," beginning "A is an 
 Afghan." The writer, who is something of a tsiganologue, 
 emboldened b}- his success, followed up his alphabet, which 
 appeared January 21st, 1893, and within a year had placed 
 to his credit three-score contributions, most of them in verse 
 — rather a remarkable achie^■ement for one heretofore con- 
 sidered a mere bookwomi and dryasdust. 
 
 Another Cambridge man of originality and ingenuity, 
 mainly in verse, is Mr. Arthur A. Sykes — a " Cantabard," as 
 he himself would admit, peculiarly skilled in " Cambrij ingles." 
 He began with "In the Key of Ruthene " on May 6th, 
 1893, '^^^^ followed it up with a laughable ode "To a 
 Fashion-Plate Belle." It was accompanied with a comic, 
 though hardly exaggerated, design of the female figure as 
 depicted in ladies' fashion-papers — the drawing being also by 
 Mr. Sykes. Since then many verses by him ha\'e appeared, 
 in wliich quaint conception, sudden turn of thought, and 
 strano-e achievements in rhvming (as in "The Tour That 
 Never Was," August 19th, 1893) '^^<^ the chief figures. Then 
 came the promotion embodied in the privilege of sending 
 his contributions direct to the printer before, instead of after, 
 being submitted to the editorial eye ; and a good deal of 
 prose work followed, such as the " Scarlet Afternoon," a skit 
 in dialogue suggested by 'Sir. R. S. Hichens' " Green Carnation." 
 
 Light verse from the Rev. Anthonv C. Deane began on 
 August 2oth, 1892 ("Ad Puellam "), but he was already a 
 master of the art. Two months before his little volume of 
 " Frivolous Verses " had appeared, and so struck Mr. Andrew 
 Lang that he reviewed it in a "Daily Xews " leading-article, 
 invited the author to go and see him, and suggested his 
 writing for Punch. Mr. Deane had already been a " Granta " 
 poet, and was well known to ]\Ir. Lehmann, who, finding
 
 Rev. a. C. Deane. — Mr. Owen Seaman. 405 
 
 thiit Mr. Lang had already spoken to Mr. Anstey, gladly 
 added a word of introduction to the Editor. By such means 
 as these, oftener than by promiscuous outside application, is 
 new blood found : the best men do not, as a rule, force 
 forward their own work. Mr. Deane at that time was 
 not twenty-two, nor was he yet ordained. He passed the 
 necessary period at the same theological college — Cuddesdon 
 — that }-ears before had sheltered Mr. Burnand, and went on 
 contributing verses to Punch, to the number (1894) of sixty 
 or seventy ; so that the course of his Punch love has run 
 very smooth. 
 
 Another literary godson of Mr. Lehmann's, and child of 
 'The Granta," is ]\Ir. Owen Seaman. Through the good 
 offices of the former, ]Mr. Seaman's " Rhyme of the Kipper- 
 ling," nearly filling the first page of Punch, was inserted 
 in the number for January 13th, 1894. This imitation of 
 Mr. Rudyard Kipling's " Rhyme of the Three Sealers " was 
 its own recommendation, and since that time Mr. Seaman 
 has been one of the most prolific outside contributors of the 
 year. His series comprise " She-Xotes " — a skit on " Key- 
 notes " and "Airs Resumptive" — of which the fourth, "To Julia 
 in Shooting-togs (and a Herrickose Vein)" is an admirable speci- 
 men of its class. Art and political criticism in verse and prose 
 are employed to illustrate the writer's facility and classic taste. 
 
 To this list, necessarily incomplete, in spite of its length, 
 a few names remain to be added, and an incongi-uous party 
 they fomi. Professor Forbes ; Mr. J. C. Wilson, mantle manu- 
 facturer ; and i\Ir. J. J. Lushington, of the Suffolk Chief Con- 
 stable's Office, first a soldier and finally an auctioneer (a 
 giant of nearly six feet se\-en, who would have fonned a 
 good fourth to Thackeray, " Jacob Omnium,'.' and Dean Hole) 
 — men of every sort and condition, brought together by the 
 universal brotherhood of humoiu". Mrs. Frances Collins was 
 a contributor, and her Punch utterance upon Judge Bayley's 
 curious decision at Westminster County Court in January, 1877, 
 as to next-door music that is " intolerable," yet not " action- 
 able" ("Music hath (_C)Harms"), is still remembered and 
 quoted. Another lady-wit of the present day is Mr. Lehmann's
 
 4o6 The History of "■ Punch!' 
 
 sister, Lady Campbell, who wrote the women's letters in 
 the series of " Manners and Customs," while her brother 
 took the male side of the correspondence. ]VIrs. Leverson has 
 been the contributor of numerous clever prose parodies and 
 general articles, the chief of which up to June, 1895, ^^^^ been 
 "The Scarlet Parasol." Mr. James Pavn has also worked 
 for Punch, but very little — only to the extent of placing some 
 little pleasantry at its service, and now and then suggesting 
 a subject for illustration. A set of rhvmes bv Mr. H. D. 
 Traill, reprinted in his volume entitled "Number Twenty," 
 was his sole contribution, the " Saturdav Review" having had 
 a sort of prescriptive right to all his work of this descrip- 
 tion. It is the greater pity, for even the lightest of his 
 verses have the true ring and, according to some, much of 
 the vigour characteristic of Mr. Rudyard Kipling's work. 
 Mr. Arthur Armitage, too, was for many years a contributor. 
 Being a solicitor in practice, he kept his identity a secret. He 
 was always known to the Editor and Proprietors as " Mr. A. 
 Armstrong," and up to this present publication he never rcA'ealed 
 the levity of his youth. His first contribution was " Marriage 
 Customs of the Great Britons," which was inserted in the 
 "Pocket-Book ' for 1S55. After writing regularly for this off- 
 spring of PiincJis, Mr. Armitage was, in 1861, specially invited 
 to contribute to the paper itself on topics political, social, 
 and commercial — only a satire on " The Baby of the Papal 
 States " (Louis Napoleon ) being rejected, on the ground that, 
 were it inserted, war with France would be inevitable. On 
 Mark Lemon's death Mr. Armitage ceased his connection as an 
 " outside regular," and ^Hxe years later reprinted a number of 
 his most amusing Punch verses and articles under the title of 
 " Winkleton-on-Sea. ' Frederick Gale — better known as "The 
 Old Buffer " and as the great cricket authorit}' — wrote a short 
 series for Punch. Then ]\Ir. Walter Sichel, since the beginning 
 of 1892, has contributed some prose and more verse, such as the 
 series of " Men who have taken me in — to dmner," " Lays of 
 Modern Home," " Inns and Outs," as well as " Rhymes out of 
 Season," "The Diary of an Old Joke," and the original " Queer 
 Queries." The late magistrate, ^Ir. Hosack, too, contributed
 
 The Literature of ''Punch" Afij 
 
 several sharp police-court sketches ; and '' Arthur Sketchley " 
 had a capital story to tell, but spoiled it in the telling. Even 
 H. J. Byron, contrary to general belief, tried his hand as a 
 Punch contributor, but he was somewhat dull. He admitted, 
 in fact, that he wanted to keep all his fun for his plays, and 
 so starved his Punch work of its legitimate humour. Mr. 
 Arthur E. Viles's verses on "Temple Bar" (December, 1877) 
 may be mentioned, and Mr. Leopold Godfrey Turner's name 
 must not be omitted. But, of the contributors of trifles, a 
 number niust remain anonymous — as, indeed, manv do from 
 choice; inevitably so before 1847, when it first became the 
 practice to enter up outsiders' work in their own names. 
 And among these occasional contributors the present writer 
 is proud to range himself. 
 
 In looking at the literature of Punch, we become sensible 
 of a change not dissimilar to that which we find to have 
 taken place in its art. There is nowadays no Jerrold, whose 
 fulminating passion and fine frenzv often came dangerously 
 near to " high-falutin'." There is perhaps no versifier at the 
 Table with quite the same fancy or taste as Gilbert Abbott 
 a Beckett, Shirley Brooks, and Percival Leigh. But we have 
 instead a keener observation of the life and customs of the 
 day, an ingenuity and an elegance that go better with the 
 taste and habit of thought of the times. In the old days it 
 was not uncommon in discussing Punch's poetrv to urge in 
 apology that — 
 
 Wit will shine 
 Through the harsh cadence of a rugged line. 
 
 Nowadays, when comedy and rapier have to a great extent 
 replaced farce and sword, finish is accounted of greater 
 importance than of yore, and gi'ace and daintiness are 
 accepted where simple fun was formerly the aim — an aim, 
 by the wa}', which was as frequently missed as now. Let 
 the reader who is inclined to be as severe on latter-day 
 Punch as on latter-day ever3lhing, take down one of the 
 early volumes, and seek for the side-splitting articles and 
 epigrams, the verse apoplectic with fun, which we are taught 
 to expect there. He will learn that it is not so much that
 
 4oS The History of " Puxch." 
 
 the quality of Punch has changed, despite the great names 
 of the past. He will find that the change is due rather to 
 modern fashion and to modern views than to any deteriora- 
 tion of Punch's. Good things are there now, as then ; and 
 now, as then, many of the best writers in the country 
 contribute periodically to its pages. With verse and article, 
 epigram and parody, Punch continues to be a record and 
 a mirror of his times — a comic distorting mirror perhaps, 
 but still a glass of fashion and of history, with fun for its 
 mercurv, which, through its literature, pleasantly and agi'ee- 
 ably reflects the deeds and the thoughts of the people. 
 What of it, if his verse now and again is only passable ? 
 Sometimes it is fine — always acceptable, and rarely below 
 an elevated established standard ; anyhow, some years ago, 
 Mr. Joseph Chamberlain's single offering was rejected on its 
 demerits by the " monument of British humour." Perhaps 
 the Editor judged it as Punch's railway-porter judged an old 
 lady's pet in accordance with railway rules : Cats is " dogs," 
 and rabbits is " dogs," and so's pan'ots ; but this 'ere tortis is 
 a hinsect, and there ain't no — need — for it. And the tone 
 of Punch's more serious utterances is now that of the dining- 
 room rather than of the debating society and the vestry 
 room. Mr. Ruskin, among others, deplored Punch's kid 
 gloves and exening-dress, when amiable obituary notices on 
 Baron Bethell — (had he not been Punch's counsel in the 
 old days ?) — and the Bisho]) of Winchester were published. 
 ''Alas, Mr. l*unch," he wrote, "is it come to this? And is 
 there to be no more knocking down, then ? And is your 
 last scene in future to be shaking hands with the devil ?" * 
 Punch can still hit hard ; though " knocking down " is no 
 longer his main delight. His text has become as refined as 
 his art — and that, of course, is the reason that it no longer 
 conmiands the chief attention of the class that once was led 
 by it. At that time its art alone carried it into circles that 
 abhorred its politics, and it is recorded that Mulready was 
 driven to excuse himself to one of the Staff for not reading the 
 text by the lame confession that he was " no book-worm ! " 
 
 * " Fors," 1874 (p. 125).
 
 409 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 PUNCH'S artists: 1 84 1. 
 
 Punch's Primitive Art — A. S. Henning — Brine — A Strange Doctrine — John 
 Phillips — W. Newman — Pictorial Puns — H. G. Hine — John Leech — His 
 Early Life — Friendship with Albert Smith — Leech Helps Punch up the 
 Social Ladder — His Political Work — Leech Follows the " Movements " — 
 " Servantgalism " — "The Brook Green Volunteer" — The Great Beard 
 Movement — Sothern's Indebtedness to Leech for Lord Dundreary — Crazes 
 and Fancies — Leech's Types — " Mr. Briggs " — Leech the Hunter — Leech 
 as a Reformer — Leech as an Artist — His " Legend "-Writing — Friend- 
 ship with Dickens — His Prejudices — His Death — And Funeral. 
 
 One of the peculiarities of Punch's career is the increasing 
 preponderance assumed b}- the artistic section. It is said 
 that when George Hodder was introduced to a distinguished 
 Royal Academician, he could find nothing better to say, with 
 which to open the conversation, than the tremendous senti- 
 ment — "Art is a great thing, sir!" Punch gradually but 
 surely realised, too, how great a thing art is, and for many 
 years past he has sought out artists to recruit his Staff, 
 where before he looked chiefly for draughtsmen. The state- 
 ment may seem a curious one to make, but it is an opinion 
 shared nowadavs bv some of the best artists on Punch and 
 off it, that were the drawings sent in to-day which were 
 contributed by the majority of the original artistic Staff, not 
 excluding the mighty Leech himself, they would be declined 
 without thanks, and — according to the somewhat harsh rule 
 that has for some time prevailed — without return of their 
 contribution. There was a promiscuous rough-and-ready 
 manner about the drawing of comic cuts in those early da5'S, 
 when intended for the periodical press, that would offend 
 the majority of people to-day. There was no photography 
 then to enable the artist to draw as big as he chose, and 
 then to reproduce the drawings on to the wood-block in any
 
 4IO The History of " Puxch." 
 
 size he please. There were no blocks which could be taken 
 into sections and distributed among half-a-dozen engravers at 
 once for swift and careful cutting. There was no " process," 
 which pemiitted of reduction and reproduction of the finest 
 pen-and-ink work. There was no " drawing from the life " 
 for these little pictures of "life and character." The joke was 
 the thing, not the artistic drawing of it. Farce and burlesque 
 had not yet developed into comedy and comedietta, refined by 
 degrees and beautifully assthetic. Nowadays, as Mr. du Maurier 
 has publicly declared, everything must be drawn straight from 
 Xature, without trusting to memory or observation alone. 
 " Men and women, horses, dogs, seascapes, landscapes, every- 
 thing one can make little pictures out of, must be studied 
 from life. . . . Even centaurs, dragons, and cherubs must be 
 closely imitated from Xature — or at least as much as can be 
 got from the living model ! " It is, therefore, more than 
 likely that Leech would have been told that he must really 
 be more careful in his work before Punch could publish it ; 
 and his first contribution of " Foreign Affairs " would have 
 been rejected as being altogether too rough and with far too 
 little point for its size. All Punch's pictures at this day, no 
 doubt, cannot be said to suipass the artistic achievement of 
 some of the earliest cuts, but there is almost invariably an 
 artistic intention, technically speaking, which excuses even the 
 poorer work— a suggestion of the drawing-school rather than, 
 to use a modern expression, mere " dancing upon paper." 
 
 Although from the beginning to the present day the 
 artistic Staff which has sat at Punch's Table has numbered 
 less than a score, and the outside Staft, unattached (such as 
 Captain Howard, Mr. Sands, Mr. Pritchett, Mr. Fairfield, 
 Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Ralston, and Mr. Corbould), but very few 
 more — the total number of draughtsmen whose pencils have 
 been seen in Punch's pages amount to about one hundred 
 and seventy. In some cases sketches have been sent in 
 anonymously ; a few others I have been unable to trace ; 
 but these, it must be admitted, are hardl}" worth the trouble 
 expended on them. 
 
 The earliest recruit was Archibald S. Henning, the first in
 
 Archibald S. Henning. 
 
 411 
 
 A. S. HENNING. 
 
 (From a Water-Colour by his 
 son, Mr. Walton Henning.) 
 
 importance, as he was to be cartoonist, and first to appear 
 before the pubhc, inasmuch as the wrapper was from his 
 hand. He was the third son of John Henning, friend of 
 Scott and Dr. Chahners, on the strength of liis famous 
 miniature restoration of the Parthenon frieze, of which he 
 engi-aved the figures on slate in intaglio ; and he was well 
 known besides not only for these copies 
 of the Elgin marbles, but for his por- 
 trait-busts and medallions. Precision in 
 all things was one of his characteristics, 
 and even showed itself in the inscriptions 
 in his family Bible, wherein he set on 
 record that his son Archibald was 
 "born at Edinburgh, on the i8th of 
 February, at 30 minutes past 3 a.m." 
 But this accuracy was not inherited, 
 although the son was brought up to 
 assist his father on the friezes which 
 he executed on Burton's Arch at Hyde 
 Park Corner, and on the Athenaeum Club-house. His 
 drawing was loose and undistinguished ; his sense of humour, 
 such as it was, unrefined ; and his fun exaggerated and 
 false. He was a Bohemian, but not of the type of his 
 brother-in-law Kenny Meadows, preferring a class of enter- 
 tainment less exalted than those who so warmly welcomed 
 his sister's husband. Mr. Sala tells me that Henning painted 
 the show-blind for the Post Office, and afterwards steadily 
 drifted down the stream of time ; and Mr. Sala ought to 
 know, for he employed him in those impecunious but jolly 
 days when the editorship of "Chat" was in his hands. One 
 of the early memories of Mr. Walton Henning, Archibald's son, 
 is being sent by his father to collect the sum of one pound 
 sterling from Mr. Sala, and, after sitting on the office-stool 
 from eleven in the morning until two, being sent back without 
 the money, but instead with a letter of apology and of con- 
 gratulation on possessing a son who could sit for three hours, 
 like Patience on a monument, smiling at an empty till. 
 Henning remained with Punch till the summer of 1842,
 
 412 The History of "Punch." 
 
 having contributed eleven cartoons to the first volume and 
 several to the second, the last of which was that of " In- 
 direct Taxation," on p. 201. He also illustrated Albert 
 Smith's social "physiologies" of "The Gent" and "The 
 Ballet Girl " — not ill-done ; and when Punch had no further 
 need of his services he transferred them successively to " The 
 Squib," "The Great Gun," and "Joe ]\Iiller the Younger," 
 in each case taking the post of cartoonist. Later on he 
 worked occasionally on "The Man in the ]\Ioon " and on the 
 "Comic Times," and died in 1864. 
 
 Xo greater loss was Brine, Henning's fellow-cartoonist, 
 who remained with Punch until the beginning of the third 
 Aolume, having drawn nearly a dozen cartoons for each of 
 the two volumes. He was a poor and often a " fudgy " 
 draughtsman, gifted with extremely little liumour, who had 
 nevertheless worked a good deal at a Life Academy in the 
 Tottenham Court Road, along with Thomas Woolner, Elmore, 
 Claxton, and J. R. Herbert, and had even studied in Paris. 
 He had some strange notions as to figure-drawing, some of 
 which he wolild impart to such young students as cared to 
 listen. One of these rules, which he sought to impress on 
 Mr. Birket Foster's 'prentice mind, was never to draw ankle- 
 joints on female legs ; but Mr, Foster did not remain a 
 figure-draughtsman long enough to benefit by this valuable 
 advice. Brine was poorly paid, some of his smaller cuts 
 commanding a sum no higher than three-and-six ; but it is 
 impossible to say, looking at these sketches, that his efforts 
 were seriously underpaid. 
 
 Another of the Old Guard was John Phillips — who is not 
 to be confused with Watts Phillips, a contributor of a later 
 period. He was . the son of an eccentric old water-colour 
 painter, well known in his day, and has been identified as the 
 scene-painter whom Landells introduced later to the " Illus- 
 trated London News." Phillips, with Crowquill, illustrated 
 Reynolds' popular "continuation" of Dickens' Pickwick 
 Papers, entitled "Pickwick Abroad," and, like Brine, he 
 received his conge when the transfer of Punch to Bradbury 
 and Evans took place.
 
 W/LLiAM Newman. 413 
 
 And then there was b\' far the most important and 
 valuable draughtsman of the quartette— William Newman. 
 He was a ver}- poor man, who in point of payment for his 
 work suffered more than the rest ; and when he asked for 
 a slight increase in terms, he was met with a refusal on the 
 ground that " Mr. John Leech required such high prices." 
 He was an old hand at pictorial satire, and was one of those 
 who drew the little caricatures in " Figaro in London" several 
 years before. He was brought on to Punch by Landells, 
 but, owing to his lack of breeding and of common manners, he 
 was never invited to the Dinner, nor did any of his colleagues 
 care to associate with him. Unfortunately for him he was 
 an extremely sensitive man, and the neglect with which he 
 was perhaps not unnaturalh' treated preyed greatly upon 
 his mind. For a considerable time he was the most prolihc 
 draughtsman on the paper. Thus in 1846 there are no 
 fewer than eighty-seven cuts by him ; in 1847, one hundred 
 and twenty-seven; in 1848, one hundred and sixty-four; and 
 in 1849, one hundred and twenty-one. From the cut on 
 Punch's first title-page down to the year 1850 his work 
 is everywhere to be seen, in every degree of importance, 
 from tiie little silhouettes called "blackies," which usually 
 constituted little pictorial puns in the manner of Thomas 
 Hood, and which were paid— those of them which were good 
 and funny enough to be used— at the all-round rate of 
 eighteen shillings per dozen. Listances of his happy punning 
 vein are the sketches of a howling dog chained to a post, 
 entitled " The Moaning of the Tide ; " a portrait of a 
 villainous-looking fellow, "Open to Conviction;" a horse 
 insisting on drinking at a pond through which he is being 
 driven, " Stopping at a Watering-Place ; " a hare nursing her 
 voung, "The Hare a Parent;" a man wrestling with his 
 cornet, "A most Distressing Blow;" and a street-boy pick- 
 ing a soldier's pocket, "Relieving Guard." But he was soon 
 promoted to other work ; and to the first and second volumes, 
 at times of pressure, he even contributed a cartoon. This 
 service was four times repeated in 1846, and again in 1S47 
 and 1848, when Leech met with his serious bathing accident
 
 414 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 at Bonchurch : on which occasion the gi-eat John was put to 
 bed, as Dickens explained it, with a row of his namesakes 
 round his forehead. The cartoon in question was that entitled 
 " Dirty Father Thames," and a glance at it will show how 
 great was the improvement in the draughtsman's art. New- 
 man did not, however, confine himself to Punch all this 
 while; he had worked as cartoonist to "The Squib " in 
 1842; and again for the "Puppet-Show," "Diogenes," and 
 H. J. Bvron's "The Comic Xews " in 1864. Then, dis- 
 appointed at the little advance he had made in the world, 
 he emigrated to the United States, where more lucrative 
 employment awaited him. He had a greater sense of beauty 
 and a more refined touch than most of his colleagues ; 
 and though he did not shine as a satirist, he was alwavs 
 well in the spirit of Punch. 
 
 But the most interesting of Punch s 
 earliest men before the advent of Leech 
 was H. G. Hine, who up to 1895 ^^''^s 
 the octogenarian Vice-President of the 
 Institute of Painters in Water-Colours, 
 whose broad and masterly drawings of 
 poetic landscape have been the artistic 
 wonder of recent years. He began to 
 draw for Punch in September, 1841, 
 and thenceforward bore with Xewman 
 the brunt of the illustration. He was 
 really a serious painter — a water-colour 
 artist of strong aim and considerable 
 accomplishment. Just before the start- 
 ing of Puncli Landells had, as has already been explained, 
 launched a landscape periodical called " The Cosmorama," 
 and had conmnssioned Hine to go to the London Dock and 
 make a drawing on the wood. The work was not new to 
 him, as Wood, a master-engraver of the time, taking pity 
 on the sense of foolish powerlessness with which every 
 beginner is afflicted, had explained to him the secret of the 
 craft. Landscape was thus his acknowledged line when he 
 found himself at the Docks with his round of boxwood in 
 
 11. (.. him;, \ .r.K.i. 
 
 (From a Photograph by E. 
 Wheeler, Brighton.)
 
 HiNE AROUSES ENTHUSIASM. 
 
 415 
 
 his hand. He marked off a square upon it, and, in order to 
 "get his hand in," he made what would nowadays be caUed 
 a remarque on the margin — a comic sketch of a dustman 
 and his dog. The block was finished, and carried to Landells, 
 who looked at it in some 
 surprise. " Did you do 
 that ? " said the North Coun- 
 tryman, pointing to the dust- 
 man. '' Would you draw 
 sketches like that for 
 Poonch f " ''But I'm not a 
 figure-draughtsman," objected 
 Hine. " Yes, you are ; and 
 it's just what we want for 
 Poouc/i." So Hine was en- 
 rolled, and in his line be- 
 came an exceedingly popular 
 draughtsman. He began by 
 making batches of the 
 "blackies" aforesaid, design- 
 ing them and their clever 
 punning titles with the 
 greatest freedom, unham- 
 pered by editorial interfer- 
 ence. He worked for Puncli 
 until 1844, and rapidly be- 
 came a contributor of the 
 first importance, whose 
 merits were fully appreciated. 
 One cut in particular de- 
 lighted Mark Lemon — that 
 of " A Long Xap," in which a toper has fallen into a sleep 
 so deep and protracted that a spider has spun a strong web 
 from the man's nose to the bottle and the table before him.* 
 "Upon my word!" cried Lemon on examining the block 
 when it was delivered, " Mr. Hine is reallv tremendous ! " 
 Hine had greater imagination and ingenuitv than Xewman, a 
 
 * See Punch, p. 237, Vol. I. 
 
 DESIGN FOR " PUNCH SEAL, BY H. G. HINE.
 
 4i6 The History of '' Puxch." 
 
 brighter fancy and keener wit ; and to him rather than to 
 others would apphcation be made for the reahsation of new 
 ideas. At Landells' request he produced the accompanying 
 "project" for a Punch medal or seal ; which, however, was 
 never carried into execution. His, too, were the stinging 
 Anti-Graham Wafers, to which reference is made elsewhere ; 
 and man}' other designs that went far to increase Pioich's 
 popularity. 
 
 He was chief stock-artist, so to say ; for Leech did not at 
 once assume the commanding position on the paper that was 
 soon to be his. And while Hine shared with him the honour 
 of drawing "Punch's Pencillings," as the cartoons were called 
 — several of the series of "Social Miseries" being from his 
 hand — he produced from time to time the chief cut when it 
 aspired to the dignity of a political caricature. 
 
 After a time, however, the amount of work sent to Hine 
 was greatlv reduced. It was now some time since he had 
 contributed the whole of the cuts to the first "Almanac," 
 but he was still an occasional cartoonist (Vols. HI., IV., and 
 V.) ; so that he was the more surprised at being roughl}' — 
 and, as he proved, unjustly — accused of being late with 
 a block. Other unpleasantnesses, which seemed to him 
 gratuitous, suggested the idea that he might not be wanted 
 on Punch. He put the point blankly, and was reassured. 
 Still, the quantity of work sent him diminished ; and as 
 nothing came by Christmas, Hine accepted the offer of 
 Christmas-work by the publisher of "The Great Gun" — for 
 which, b)' the wa}', he never receixed payment. Then 
 there suddenly arrived a mass of blocks from Punch ; but 
 thev were returned with the message that, not hearing from 
 his former proprietors, he had made other arrangements. 
 And that was the end of his connection. Later on he worked 
 for "Joe Miller the Younger," " Mephystopheles," and "The 
 Man in the Moon," and used his pencil, in the true Spirit of 
 a genuine sportsman, in pointing his well-barbed jokes against 
 his old paper with as much enthusiasm as he had before given 
 to its service. On page 153 of the second volume of PuncJi 
 may be seen a little cut entitled " Choice Spirits in Bond " —
 
 HiNE Retires. Leech Advances. 417 
 
 being the portraits of himself and the lanky William New- 
 man in the dock of a police-court. Although fift3'-four 3'ears 
 had passed, the strong resemblance of the little likeness could 
 still be recognised by those who knew the artist in the last 
 few months of his life. 
 
 After the collapse of "The Man in the Moon" Hine 
 dropped out of comic draughtsmanship. By this time, indeed, 
 he was tired of the work, for he had begun to think in 
 jokes, to turn every thought to ridicule, and to look upon 
 conversation rather as raw material for pun-making than as a 
 means of expressing and interchanging ideas. The last straw 
 was an occasion when he spent half a night with Horace 
 Mayhew in trying to make a joke to complete a series for 
 " Cruikshank's Almanack" — the very situation in Pope's 
 epigram : — 
 
 " You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come ; 
 Knock as you please, there's nobody at home." 
 
 Meanwhile another had arisen who was destined to over- 
 shadow for many years the rest of his colleagues, and while 
 he lived to be the life and soul of the undertaking — Mr. 
 Punch incarnate. This was John Leech, whose signature 
 first appears on page 43 of the first volume. 
 
 When Mr. Frith, R.A., sought to persuade the over- 
 worked Leech to take a holiday, he added, just to drive the 
 matter home : "If anything happened to you, who are the 
 'backbone of Punchy what would become of the paper?" 
 At which Leech smiled, sa}'s his biographer, and retorted, 
 " Don't talk such rubbish ! Backbone of Punch, indeed ! 
 Why, bless your heart, there isn't a fellow at work upon 
 the paper that doesn't think that of himself, and with about 
 as much right and reason as I should. Punch will get on 
 well enough without me, or an}' of those who think them- 
 selves of such importance." Li his lifetime none would have 
 been found to share the speaker's views ; nevertheless. Punch 
 — for all Leech's paramount importance to the paper — has 
 maintained his prosperity, and more than doubled his lease 
 of life since Leech laid down his pencil. Yet in his time he 
 
 B B 
 
 II
 
 41 8 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 was as much the artistic Punch as Jerrold was the hterary ; 
 and there are nearly as manv who still believe that Leech at 
 
 JOHN LLECH. 
 (From the Portrait by Sir John E. Millais, Hart., R.A., in the National Portrait Gallery.') 
 
 one time was Punch s Editor as accord the same unmerited 
 honour to Jerrold. 
 
 The story of Leech's early life has been already told. 
 How he was the son of the luckless owner of the London 
 coffee-house in Ludgate Hill ; how Flaxman saw his infantile 
 drawino:s and declared he would be nothinc: but an artist — 
 nay, " he i<oas an artist ; " how, at the Charterhouse, the gentle, 
 nervous lad was schoolfellow of Thackera}', with whom he 
 formed a passionate, life-long friendship ; and of yet another
 
 L eech's Ea rl y Effor ts. 419 
 
 hearty friend, Mr. Xethercote ; how, when he was medical 
 student at Bartholomew's Hospital, he contracted another 
 evergreen friendship with Percival Leigh, and formed an 
 acquaintanceship, long maintained, but never fiillv ripened, 
 with another medico — Albert Smith, of Middlesex ; how 
 his father's failure caused him to give up medicine and the 
 knife in favour of art and the pencil — by the exercise of 
 which, when he was still under Dr. Cockle, son of the pill- 
 doctor, he had already fascinated his fellow-students, and in 
 particular Percival Leigh — on whose initiative it was that 
 the '' Comic Latin Grammar" was carried into execution. All 
 this and more has ere now been recorded. But it all bears 
 directh^ on his Punch career, and must not by any means be 
 overlooked. 
 
 In 1836, when he was but nineteen years of age, he had 
 made a bid for the unhappy Seymour's vacant place as 
 Charles Dickens' illustrator ; but he had been already fore- 
 stalled by ''Phiz," and Leech was perforce rejected, as 
 Thackeray had been refused before him, and Buss dismissed. 
 Leech was already a good draughtsman on wood, ha^'ing 
 while resident with Orrin Smith the wood-engraver — he who 
 had previously tried to magnetise the idea of a " London 
 Charivari " into life — received many practical hints of the 
 greatest artistic value. For some time afterwards he worked 
 in harmony with his fellow-student of a literarv turn, whose 
 noble brass-plate inscribed " Mr. Albert Smith, M.R.C.S., Sur- 
 geon-Dentist ! " once brought upon the artist, says Percival 
 Leigh, the candid chaff, of a vulgar street-urchin. "Good 
 boy ! " said Leech, appreciating the attention and rewarding 
 it with a penny. '' Now go and insult somebodv else." He 
 drew furthermore upon the stone, and distinguished himself in 
 "Bell's Life in London" — the paper to which several of the 
 most eminent comic artists of the day then contributed — and 
 in 1 84 1, five years after his first-pubhshed "Etchings and 
 Sketchings, by A. Pen, Esq.," he issued in its complete form 
 his " Children of the Mobility." It was at that time that 
 Percival Leigh, having satisfied himself of the character and 
 tone of the new comic paper, not only made his own debut 
 
 B B 2
 
 420 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 in it, but introduced his friend and colleague, John Leech — 
 with what distressing result as to his full-page block of 
 "Foreign Affairs" the chapter on cartoons discloses. {Sec p. 
 173.) And here it may be added that all was not plain sailing 
 between Leech and Punch at the commencement ; for soon after 
 he resumed work he struck for higher terms. Until he got his 
 way he did no more work for the paper — as the reader ma)' 
 satisfy himself by turning to its pages ; and when he did, his 
 triumph was visited, as has already been described, upon the 
 heads of less talented contributors. It may safely be assumed 
 that Leech knew nothing of this, for the gentleness of the 
 man was such that he could not have suffered the idea that 
 his success meant others' disad^'antage, 
 
 Three things may be said to have brought Leech's powers 
 as a humorous draughtsman prominently before the public 
 —his illustrations to the "Comic Latin Grammar," the skit 
 on the Mulready euAelope (the most successful of all the 
 versions published), and his early Punch work. Mr. Frith 
 tells of Mulready's indignation at Leech's drawing — not at 
 the caricature itself, but at the leech in a bottle, by which 
 the Academician took it for granted that the draughtsman 
 meant to designate hifti by innuendo as a " blood-sucker ; " 
 and of Leech's surprise and pain at being so suspected, and 
 how the two men became fast friends ever after. Once a 
 regular Punch man, Leech immediately expanded, and as 
 quickly hit the taste and fancy of the public ; and from that 
 day forward rarely did his hand or his humorous or tragic 
 faculty play him false ; nor did the people falter in its praise 
 or its allegiance. 
 
 Although he expanded, he }'et took some time to settle 
 down. Not until the sixth volume (1844) could he be con- 
 sidered paramount in what was esteemed the higher walk of 
 cartooning — a department which he subsequenth' shared, first 
 with Doyle, and then with Tenniel. But it was in the social 
 cuts that he excelled — in his pictures of low life that are 
 never low ; in his great mastery in the delineation of char- 
 acter and his gift of seeing humour in most scenes of e^■ery- 
 day happening, and his power of recording comic conceptions,
 
 Thackeray on Leech. 421 
 
 unfailingly and irresistibly. It is true that as Mr, Punch went 
 up in the social scale Leech accompanied him in the rise — if, 
 indeed, it was not Leech, together with Thackeray's powerful 
 help, who elevated Punch. At the same time he sympathised 
 profoundh' with the horrors of poverty and oppression, 
 and looked kindly on gutter-children and on honest dirt 
 and misery; and to the end he regarded the "snob," the 
 'Arr}' of his day, with the genial contempt he had lavished 
 on him at the beginning. Thackeray appreciated the change 
 in the paper, and recorded it, too ; though he credits Jerrold 
 with a policy which was nought but the policy of a comic 
 paper softened in its asperities b}' time, and encouraged by 
 the greater refinement of its Staff and of its more cultivated 
 public. 
 
 " Mr. Leech," said Thackeray, " survej's society from the 
 gentleman's point of view. In old days, when Mr. Jerrold 
 lived and wrote for that famous periodical, he took the other 
 side ; he looked up at the rich and great with a fierce, a 
 sarcastic aspect, and a threatening posture, and his outcry or 
 challenge was : ' Ye rich and great, look out ! We, the 
 people, are as good as you. Have a care, ye priests, wal- 
 lowing on a tithe pig and rolling in carriages and four ; ye 
 landlords, grinding the poor ; ye vulgar fine ladies, bullying 
 innocent governesses, and what not — we will expose your 
 vulgarity ; we will put down your oppression ; we will vindi- 
 cate the nobilitv of our common nature,' and so forth. A 
 great deal was to be said on the Jerrold side, a great deal 
 was said — perhaps, even a great deal too much." And now, 
 says Thackeray in effect. Leech looks at all these people 
 with a certain respect for their riches, with an amiable 
 curiosity concerning their footmen's calves. Xevertheless, to 
 the end he was not kinder to Dives' oppression, less S3'mpa- 
 thetic towards the troubles of Lazarus, nor more indulgent 
 to the vulgarity of the snob ; nor a whit more tolerant of 
 viciousness, affectation, or meanness of an}' kind. 
 
 Of Leech's political work (for which at first he enter- 
 tained so great a dislike) I say perhaps enough in dealing 
 with what ma}' be called Pwich's Big Drum — the weekly
 
 422 Thr History of "Pu\ch" 
 
 cartoon. Taken together, those designs might be held to 
 represent a hfe's good work ; 5'et they represent but a frac- 
 tion of what he executed during his seven-and-twenty years' 
 hard labour. If after a close study of all his productions 
 with pencil and etching-needle, you ask 3-ourself what con- 
 stitutes his real life's-work, you will probably choose to 
 ignore his book plates — even those to the Comic Histories 
 of Rome and England, to the sporting novels of " Mr. 
 Sponge," and the rest — and point to his " Pictures of Life 
 and Character," as given forth in one continuous stream from 
 1 84 1 to 1864. 
 
 The "movements" and the "isms" and the creations of 
 fashion, of nearly all of which we have a whole series 
 spread over a long, but none too long a time, reflect in 
 themselves alone the social history of our day — development 
 of intellect and its antithesis, fashion in dress and language, 
 art and literature, craze and affectation ; in short, the whole 
 national evolution during a quarter of a century. It is 
 amusing to glance at some of them — a few out of the very 
 many — and sample the journalistic wit with which Leech 
 eyed and illustrated the passing hour. 
 
 The periodical wail of the British householder and his 
 wife on the subject of the gi-eat "domestic difficulty" gave 
 Leech a fund of anecdote that he was not slow to draw 
 upon. He was himself a typical middle-class British house- 
 holder, who liked to have everything nice and neat about 
 him, including the pretty, amiable, zealous, h-less maidservant 
 in nice white apron and clean print-dress. He closed his 
 eyes and ears to Sydney Smith's discovery that all the 
 virtues and most of the graces are not to be had for £'j 
 a 3'ear. And so Leech gave us the series he entitles 
 " Servantgalism," harshly illustrative for the most part of the 
 comic side of what a later generation calls Slaveyism. And 
 as Punch, chiefly under the influence of Thackeray, raised his 
 eyes iVom Bloomsbury to Belgravia, and found equal fun 
 and better sport in baiting the far more contemptible 
 airs and graces of John Thomas, "Flunkeiana" became a 
 fertile field from which he drew some of his most caustic
 
 Volunteers and Moustaches. 423 
 
 productions. He made them the severer, too, that during 
 the Crimean War and the dangers that threatened the land, 
 Leech could not bear with patience the sight of "pampered 
 menials " passing their time m relatively idle luxury, when 
 they, together with linen-drapers' assistants and others en- 
 gaged in what is really woman's work, ought rather to have 
 been bearing arms, or at the very least drilling in the newly- 
 formed force of Volunteers. 
 
 Yet the Volunteers had not to thank Leech for anything 
 much but chaff during the early years of the movement. If 
 anything could snuft^ out patriotism, " The Brook Green 
 Volunteer," the laughable satire on the Militia, would have 
 done it, and the square into which that warrior formed 
 himself would assuredl}" have been broken and dispersed. 
 And truly this series, famous and still appreciated as it is, 
 lost a good deal of its force from the presence of a fault 
 not often found in Leech's work — grotesqueness of invention 
 and undue exaggeration. In time Charles Keene made us 
 forget the unintentional injustice Leech had done to a noble 
 movement ; and as fate willed it, Mr. G. Haydon, who had 
 greatly assisted the author of it. Sir J. C. Bucknill, became 
 later an artistic contributor to Punch and a friend, not only of 
 Leech, but of several of the most distinguished of the Staff. 
 
 And after the Crimean War was over, there was a social 
 upheaval known as "the great beard movement." Leech 
 was very keen upon all this question of moustaches, and 
 held with many others that no one had a right to them save 
 the crack cavalry regiments. One day it happened that 
 Leech, Tenniel, and Fritchett were riding together, and, agree- 
 ing on the subject, they arrived at cross-roads, where, holding 
 their crops together, they cried "We Swear!" — not to wear 
 hair on lip or chin. In 1865 the unregenerate Mr. Pritchett 
 went to Skye to practise water-colour and — to let his mous- 
 taches grow ! Returning in due time to Tenniel' s house, he 
 said nothing, but merely opened the door, and thrust in his 
 face with an air of defiant resignation, and waited. Tenniel 
 started. "You scoundrel!" he exclaimed; ^^ then I must!" 
 And he did. But Leech was proof against this example of
 
 424 The History of '' Puxch." 
 
 degeneracy, and to the end remained true to his views and 
 his vow, although moustaches soon came into regular fashion. 
 
 Yet moustache, beard, and whiskers have been a mine 
 of fun to Leech — from the little Eton boy who tells the 
 hairdresser, when he has cut his curls, just to give him a 
 close shave, and who ties the major's whisker to his sister's 
 ringlet ; to the snobs who, " giving to hairy nothings a local 
 habitation and a name," flatter themselves that their stubbly 
 chins will get them mistaken for " captings " at the very 
 least ; and to the military Adonises who may boast that 
 their silken beards and fierce moustaches lead a beauty by 
 each single hair. One of the most amusing results of Leech's 
 drawings of whiskered swells was Sothern's creation of 
 " Lord Dundreary " — as the actor was always ready to pro- 
 claim. But for the artist, this most comical character would 
 have been nothinjj but the ordinarv stage-fool as it was at first 
 designed, and the playgoers of two generations would never 
 have held their aching sides at one of the most mirthful of 
 modern roles. 
 
 Then the series of hearty laughs that, in 1851, accompanied 
 his handling of " Bloomerism " — that parent of our modern 
 dress reform and tlie divided skirt, and certainly the 
 ancestor of the ladv-bicyclist's costume ( " A skirt divided 
 against itself cannot stand; it must sit upon a bicycle") — 
 served to kill the thing that the natural modesty of Leech 
 put down as unwomanly and his aesthetic sense as hideous. 
 And the crinoline, to which the American in\ention was to 
 afford an antidote, provides Leech with material for a 
 hundred humorous points of \iew. For it grew and grew 
 in monstrousness and outrageous proportions until 1861, when 
 it began to dwindle, and bv such refuge as a " hooped petti- 
 coat" can afford saved its dignitv as it made its welcome 
 exit from the scene. 
 
 And the Cochin-China Fancy, and the Table-Turning 
 Craze (in respect to which Mark Le'mon declared that if 
 Hope, the spiritualist, would give a convincing sc'a?ice in 
 Whitefriars, Punch would recant), and the Racecourse, and 
 the Great Exhibition, and Horsetaming, and a score of other
 
 Subjects and Types. 425 
 
 subjects — whether pastime or fashion or phase — were ah used 
 by Leech with imfaihng humour. The Chartist period of 
 1848 was a great opportunity, happily seized, and some of 
 the artist's sketches were the result of his personal observa- 
 tion ; for he was himself sworn in, " Only loyalty and 
 extreme love of peace and order made me do it," he said ; 
 but none the more did he enjoy his nocturnal patrol from 
 ten o'clock till one. 
 
 And all his types — ^his dramatis persona;,, so to speak — 
 the gent and his vulgar associates ; the Greedy Boy and the 
 Comic Drunkard ; the Enfant Terrible, soon, it is devoutly 
 hoped, to be packed off to school, and the dreadful School- 
 boy home for the holidays ; the Choleric Old Gentleman 
 and the comfortable Materfamilias ; Miss Clara and the 
 Heav}' Dragoon ; the Italian Organ-grinder, Frenchman, 
 Irishman, and Hebrew (Leech's four betes noires) ; the 
 Rising Generation ; and all the rest — what a boxful of puppets 
 they were for Mr. Punch's show ! And besides them the 
 two or three distinct personalities he created ! There was 
 Tom Xodd}' — the ridiculous little man who in real life was 
 the estimable Mr. Mike Halliday, sometime clerk of the 
 House of Lords, and latterly poet and successful artist, who 
 was as pleased as Punch himself at the distinction conferred 
 upon him and his doings by the artist, while all the time Leech 
 was secretl}' flattering his kindh' self that his model could 
 not by an}' means discover himself in pictures in which the 
 features were so carefully altered — for all personalities were 
 hateful to the considerate, sensitive humorist. And Mr. 
 Briggs, the Immortal ! Of him whose creation is sufficient to 
 render the year 1849 memorable in the annals of the land 
 much has ere now been written — that type of a well-to-do 
 British householder, delightful for his follies and endearing 
 by his pluck, something of a lunatic, it must be admitted, 
 yet more of a sportsman, and most of all a '' muff" — 
 Pnncli s '' simple-minded Philistine paterfamilias." Many of 
 his adventures, especially of house-keeping and its terrors, 
 were based upon Leech's own experiences. For it was 
 Leech who had those terrible builders, and who was taken
 
 426 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 for a burglar by a policeman when trying to get in at his 
 own window. Mr. Briggs' never-to-be-forgotten sensations of 
 a spill from his horse, as recorded by Leech, were the result 
 of the artist's own bewildering experience — as he confessed 
 to "Cuthbert Bede " — and many of his adventures in salmon- 
 fishing, grouse and pheasant shooting, and deer-stalking were 
 founded on his visits to Sir John MiUais in Scotland. "All 
 the pools on the Stanley Water," says one authority, ''are 
 sacred to the memory of Briggs, for it was Leech's favourite 
 fishing-ground; and 'Hell's Hole,' 'Death's Throat,' 'Black 
 Stones,' and many other cuts, may all be recognised from 
 his humorous pictures, the originals of which are in the pos- 
 session of Colonel Stuart Sandeman, the proprietor. The 
 Stanley Water begins below Burnmouth." Many of his 
 fishing-sketches were made at Whitchurch in Hampshire, 
 when staying with Mr. Haydon aforesaid. 
 
 Half Leech's popularity came, probably, from his sketches 
 in the • Row and in the hunting-field. Even so hearty a 
 hater of horse-flesh as Ruskin— so far as he could hate 
 animals at all — has declared that the most beautiful drawing 
 in all Pimch is Miss Alice on her father's horse— " her, with 
 three or four young Dians." Leech's sympathy for horses 
 was natural to the man, and had no little influence in toning 
 down those rampant ideas of Democracy and Socialism to 
 which Thackeray referred. In the opinion of many, not all 
 the Conservative party, landlords and House of Peers to- 
 gether, will, in the great coming struggle with " King Demos," 
 exert against him and his Socialism a fraction of the power 
 of resistance that will ultimately be found in the national 
 love of horses and of sport, whether in the hunting-field, 
 on the racecourse, or in the sporting column of the daily 
 paper ; and this belief John Leech himself entertained. 
 
 Leech, whose pecuniary resources were always being 
 drained by relations other than those of his own immediate 
 household, and on behalf of whom it is generally admitted 
 that he worked himself to death, rode and hunted, as he 
 said, not from extravagance, but in order that he might be 
 fit and able to do his work. And his riding, which was a
 
 In the Hunting-field. 427 
 
 necessity to himself, was not less indispensable to Punch, for 
 a very considerable amount of the Paper's support in the 
 Country depends upon his "horsey sketches." Without them 
 English life would not be properly represented, particularly 
 in its most delightful and engaging of pastimes, and without 
 them English support — from that prosperous class to which 
 Punch specially appeals — would hardly be forthcoming. 
 
 But, for all his love of horses and the hunting-field, 
 Leech was not a particularl}- good rider, and a friend of his 
 tells how he laughingl}' insisted on buying from him a horse 
 that was not sound in his wind, as he could not run away. 
 Yet he poked good-natured fun at the riding of his friend Sir 
 John Millais, and once told him that as he followed him in 
 the field he had conceived the original idea of drawing some 
 " triangular landscapes " as seen through Millais' legs. He 
 satirised himself with equal good-temper in the drawing in 
 which a Cockney horseman reins up at the edge of a steep 
 hill — vou might almost call it a hole — down the side of 
 which the rest are scampering, with the words " Oh, if this 
 is one of the places Charley spoke of, I shall go back ! " 
 Indeed, in spite of all his sport, he almost agreed with 
 
 Hood— 
 
 " There's something in a horse 
 
 That I can alwaj-s honour, but never could endorse'^ 
 
 Yet, like his great rival "Phiz," who rode with the 
 Surrey hounds, he loved the cover-side ; but as time went 
 on, and youthful ardour cooled, he would rather attend the 
 meet than follow in the chase. As he favoured the Pucke- 
 ridge hounds, it comes about that most of his landscape back- 
 grounds are \-iews in Hertfordshire. And when he preferred 
 the more sober delights of the Row— not the same Row we 
 now scamper along from Hyde Park Corner, but the old 
 one along by the Serpentine, and, for a time, in Kensington 
 Gardens— his tall graceful figure always attracted attention ; 
 and when he mounted his pony, which he called " Red 
 Mullett," people who recognised him would turn and remark 
 that Mr. Punch had come out for a ride upon dog Toby. 
 
 But it was not bv his comic faculty alone that John
 
 428 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Leech helped to make Punch great, nor even by his pohtical 
 work. It was also by his frank demonstration of that deep 
 feeling which is often called ''passion," whether love, or 
 
 sympathy, or hot 
 indignation. His 
 love of children, 
 even when he 
 laughs at them, is 
 surpassed , by few 
 other artists or 
 writers, even by 
 those of Mr. Punch 
 — that adorer of 
 first youth and 
 green - apple and 
 salad days. The 
 enthusiasm with 
 which he threw 
 himself into all 
 attacks upon abuses 
 showed him a hot- 
 blooded philan- 
 thropist. It was 
 not for the first 
 time that in his 
 " Moral Lesson of 
 the Gallows" he 
 used his Hogarth- 
 ian power against 
 the scandal and 
 brutalising horror 
 of public execu- 
 tions. In the little "social" entitled "The Great Social 
 Evil," which so electrified Punch's readers at the time, 
 there appears the hand of the reformer, perhaps ; but 
 primarily a whole heartful of wide sympathy and pathos, 
 from which, with true instinct, the artist has banished every 
 suggestion of humour, retaining only with a few skilful strokes 
 
 THE GREAT SOCIAL EVIL. 
 
 Time : Midnight. A Sketch not a Hundred Miles 
 
 from the Haymarket. 
 
 Bella : " Ah ! Fanny ! How long have you been 
 
 gay ? " 
 
 {¥rom. Punch, 12th Sept., 1857, Vol. .\.\.\iii.)
 
 Leech's ''Little Dumplings." 429 
 
 the sad and pathetic reaht}- of the social problem. This 
 drawing was made some time before, but ]Mark Lemon, witli 
 less courage than he showed in the publication of the "Song 
 of the Shirt," hesitated to insert it ; and it is traditionally 
 asserted that it was at the time of the Editor's temporary 
 absence through illness that Leech insisted upon its publica- 
 tion. And who can forget the contemptuous drawing of 
 tlie brutalised dancers at Mabille (1847), or the other, made 
 in full anger and disgust at the sight of a Spanish bull- 
 fight "with the gilt off," after he had attended one, when 
 towards his life's end he visited Biarritz for a few days in 
 fruitless search of health? It is a terrible page, and probably 
 touches the limit of what is permissible in art. Shirley 
 Brooks called it " a grim indictment of a nation pretending 
 to be ciyilised ; " and in England, at least, it met with a 
 throb of responsive emotion and of cordial appro\'al. 
 
 Passing from these things to a more pleasing one, we 
 are struck with Leech's exceptional love of beauty. Never 
 did Nature seem more delightful than in his cuts — in 
 those dainty backgrounds in which the loveliest scenery is 
 so skilfull)^ reproduced. " What plump young beauties," cries 
 Thackeray, " those are with which Mr. Punch's chief con- 
 tributor supplies the old gentleman's pictorial harem ! " It 
 is true, the}^ are nearly always the same girl, this ideal of 
 PiDich's — short in stature, simple and pouting and laughing, 
 with big eyes and rounded chin, with bewitching dimples 
 and pretty ringlets ; but then this ideal, this "little dumpling," 
 was none other than Mrs. Leech ! The artist had seen her in 
 the street in 1843, had fallen head over ears in love with 
 her upon the spot, followed her to her home, looked up the 
 director}' to ascertain her name, obtained an introduction, 
 and had straightway wooed and won her. " Now I'll bet 
 ten to one," he wrote to Percival Leigh, as soon as he had 
 been accepted, " that your reverence will think rue the 
 oddest person in the world, at a moment like the present, 
 to think of writing to a friend ; but I can't help sending you 
 a line or two to sav that I have been made a 'happy man.' 
 . . . Never laugh arain at tlie union of 2 soles (i.e., two
 
 430 The History of "Punch." 
 
 flats) ; at any rate, don't expect me to join in the guffaw." 
 And so Miss Annie Eaton became Mrs. John Leech, the object 
 of her husband's devotion and of his inspired pencil. It is 
 true that his young ladies and his servants are all much of 
 the same type ; but, in spite of Mr. Henry James' curious 
 judgment that Leech had no great sense of beauty, he has 
 usually been otherwise adjudged, as in the " poem " by Albert 
 Smith and Edmund Yates — assuredh' in hamiony with most 
 men's views — where he is spoken of as 
 
 " ' Handsome Jack,' to whose dear girls and swells his life Punch 
 
 owes." 
 
 And so it comes about that Punch's pages are eloquent with 
 portraits of Mrs. Leech, who, with her children, became the 
 very "orchard" of Leech's eye. The last block of all on which 
 the artist was engaged was one to be called " An Afternoon 
 on the Flags ; " it represented a complimentary dog - fancier 
 comparing the points of beauty in a dog with those of the 
 lady before him, but it was still unfinished when he fell 
 back in his bed, dead from the fatal breast-pang. 
 
 Leech would never employ artists' models — parth' because 
 his chic drawing, like Sir John Tenniel's, came natural to his 
 genius, and his memory was extraordinarih^ retentive, and 
 partly because when he began to draw for Punch, and for 
 a long while after, it was unheard-of for black-and-white men 
 on comic papers to do anything so seriously academic. But 
 though he said that he had not in his life made half-a-dozen 
 drawings from Nature, he was always sketching "bits" for 
 use, and trusted to his memory and imagination for the rest. 
 On one or two occasions he would ask Mrs. Hole, the wife of 
 the Dean of Rochester, to sit for him in her riding-habit — but 
 this was the nearest approach he ever made to the "model." 
 He would make his first sketch and then trace it on to the 
 block, finishing his rapid drawing with considerable delibera- 
 tion, yet so quickh' that he would often send off three draw- 
 ings before dinner-time. He was extremely particular about 
 the drawing, and the engi-aving, too, of his boots and feet, 
 and expressed boundless admiration of Tenniel's power in that
 
 "LEECH'S 'PRETTY GIRL.' 
 (A Skit by Sir J. E. Millais, Bart., R.A. By Permission of JV. IV. Fctin, Esq.)
 
 432 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 direction. " Talk of drawing ! " he exclaimed to ]\Ir. Frith ; 
 " what is mv drawing compared to Tenniel's ? Look at the 
 way that chap can draw a boot ; why, I couldn't do it to 
 save my life ! " Like all other artists, he was constantly 
 asked by friends what paper was the best and what pencils 
 he used. " H.B.," he would reply ; " if you can't put it 
 down with that, you can't put it down at all." His sim- 
 plicity of means matched the simplicity of his art, and both 
 the transparent simplicit)' of his character. His ^'iews relative 
 to private persons' privacy prevented him from including 
 portraiture in his drawings other than that of public 
 men. But to get these, and especially members of the 
 House of Commons, he would take considerable trouble. I 
 have seen an extremely cordial letter addressed to him by 
 Mr. Speaker Denison, in which special facilities were accorded 
 him to witness the opening of Parliament. 
 
 As a draughtsman Leech has been admirably placed by 
 Mr. du ]Maurier, who calls him a perfect ballad-writer as 
 compared with the more scientific counterpointing of Charles 
 Keene. And I would remark that it was above all as a 
 pencil and wood draughtsman that he excelled ; his etchings 
 — of which he made two-score for the Pocket-Books — are 
 not, technically considered, up to the sustained level of either 
 Cruikshank or "Phiz." But his sense of freedom on the 
 block he makes us feel ; he revels in it, and thereby imparts 
 spontaneity to his drawings far beyond what we see in his 
 plates. Yet his composition is almost uniformly excellent, 
 whether in line or light and shade, and apparently as care- 
 fully thought out as though an oil picture and not a Punch 
 cut was the work he had in hand. The relation between 
 his landscapes and his figures has often been applauded ; 
 and a foreign critic has exclaimed, with unfeigned surprise 
 and admiration, " Leech and Keene could not only draw Mght 
 ■ — they could even draw the wind ! " And with all this he 
 told his story in his drawings more completely than any man 
 of his day ; he appealed to every class of society, and touched 
 them all with equal facility, with equal good-humour, bright- 
 ness, and beauty. His power of legend- writing, too, was
 
 Lfgeaw- Writing. 433 
 
 remarkable — his explanator\- lines beneath the drawings beine 
 as concise and happy as what they described. Says ]\Ir. 
 Silver : " As brevity is the soul of wit, he always made his 
 ' legends ' as terse as possible, first jotting them down hastilv, 
 and condensing while he drew. I have, for instance, a slight 
 drawing of a heavy pig-faced fanner admiring with his wife a 
 fat pig in its stye. Beneath the sketch is scribbled ' There 
 now ; that's my style ! I call him a perfect love ! ' As the 
 joke lay in the likeness of the owner to the pig, the last 
 phrase seemed redundant, and therefore was suppressed 
 before the drawing went to Punch." It is curious that with 
 this gift, he should have contributed only once, so far as I 
 can ascertain, to the literary portion of Punch, and then 
 merely some mock " Verses for Pantomime ]\Iusic " — strictlv 
 speaking, for the harlequinade — (January 4th, 1S45J, designed 
 to show the fatuous idiotcy of those compositions. 
 
 Contrar}' to what might have been expected in so pro- 
 lific an artist. Leech never for a moment entertained the 
 sentiment not unusual among comic artists — "je prends mon 
 bien la oil je le trouve." He was even diffident about accept- 
 ing a suggestion for a joke. His own observation gave him 
 the vast majority of his ''pictures of life and character," but 
 he would occasionally accept with a quiet undemonstrati^•e 
 smile some of the many proposals that were submitted to 
 him. You might find it in Punch next week, or next year ; 
 but if the giver were an artist too, he would hesitate to 
 make use of it, lest he might wrong a brother-pencil. He 
 often figures in his own cuts, as in " The Disma}' of Mr. 
 Jessamy on being told that he will spoil the whole thing 
 [private theatricals] if he doesn't Shave off his Whiskers " 
 (Almanac, 1854 — his own whiskers which he always regarded 
 with a sort of mock-tender pride.) To his own little son we 
 owe the delightful cut of the child who reminds the new 
 nurse that he is one of those children who can only be 
 managed by kindness, " so please get me a cake and an 
 orange ; " like that other Punch youngster who, aping mamma, 
 faintly asks, " Is there such a thing as a bun in the house ? " 
 " Astonishingly quick Leech was," says Mr. Silver, " to seize 
 c c
 
 434 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 on any sight or subject that seemed to have some humour 
 in it. I can call to mind, for instance, how I chanced to see 
 a chimney-sweep with his hand held to his eyes, as he was 
 passing a street-door while the mat was being shaken. I told 
 Leech of the incident ; for, covered as he was with soot, the 
 sweep seemed over-sensitive. In a very few minutes the scene 
 was sketched most funnily, and was then drawn on the 
 wood. The sketch hangs in my billiard-room, and the}^ who 
 please may turn to Punch and see the drawing. Another 
 time I recollect we noticed some big buoys which were just 
 the shape of fishing-floats, and which I said that Gulliver 
 might have seen so used in Brobdingnag. ' Not a bad idea,' 
 said Leech, and he made a hasty sketch then. Next morn- 
 ing the result appeared upon the wood, and soon afterwards 
 in Punch, with a ' legend ' which I quote from memory 
 only : — ' Is'pose you sometimes catch some biggish fish here, 
 eh, old Cockywax ? ' ' Why, yes ; and them's the floats we 
 uses ; see, young Cockywax ? " 
 
 From Millais he had many a joke ; and when the two close 
 friends were separated, the former would send him sketches 
 of the idea. Several of these Leech left behind him, having 
 only taken advantage of two — the protection that plaid is 
 supposed to afford in the Highlands, when the unhappy 
 novice who puts it on wrestles with it in a high wind ; and 
 the de\*ice of a couple of artists for defying the Scotch midges 
 — a comic, balloon-like envelope for the head. From Dean 
 Hole came that immortal joke of the yokel at a great 
 country dinner, who on tossing oft' his liqueur-glass of 
 Cura^oa, the first he has ever tasted, calls to the waiter that 
 he'll "tak' some o' that in a moog ; " and it was from a 
 passage in one of the Dean's letters to the effect that in a 
 long run he had only had three mishaps on his promising 
 young chestnut, that Leech invented the drawing of " A 
 Contented Mind " — wherein the mud - bespattered young 
 hopeful has increased the number of falls to five. And he 
 loved to watch the sons of his colleague, Gilbert Abbott 
 a Beckett — both of them in due time called to the Table 
 — and to base upon the mischievous adventures and the
 
 Leech's Joke-Providers. 435 
 
 characteristic invention of the young pickles many a laugh- 
 able drawing. They were the originals of the boys who, 
 with a ten-and-sixpenny box of tools and a sufficiency of 
 nails, in the absence of their parents put the furniture of the 
 house in a state of thorough repair ! ! And on a skating 
 experience of one of them — ]Mr. Arthur a Beckett— comes 
 that well-known design of a youth at the mercy of a skate- 
 tout at the ice-edge. '' Look out ! " he cries ; " you are 
 running the gimlet into my heel ! " " Never mind, sir," 
 responds the man, persuasively ; '' better 'ave 'em on firm ! " 
 
 From Charles Dickens, from Mr. Frith, Mr. Holman Hunt, 
 and JMr. Horsley, R.A., Leech also accepted happy thoughts ; 
 and from an " Eton boy," the smart reply of a belle of a 
 ballroom to the young Oxford man who "couldn't get on 
 there without women's society " — " Pity you don't go to a 
 girls' school, then ! " The Eton bo}" claimed and received 
 remuneration, to the amount of a couple of guineas, which 
 came out of Leech's generous pocket, accompanied by a 
 present and good counsel — a form of acknowledgment, how- 
 ever, which was " not to be taken as a precedent." Sometimes, 
 too. Leech would re-draw or touch up sketches of good jokes 
 sent in by outsiders ; but on such occasions he, according to 
 the usual practice of the Punch men, never signed the 
 drawing so made. 
 
 The melancholy of Leech, which probably found relief in 
 his more sarcastic and serious drawings, was one of the pre- 
 dominant features of his character. Sadness and dejection are 
 often the birthwrong of the humorist, as we have seen in 
 the cases of Gillray, Seymour, Andre Gill, and Labiche, and 
 many others of Punch's own day. But Leech's gravity be- 
 longed to a mind too well-balanced to overreach itself, too 
 genuine for false sentiment. Moreover, he " could be a merry 
 fellow when harmless fun was demanded." So says Sir John 
 Millais, who after Thackeray, and perhaps Percival Leigh, 
 was the friend Leech loved the best — for more than any 
 others of the Punch Staff, cordial as his friendship with 
 them was. Sometimes his depression would make him think, 
 says Dean Hole, that he was "wasting his time on unworthy 
 c c 2
 
 436 The History of "Punch!' 
 
 objects and an inferior method," which was exactly what 
 Kenn}' ^Meadows told him. It is true that the said Bohemian 
 had, in a soberer moment, assured him ot his immeasurable 
 superiority to Kenny's self; but as the wine flowed, the 
 truth came out of it, it appeared that Meadows considered 
 his own illustrations of Shakespeare of yastly greater account 
 than the mere comic sketches of young John Leech. 
 
 Leech, it seemed, could be as humorous as he pleased, and 
 as whimsical. When his children misbehayed, he would correct 
 them by making a sketch of their " naught}^ faces ; " and he was 
 always ready to turn a joke upon himself. He made merciless 
 fun of sea-sickness — yet what is there so comic in sea-sickness, 
 after all, that we always laugh at it, just as we laugh at the 
 toothache, which George Cruikshank was so fond of carica- 
 turing ? — the suffering, in both cases awful beyond the power 
 of words to express. One would almost be led to belieye 
 that Leech shared the immunity of the robust scoffers whom 
 one usually sees behind a big cigar on board the yacht or 
 steamboat. Yet when he crossed to Boulogne on a yisit to 
 Dickens, and was receiyed with uproarious applause from 
 what Americans call the " side-walk committee," by reason 
 of his superior greenness and more abject misery, he was 
 quite pleased, and said with the utmost gratification that he 
 felt he had made a great hit. His companionship with 
 Dickens was frequent ; and when, in 1848, he was oyerthrown 
 by a waye while bathing at Bonchurch, and receiyed a slight 
 concussion of the brain, the noyelist rendered him the greatest 
 medical service. On that occasion and the week after the 
 cartoons were executed b}' Doyle and Newman respectiyely, 
 while Thackeray filled the space usually occupied by Leech's 
 smaller cuts. 
 
 His prejudices were to some extent the prejudices of 
 Thackeray. That he should haye shared Gilbert a Beckett's 
 dislike of Jews was perhaps to be accounted for b}^ his haying 
 in his youth been detained on two occasions in "sponging- 
 houses," though through no fault of his own ; and yisiting the 
 sins of the lowest upon the whole race, as is the orthodox 
 practice, he displayed towards them something of Alonzo
 
 Prejudices and Hatred. 437 
 
 Cano's ill-will and more than his power of ill-doing. Simi- 
 larly, towards Irishmen and Frenchmen he showed the same 
 hearty prejudice, not iintinged, perhaps, with patriotism ; and 
 of that Thackera}' was led to write : " We trace in his work 
 a prejudice against the Hebrew nation, against the natives 
 of an island much celebrated for its verdure and its wrongs. 
 These are lamentable prejudices, indeed ; but what man is 
 without his own ? " Yet they were honestly entertained, and 
 acted upon according to the lights of Punch which at that 
 time were full aflame. 
 
 But these playful dislikes paled beside the hatred he 
 bore to organ-grinders — a hatred as unrelenting as the organ- 
 grinders themselves. For this he had only too sound a reason, 
 for it was the}^ who, grinding his overworked nerves, were 
 destined literally to play him into his grave. As early as 
 1843 he began his campaign against them in Punchy and he 
 never relaxed it until his death. Morbidly timid of all noise, 
 he loved to sta}' at some quiet English seaside place, " where 
 the door-knockers were dieted to three raps a day ; " but he 
 writhed most under the sound of the organ, and not Hogarth's 
 Enraged Musician endured half the torture that Leech suffered 
 in ph3^sical and nervous agonv. He appealed with his pencil 
 to the law ; he ridiculed the barbarous persons, such as Lord 
 Wilton, who '' rather liked it ; " he portrayed the effect of these 
 t3Tants of the street upon the sick and on the worker; and 
 he never spared the offenders themselves. Once, indeed, he 
 was goaded into showing one of these dirty persons leading a 
 louse, like a monkey, by a string ; but after a few copies had 
 been struck off (and included in the parcel for Scotland), the 
 printing-press was stopped, and the " realism " was cut from 
 the block. From the first contribution, in which an old lady 
 was supposed to advertise for a professor of mesmerism — a 
 discover}' much talked about at that time — in order to mes- 
 merise all the organs in her street, at so much per organ, down 
 to the end, some scores of drawings were directed against his 
 unnatural eneni}', who literall}' drove him from house to house. 
 Even when he took final refuge at his delightful residence, 
 6, The Terrace, Kensington — now, alas ! removed to make
 
 43^ 
 
 The History of "Punch! 
 
 way for showy shops— and fitted it with double windows, he 
 stili could ^et no rest. Standing with Mr. Silver under the 
 
 -St 
 
 "••'——■ II Mlt'' 
 
 JOHN LEECH'S HOUSE, KENSINGTON HIGH STREET (NOW DEMOLISHED). 
 \(_Dra'Mn by John Fuiicylcve, R.I.) 
 
 tree beneath whose shade Thackeray, Keene, and Leech loved 
 to foregather round his a I fresco dinner-table, I have hearkened
 
 The Torture of ''Street Music." 
 
 439 
 
 to the pretty clink, clink, clink, of a far-distant smith as he 
 smote his hammer upon the anvil, and, wondering that so 
 sweet a sound could trouble any man, I have realised how 
 shattered must have been the sufferer's nervous system as 
 he neared his end. 
 
 When 'Mx. 'SI. T. Bass, M.P., brought in his private Bill to 
 regulate " street music," Mark Lemon sent him an eloquent 
 
 '■&i '•MPviiJ^i 
 
 
 THE ASH-TREE IX THE GARDEN' OF JOHN LEECH'S HOUSE, UNDER WHICH 
 
 LEECH AND THACKERAY USED TO DINE. 
 
 (Draivn by John Fulleylove, R.I.) 
 
 letter of support, in which he touchingly dwelt on the torments 
 suffered by his friend. " The effect," he wrote, " upon his 
 health — produced, on my honour, by the causes I have named 
 — is so serious that he is forbidden to take horse exercise, or 
 indulge in fast walking, as a palpitation of the heart has been 
 produced — a form of angina pectoris, I believe — and his friends 
 are most anxiously concerned for his safety. He is ordered 
 to Homburg, and I know that the expatriation will entail a
 
 440 
 
 The History of ''Punch.' 
 
 loss of nearly £^o a week upon him just at present. I am 
 sure I need not withhold from you the name of this poor 
 gentleman — it is Mr. John Leech." 
 
 The artist only sur\'ived this appeal for half a year^ and 
 died before he could enjoy any relief from ^Ir. Bass's meagre 
 Bill. But the public was loud in denunciation of the nuisance 
 
 TWO ROSES. 
 {From a Sketch. /or " Pjtnch" ly John Leech.) 
 
 when they learned that he who had made their lives so 
 much merrier for a quarter of a century had been harassed 
 into the grave. " Carlyle," wrote 'Sh. Moncure Conway, " who 
 suffered from the same fraternity, mingled with his sorrow 
 for Leech some severe semions against that kind of libertv 
 which 'pemiitted Italian foreigners to invade London and 
 kill John Leech, and no doubt hundreds of other ner\^ous 
 people who die and make no sign ! ' " Leech's last drawing 
 appears on p. i88 (November 5th, 1S64), in which an Irishman 
 is shown thoroughly enjoying the after-effects of a fight, his
 
 
 
 
 'V 
 
 
 
 
 c <■> 
 
 
 
 
 ' >■ 
 
 
 
 
 " w"» 
 
 
 
 
 ."J" 
 
 
 
 ; 
 
 V 
 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 :vi» 
 
 ■■ < 
 
 
 
 'i 
 
 -s '^-■ 
 
 
 
 ^'> 
 
 - 7 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 ; 
 
 ■ r--- 
 
 
 
 -* 
 
 ■■ ■i^.i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -^ 
 
 
 1 
 
 ] 
 
 
 X" ' 
 
 ..,^' 
 
 
 
 
 ■ 'O 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1.1 
 
 
 'p 
 
 < 
 
 o^ 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 ?^ 
 
 5 
 
 a 
 
 
 u 
 
 
 CAI 
 
 i.' 
 
 
 5S 
 
 72 
 
 <J 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 -« 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I.H 
 
 « 
 
 
 <J 
 
 ■J 
 
 ■^ 
 
 :j 
 
 a> 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 •>t 
 
 
 vi 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 •^ 
 
 a 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 ^H 
 
 
 O 
 
 S 
 
 -1 
 
 •<,
 
 442 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 face having been pummelled out of all recognition. It is full 
 of fun and life and spirit, and gives no hint that he who drew 
 it would delight the world no more. 
 
 And when the news went forth that John Leech was 
 dead, a hush seemed to fall on the country, as it had done 
 ten months before, when Thackeray died, and as it did again a 
 few }ears after, on the death of Dickens. The three men 
 all died sudden deaths, and Leech felt and declared that 
 Thackera3''s was the knell of his own. '^ I saw the remains 
 of the poor dear fellow," he said, '' and, I assure you, I can 
 hardly get over it. A happ}- or merry Christmas is out of 
 the question." What wonder, then, that on hearing that 
 Leech had followed, ]\Irs. Thackeray Ritchie should have 
 exclaimed, " How happy my father will be to meet him ! " 
 
 '' I fancy Thackeray was tired of hfe," said Leech in his 
 deep bass voice to his Punch colleague Mr. Henr}^ Silver. 
 " At these words I wondered much," says the latter gentle- 
 man, " as any 3'oung man might who failed to see beneath 
 the surface of a loved and prospering life. ' I feel somehow 
 I sha'n't sun'ive him long,' he added rather wearil}' ; * and 
 I shouldn't much care either, if it were not for my family.' 
 Then, after a pause, he said more cheerfully, ' But I can do 
 some work yet. And at any rate, thank Heaven ! they 
 needn't send the hat round.' " But they had need, and 
 they did. After his death Punch made sturdy, repeated, 
 and successful efforts, not onh' to collect a fund for the 
 artist's family, but also to make known the facts of his 
 death-sale. 
 
 Punch's tribute to his mighty sen'ant befitted the occasion : 
 " The simplest words are best where all words are vain. 
 Ten days ago a great artist in the noon of life, and with 
 his glorious mental faculties in full power, but with the 
 shade of physical infirmity darkening upon him, took his 
 accustomed place among friends who have this day held 
 his pall. Some of them had been fellow-workers with him 
 for a quarter of a century, others for fewer years ; but to know 
 him well was to love him dearly, and all in whose name 
 these lines are written moum for him as a brother. His
 
 Leech's Funeral. 443 
 
 monument is in the volumes of which this is one sad leaf, 
 and in a hundred works which, at this hour, few will not 
 remember more easily than those who have just left his 
 grave. While Society, whose every phase he has illustrated 
 with a truth, a grace, and a tenderness heretofore unknown 
 to satiric art, gladly and proudly takes charge of his fame, 
 they, whose pride in the genius of a great associate was 
 equalled by their affection for an attached friend, would 
 leave on record that they have known no kindlier, more 
 refined, or more generous nature than that of him who has 
 been thus earh' called to his rest." 
 
 He was taken to the cemetery in the same hearse that 
 had carried Douglas Jerrold to his last abode. Mark Lemon, 
 Shirley Brooks, Tom Taylor, Horace Mayhew, F. M. Evans, 
 John Tenniel, Henry Silver, F. C. Bumand, J. E. ]\Iillais, 
 and Samuel Lucas were the pall-bearers ; around his grave, 
 close to where Thackeray la}', stood the whole Punch Staff 
 and man}' friends who loved him ; and Dean Hole com- 
 pleted the Burial Service in sad and broken tones.
 
 444 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PUNCH S ARTISTS: 184I-50. 
 
 William Harvey — Mr. Birket Foster — Kenny Meadows— His Joviality — Alfred 
 " Crowquill " — Sir John Gilbert— Exit "Rubens" — Hablot Knight Browne 
 ("Phiz") — Henry Heath — Mr. R. J. Hamerton — W. Brown — Richard 
 Doyle — Desires Pseudonymity — His Protest against Punch'' s "Papal 
 Aggression" Campaign — Withdraws — His Art — Epitaph by Punch — Henry 
 Doyle — T. Onwhyn — " Rob Roy " Macgregor — William McConnell — Sir 
 John Tenniel — His Career — And Technique — His Early Work — Cartoons — 
 His Art — His Memory and its Lapses— " Jackides " — Knighthood. 
 
 Three other names belong to the year 1841 : Ashley, William 
 Harvey, and Mr. Birket Foster — the second distinguished 
 landscape artist who may be said to have been raised upon 
 Punch. Of the first-named, nothing need be said, but that he 
 contributed a single sketch and no more. William Harvey, 
 however, stands on a different fo'oting, yet his employment on 
 Punch is inexplicable. He had no real humour, and, what is 
 perhaps more to his credit, he pretended to none ; nor did he 
 take pains, as so many do, to prove it. Kenny Meadows, we 
 are told, used to rally him on his excessive sense of graceful- 
 ness, which stood in the way of anything like truthful repre- 
 sentation. " Beauty," he would say, '' is Harvey's evil genius, 
 and grace his damnation." It hardly required the couple of 
 initials ("A" and "E" on pp. 144 and 146 of the first vol.), 
 conceived and carried out in the Birket Foster manner, with 
 landscape backgrounds and field-sport symbols, to prove that 
 Nature had not intended the artist for a Punch draughtsman. 
 He was far better fitted for the illustration of " Knight's 
 Pictorial Shakespeare" than for comic draughtsmanship. And 
 when he had spread consternation in the office by sending 
 in a charge of twelve guineas for the third wrapper, which 
 he had been commissioned to design — money never being 
 scarcer than at that moment — the proprietors immediately
 
 AIr. BiRKET Foster. 445 
 
 became equally convinced that such was not his vocation, and 
 his connection with the paper ceased forthwith. 
 
 I said he drew •' in the Birket Foster manner," for that 
 young draughtsman, who was at the time one of Landells' 
 apprentices, had already begim to draw initials on p. 85 of 
 Punch's first volume — an " O," consisting of a laurel wreath 
 with a Lifeguardsman charging through. These initials — 
 there were thirteen in 1841, eleven in the following vear, 
 and two in 1843 — were remarkable work for a bov of 
 seventeen ; and still more remarkable was the fact that he 
 should be entrusted, even at a pinch, with the execution of 
 a cartoon. It is true that this was only an adaptation of 
 Cruikshank's plate of " Jack Sheppard cutting his name on 
 the Beam" — a design highly appreciated at a moment when 
 the fortunes of Harrison Ainsworth's young housebreaker 
 were being followed with breathless interest by every section 
 of society ; and it is not less a fact that the head of Lord 
 John Russell was touched up by Henning. Still the achieve- 
 ment is as remarkable as coming from an artist of Mr. 
 Birket Foster's temperament, as those other cartoons, executed 
 in "The Censor" at a later period, by Professor Herkomer. 
 But this was not all he did, for to him are to be credited 
 also a few miscellaneous illustrations, as well as those 
 extremely French-looking designs which he imitated, by 
 order, from drawings by Gavarni for a novelette by L^court 
 (pp. 262, 263 and 275, Vol. I.). As an artist he was entirely 
 untaught, save for Brine's quaint advice, and for the counsel 
 of Crowquill that in figure-drawing he should make dots 
 first for the head and chief joints, as an assistance. For a 
 time he followed these strange indications on the ro3'al road 
 to drawing, and on them, perhaps, he based to some extent 
 the illustrations which he made for book-covers, together 
 with Charles Keene, for Mr. Edmund Evans — who, it may 
 not be out of place here to repeat, now so well known as 
 the engraver and publisher of Miss Kate Greenaway's picture 
 books, was a fellow-pupil of Birket Foster's with " Daddy " 
 Landells. He, too, made a couple of drawings for Punch in 
 1842, when he was no more than sixteen : the first a
 
 446 The History of "Punch." 
 
 "blackie," entitled "Train'd Animals" — representing a trainful 
 of wild beasts (p. io8, Vol. III.), and the other an initial ; 
 and his name appears as well as the engraver of one of 
 ''Phiz's" designs in "Punch's Valentines." It occurred to him 
 a little later on to buy up '' remainders " ot unsaleable novels, 
 to employ clever artists to illustrate some stirring scene of 
 love, adventure, or revenge, and with this design on the 
 boards to place the book for sale on the railway bookstalls. 
 His shrewdness met with a rich reward ; the picture sold 
 the book ; and it often happened that a book that had failed 
 egregiously on its first appearance, would run into two or 
 three editions when presented as a railway novel with a 
 cover sufficiently startling or absorbing in its interest. 
 
 An unprecedented, and an unrepeated, incident occurred 
 in 1842. In that year there appeared a number of drawings 
 b}' Gavarni (apart from those re-drawn by Mr. Birket Foster), 
 and something has been made b}' commentators of the early 
 enterprise of the Editor in inviting the contributions of the 
 eminent French master of caricature. But as a matter of 
 fact Gavarni was not invited at all, nor did he ever draw 
 for Punch. These blocks, and the one by Gagniet, had simply 
 been bouglrt up by the publishers, and used after they had 
 appeared in " Les Parisiens peints par Eux-Memes " as well 
 as in the English translation of 1840. The use of cliches, 
 it should be stated, has never since been resorted to. When 
 Gavarni did make a prudence-visit to England in 1847 he 
 held aloof from Punch, perhaps on account of his former 
 connection with " The Great Gun." His principal achieve- 
 ment here was to offend the Queen, Thackera}', Dickens, 
 and others, b}' coolly ignoring their proffered hospitality and 
 friendly advances. 
 
 In this same volume first appeared a notable quintet — 
 Kenn}' Meadows, Alfred '' Crowquill," W. M. Thackeray, Sir 
 John Gilbert, and " Phiz " (Hablot Knight Browne). 
 
 Few men of his da}' enjoyed so great a ^'ogue as Kenny 
 Meadows. His pencil was for many years in extraordinary 
 demand ; and although as an artist he could not stand 
 against his great contemporary George Cruikshank, his
 
 Kenny Meadows. 
 
 447 
 
 popularity — among publishers, at least — if not as great, was 
 nearly as extensive. His work is more than half forgotten 
 now, but the memor}^ of his name survives ; and to speak 
 of " Kenny Meadows " is to recall the typical art of the 
 illustrator and (such as it was) of the comic draughtsman 
 of the first half of the century. 
 
 Kenny Meadows — he dropped the preliminary "Joseph"" 
 for reasons of '' professional distinction " 
 — had first met Douglas Jerrold, in com- 
 pany with Laman Blanchard, in Dun- 
 combe's shop, as earh^ as 1828, and in 
 due time was emploved to illustrate 
 '' Heads of the People," which Jerrold 
 edited in 1840, and for which he had 
 secured the co-operation of Thackeray, 
 Leigh Hunt, Samuel Lover, William 
 Howitt, and other literary lights. Henry 
 Vizetelly, who knew Meadows well, wrote 
 to me but a few months before his death 
 of his acquaintance with the artist. " He 
 was," said he, ''witty and epigrammatic in conversation. He 
 was a singularly incorrect and feeble draughtsman, but abounded 
 with clever and often highly poetic ideas. Like most of the 
 members of the Mulberry and Shakespeare Clubs, he knew all 
 the principal passages in Shakespeare by heart long before 
 he became an illustrator of the plays. Like man}- artists 
 and literary men of the period, he was always in financial 
 straits. Every sixpence that he earned he handed o\-er to 
 his wife, a quiet thriftful woman, sister of Archibald Henning, 
 and she used to give him a small sum whenever he spent 
 his evenings abroad in company with Macready, Laman 
 Blanchard, John Forster, Jerrold, and others, at the Shake- 
 speare Club. He was a little man with a feeble frame, and 
 much addicted to convivial society." He was, indeed, a boon- 
 companion, generous and kind-hearted, and a delightful racon- 
 teur — '' happy, conversational Meadows," as Blanchard Jerrold 
 calls him — when at the club, and a jovial rovstering Bohemian 
 when he left it. 
 
 KE.N.NV MEAOOU'S. 
 
 (Front a Water-Colour by 
 M>-s. L. Battley Smith.)
 
 448 The History of "PuNcny 
 
 About the time that Punch was started, Kenny Meadows 
 was hving hard by College Place, Camden Town, and one 
 night gave a rollicking dinner to the members of the newly- 
 formed Staff; but Hine (from whom I had the story), 
 as a sober man of peace and quiet, declined the invitation, 
 as was his wont, and the next day, meeting Meadows, was 
 surprised to receive a very penitent apology for their behaviour 
 of the previous night. " What behaviour ? " asked Mr. Hine, 
 unconscious of any possible cause of offence. " What ! didn't 
 3'ou heafl- us ? Where do you sleep ? " '' In front. Why ? " 
 " Why ? Because before breaking up at three this morning 
 we said, ' Let's give Hine three cheers to finish up with ; ' 
 which we did, with an unearthly noise, and danced a solemn 
 dance on the pavement, and sang you songs fortissimo, and 
 altogether made a diabolical uproar." " Never heard a sound," 
 said Hine. Meadows turned sorrowfully on his heel with- 
 out a word, and for some days could not get over his dis- 
 appointment that, in spite of all their best endeavours, his 
 young friend's rest had been unbroken. 
 
 When his first two drawings appeared in " Punch's Valen- 
 tines" — " Young Loves to Sell" and "The Speculative Mamma" 
 —Meadows was already fifty-one years old, with thirty-four 
 more of conviviality before him ; he was, therefore, the Nestor 
 of Punch's Staff, as well as its most distinguished member. 
 " Meadows was essentially valuable to Punch," says George 
 Hodder, who by marriage had become his nephew, " for the 
 thoughtfulness of his designs, which were intended to portray 
 something more than a burlesque view of a current event or 
 a popular abuse." His delight when he made a hit was like 
 that of a prize-winning boy ; and he used to pride himself 
 that his drawing of a butterfly at the mouth of a cannon, 
 tvpif\'ing peace — published in Pxinch in February, 1844 — in- 
 spired Landseer with his celebrated picture entitled " Peace," 
 in which, however, the butterfly was superseded b}' a lamb. 
 
 Although he was excellent as a " general utility " man, 
 who took as naturally to tragedy as he did to farce, to sub- 
 jects of squalor as to grace of beauty, to Shakespeare as to 
 Punch, he is not to be credited with any great sense of
 
 A LFRED " CrO WQUILl!' 
 
 449 
 
 humour, his vis comica running rather to grotesqueness tlian 
 to real fun or wit. His intention was usually more admired 
 than his achievement — in his press work, at least ; and the 
 symbolic treatment of his subjects in certain of the cartoons 
 which he executed in 1842-3-4, such as his "Temperance 
 Guy Fawkes," his Cruikshankian " Gin Drop " and " Water 
 Drop," "The Irish Frankenstein," and "The Bull Frog," are 
 to be included among Punch's early successes. But better 
 than this sort of desigii he enjoyed work of a more decora- 
 tive type, in which grace and humour, as he understood 
 them, might be introduced. Of this class is his wrapper 
 used throughout the fifth volume. (See p. 46.) But his 
 "poetic fancy and inventive genius," which aroused the en- 
 thusiasm of many others besides the appreciative John Timbs, 
 were not in harmony with Punch's character, nor was his 
 fun sufficiently pointed and robust. Whilst he remained he 
 illustrated Jerrold's " Punch's Letters to his Son " and " Com- 
 plete Letter-writer," which duly received the honour of a 
 reprint ; but he left in 1844, and straight- 
 way betook himself to the hostile camp 
 of " The Great Gun," which aspired to 
 be Punch's chief rival, to " The Man in 
 the Moon," and other of the Jester's 
 numerous thorns — for of such is the 
 spirit of caricaturists. 
 
 The period of Alfred " Crowquill's " 
 work corresponded with that of Meadows. 
 Although a versatile man, using his pen 
 and pencil with equal facility and abilit}' 
 — the former, perhaps, more successfully 
 than the latter — -Forrester (for that was 
 his real name) was but an indifferent 
 
 humorist. He was of those who thought that fim could be 
 imparted to a drawing by the simple expedient of grotesque 
 exaggeration of expression ; and as a great admirer of Sey- 
 mour's " Cockney humour," he was frequently pointless and 
 stilted. Personally he was highly popular with the Staff, for 
 he was philosophicalh' happy and ]o\'m\, and sang good 
 D D 
 
 ALFRED " CKuWyLlLL. 
 
 (Fro)it a Photograph by 
 Clarkington and Co.)
 
 450 The History of "Punch." 
 
 songs, and was, moreover, greatly songht after at a time 
 when comic artists were few. He was cartoonist, too, in 
 a small way, in the second, third, and fourth volumes of 
 Punch ; but his chief merit lay in his jeux de mots, for he 
 was a good punster. Yet even his pictorial puns, good as 
 they were, constituted little claim on a paper which was 
 steadily improving its Staff; and when he left, in 1844, his 
 place was easily and advantageously filled. 
 
 Passing over the name of Thackeray, who takes his 
 place among the literary contributors, we come to Sir 
 John Gilbert. His work, though slight, has spread over a 
 longer period than that of any other Punch artist — save 
 Sir John Tenniel, forty years later. His first contribution 
 was the frontispiece to the second volume for 1842, which 
 also constituted its wrapper, and was used as such for the 
 monthly parts for many years. He continued with a 
 few drawings to " The Xatural History of Courtship " 
 and "Punch's Letters to his Son," but his most ambitious 
 effort was that representing the late Duke of Cambridge, 
 coronet in hand, begging for public money as a marriage 
 portion for his daughter. But when Jerrold's fiat went 
 forth, " We don't want Rubens on Punch" young Gilbert 
 turned his attention to the newly-started " Illustrated London 
 News," on which his services were warmlv welcomed and 
 continuously employed, with such brilliant results to itself and 
 to the black-and-white art in England. I was one day con- 
 versing with a distinguished foreign artist on the compara- 
 tive merits of Gilbert and Dore, whose fecundity in their 
 art was equal, and I ventured to assert the great artistic 
 superiority of Gilbert. " You are right ! " cried \\\y enthu- 
 siastic friend, with more judgment of art than accuracy of 
 English idiom ; " Gilbert cocks Dore into a top-hat ! " 
 
 Not for twenty-one years did he reappear in the pages 
 of the London Charivari, until after an interval in which he 
 built up his reputation as the greatest draughtsman on wood 
 that England, and perhaps any country, has produced. Then 
 he contributed the first illustration, in an admirable spirit 
 of caricature, to Mr. Burnand's " Mokeanna," and then again,
 
 Hablot Knight Browne {"■ Phi//'). 451 
 
 after another nineteen years, he made a full-pa<^e drawing for 
 the Ahnanac of 1882, representing the unhappy plight of a 
 knight who, summoned hastil}- to the wars, cannot induce 
 his new suit of armour to come together over his fattened 
 frame, even with the combined assistance of female relations 
 and muscular retainers. 
 
 In this same year of 1842 Hablot Knight Browne, o^'er- 
 coming his former reluctance, began to 
 draw for the paper. He drew its second 
 wrapper {sec p. 42) — an enormous im- 
 provement on Henning's — as well as 
 some beautiful little comic cuts exqui- 
 sitel}^ engraved (used to illustrate " A 
 Shillings worth of Nonsense "j, and a 
 couple of " Punch's Valentines." In one 
 of these — the Lawyer — the original of 
 Mr. Squeers may be seen in the char- 
 acter of an orthodox pettifogging 
 
 attorney perched upon a stool. But hablot k. browne. 
 
 Punch could not support such twin 
 
 stars as Leech and "Phiz," and the latter left in 1844 
 for "The Great Gun," whose leading draughtsman he became. 
 In the pages of " The Great Gun " he illustrated Maxwell's 
 "Memoirs of a London Latch-key;" and then, in 1850, he 
 drew for "Life, the Mirror of the Million." In the Punch 
 volumes for 1842, 1844, and 1852, his hand may be traced; 
 and again in 1861, after his great illness, he turned once 
 more to Punch. The brave worker, who would not admit his 
 stroke of paralysis, but called it rheumatism, could still draw 
 when the pencil was tied to his fingers and answered the 
 swaying of his body. In 1861 are eleven of his sketches — 
 initials, most of them; in 1862, but one or two; in the 
 following year, sixteen; in 1864, eleven; in 1865, five; and 
 again in 1866, 1867, 1868, seven cuts, and one in 1869 ; 
 altogether, a little over three-score drawings, besides three 
 full-page cuts in the Pocket-book of 1850. But, for all that, 
 "Phiz" died more than half forgotten. His biographer, 
 indeed, had never heard of his Punch work ; and even the 
 D D 2
 
 452 The History of "Punch." 
 
 paper which had been so kind to him, and dedicated on 
 July 22nd, 1882, two graceful obituary stanzas to " delightful 
 Phiz — immortal Phiz," entirely forgot to mention that his 
 facile pencil had been employed in Punch's service. 
 
 A single cartoon came from Henry Heath (Vol. HI.), 
 who was well enough known as a political caricaturist through 
 having made many such plates for Spooner, the publisher, 
 in the Strand. Heath emigrated to Australia, and Mr. R. J. 
 Hamerton, who was soon to become a notable member of 
 the Punch corps, filled the place he left, signing his " B. H." 
 (Bob Hamerton) to resemble as closely as might be the 
 initials of the old favourite. But when, later on, Punch 
 work came to Mr. Hamerton, the Spooner caricatures were 
 dropped. A couple of unimportant contributions sent in 
 under the initials "J. R." complete the record for 1842. 
 
 It was through Jerrold's and Lemon's friend, Joe Allen, 
 to whom he handed some of his pen-and-ink drawings, that 
 Mr. R. J. Hamerton secured his footing on Punch. This 
 was in the middle of the year, and in the opening number 
 of the new volume appear his first contributions. For some 
 weeks thev were signed " Shallaballa " — the itinerant Punch's 
 first cry on his jumping up before the public in his show, 
 and apparently an appropriate pseudonym ; but when the 
 artist was reminded by Mark Lemon of the real significance 
 of the objectionable word, he abandoned it for the better- 
 known picture-rebus of his mmie — a Hammer on the side of a 
 Tim. 
 
 The only meeting of the Punch men which he attended 
 was that at the '' Whistling Oyster," next door to the "Crown," 
 at the time when the musical bivalve, as narrated in the 
 description of the " Punch Club," was the talk of the town. 
 Mr. Hamerton, who was introduced by Mark Lemon, and 
 who made the fantastic portrait of it which was published 
 in the following number of Punchy remembers Douglas 
 Jerrold reciting on that occasion his version of the ingredients 
 and constitution of PuncJi, which was worked up and con- 
 tributed by Horace Mayhew to the next volume, but, of 
 course, without the names attached, as here given : —
 
 R. J. Hamerton. 
 
 453 
 
 The Spirit is " The Comic Blackstone " (Gilbert a Beckett). 
 
 The Acid is " The Story of a Feather" (Doughs Jerrold). 
 
 The Sweet is The Great " Saxon Suggestor " 
 
 (W. M. Thackeray). 
 
 The Spice is " The Sub " (Horace Mayhew). 
 
 The Water is The " Professor " (Percival Leigh). 
 
 And the Spoon is The " Editor " (Mark Lemon). 
 
 Where, then, was the art ? 
 
 Mr. Hamerton was one of the few Irishmen who ha^•e 
 worked on the paper. He liad begun to teach drawing at 
 a school in Co. Longford when he was but fourteen, and 
 came to London to draw upon stone under tlie e}-e of Charles 
 Hullmandel, the father of the litho- 
 graphic art in England. With the ex- 
 ception of occasional incursions into oil 
 and water colour — he was a popular 
 member of the British Artists half-a- 
 century ago — and a few years' book- 
 illustration for the London publishers, 
 "it was stone, stone, stone, till 1891, 
 when the drawing on the huge stones 
 became too much for my old back." 
 Like his life-long friend and contem- 
 porary, Hine, he was not of Punch 
 Punchy — at least, in respect to con- 
 viviality ; and after a record of Staff 
 service extending to 1844, with fitful contributions up to 1848, 
 he deserted the precincts of Whitefriars, and soon after re- 
 nounced wood-drawing in favour of his more lucrative em- 
 plo5mient. He had, however, already contributed ten cartoons 
 — striking for their handling, if not at first for their finish. 
 The majority of his subjects were Irish — such as the " Irish 
 Ogre Fattening on the 'Finest Pisintry,'" "The Shadow 
 Dance," " King O'Connell at Tara," " Bagging the Wild Irish 
 Goose," and so forth — and terribly severe he was, as only an 
 Irishman could be, on Daniel O'Connell and Lord Brougham. 
 He illustrated a Beckett's " Comic Blackstone ; " but his 
 masterpiece in wood-draughtsmanship was his illustration of 
 
 R. J. HAMERTON. 
 
 {From a P/iotog?-a/>h by E. 
 
 HigginSt Siavi/ord.)
 
 454 T^H^ History of "Punch." 
 
 John Forster's "Life of Goldsmith" for Bradbury and Evans. 
 Then after a couple of contributions from " W. B." — 
 W. Brown, whose " Comic Album " was deservedly popular 
 in its day, and whose " Statue to Jenkins " pleased Pwich's 
 readers greatly — and the cut signed " B," attributed to 
 Thomas Hood, and another anonymous contribution by " S," 
 there came Richard Doyle, one of the most notable 
 acquisitions of the decade. He was the second son of the 
 famous " HB," and had done capital comic work of an 
 amateur character while still a boy. His " Comic English 
 Histories," executed when he was only fifteen years of age, 
 were published after his death ; but he was still young when 
 he first became known to the public. He was possessed of 
 an extraordinary power of fanciful draughtsmanship ; and his 
 precocitv is sufficiently proved by his comic illustrations to 
 Homer, wrought at the tender age of twelve, with real humour, 
 wealth of invention, and excellence of expression. His uncle, 
 Mr. Conan, dramatic critic of the '' jMorning Herald," showed 
 his work to his friend Mark Lemon, and Lemon forthwith 
 requested j\Ir. Swain to instruct the youth in wood-draughts- 
 manship. So the engraver set forth with blocks and pencils 
 to this " certain clever young son " of the once mighty 
 " LB," who was now in a fair way of falling out of public 
 notice. Arrived at Cambridge Terrace, he endeavoured to 
 impart to Richard Doyle the art and mystery of drawing 
 on the wood — how to prepare his blocks, and so forth, and to 
 give such further information as might be required. But so 
 nervous was the 3"0uth, who was small and thin in person, and 
 greatly agitated in mind and manner, that he persisted in 
 keeping his distance out of simple shyness, and literally 
 dodged around the dining-room table, altogether too excited 
 to lend the slightest attention to the words of his mentor. 
 In due course, Mr. Swain tells me, the first drawing was 
 delivered, " and a bad, smudgy thing it was, too, altogether 
 different from the work he almost immediately contributed 
 for the Almanac of that year." Do^de's first work in Punch 
 consisted of the clever comic borders to the Christmas num- 
 ber, one of which enclosed Hood's " Song of the Shirt ; " but
 
 Richard Doyle's Debut 455 
 
 with the ilhistration to the rhymed version of " Don Pas- 
 quale" he made his actual debut. 
 
 He was not promoted at once to the position of car- 
 toonist ; for the first six months he contributed only one big 
 cut to fixe of Leech's, and his proportion during several 
 years that followed did not exceed one in three. His first 
 cartoon, entitled " The Modern Sisyphus " — representing Sir 
 Robert Peel, as the tormented one, engaged in rolling the 
 stone (O'Connell) up the hill, with Lord Jolm Russell 
 and others, as the Furies, looking on — appeared on 
 March i6th, 1844; and from that time onwards his work 
 rapidly increased in volume. His initial-letters — an invention 
 further developed later on by C. H. Bennett, Mr. Ernest 
 Griset, and Mr. Linley Sambourne — and his cartoons were re- 
 inforced by the famous series of " Brown, Jones, and Robinson," 
 " Mr. Pips hys Diary," " Bird's-eye Views of English Society," 
 and " Ye Manners and Customs of Ye Englyshe," their manner 
 of presentation having been created by the artist, who was 
 forthwith dubbed b}^ his comrades " Professor of ]\Iedia;val 
 Design." When Doyle was first called to the Table, his 
 punctilious father did not show any enthusiasm, being in 
 some doubts, apparenth', as to . the supposed wild reckless- 
 ness of those savage orgies. He wrote to the Proprietors, 
 hoping that they would not insist upon it for a time, as his 
 son's health was not robust. A little later Doyle himself 
 wrote stiffly to protest against his real name having been 
 printed on the cover of Punch contrary to his distinct 
 request to Mark Lemon, who had promised to retain the 
 name by which he was already known to the public — " Dick 
 Kitcat " — as in the etched plates to Maxwell's " Hector 
 O'Halloran." But the demand was not persisted in. 
 
 " Dicky " Doyle continued to work regularly for the paper, 
 and his monogram signature, with a " dicky " either perched 
 upon the top or pecking on the ground close by, was rareh' 
 absent from a single number, when the Popery scare — which 
 had seized the popular mind towards the end of 1849 — 
 infected Punch with extraordinary \-irulence. So long as 
 Mark Lemon confined his cartoons and his text to the
 
 45 6 The History of "Punch." 
 
 general question of " Papal Aggression," Doyle, who was a 
 devout Irish Catholic, held his peace ; but when the very 
 doctrine of the faith was attacked, and the Pope himself 
 personally insulted, he severed himself regretfulh^ but deter- 
 minedl}' from the paper. Anterior to this, Doyle had 
 remonstrated, but had been reminded that he himself had 
 been permitted to caricature Exeter Hall and all its ways, 
 so that he could not complain if the tables were turned 
 upon his own party. Jerrold and Thackeray, says Mr. 
 Everitt, sought to dissuade him in vain. "Look at the 
 'Times,'" they argued; ''its language has been most violent, 
 but the Catholic writers on its Staff do not, for that reason, 
 resign. They understand, and the world at large under- 
 stands, that the individual contributor is not responsible for 
 the opinions expressed b)' other contributors in articles with 
 which they have nothing to do.' ' That is all very well in the 
 "Times,"' was Do3'le's answer, 'but not in Punch. For the 
 " Times " is a monarchy [I believe, these were his very 
 words], whereas Punch is a republic' So when a week or so 
 later an article, attributed to Jerrold himself, jeeringly advised 
 the Pope to 'feed his flock on the wafer of the Vatican,' 
 
 it was too much for Doyle So he wrote to resign his 
 
 connection with Punch, stating his reasons plainly and simply." 
 But when Doyle resigned, for reasons which earned him 
 the respect of all who heard of them, it was not realised 
 how strong was the undercurrent of feeling within the Punch 
 office. It is true that at the bottom of what I may call 
 the " Punch Aggression " were Jerrold and the Proprietors ; 
 and that the onslaught of the one, with the encouragement 
 of the others, so profoundly wounded Doyle as to force 
 him into sacrificing lucrative employment, and condemning 
 him in the result to a life of toil. But for once in his 
 career Doyle was guilty of behaviour which, if not inex- 
 cusable in the circumstances, was certainl}' indefensible. 
 He left the paper in the lurch. His letter of resignation was 
 sent in on November 27th, he having allowed the Editor to 
 think that the blocks for the Almanac, already overdue, 
 had all been completed ; and when it was discovered that
 
 A ND Wl THDRA WAL. 457 
 
 they had not been done, and that nothing was forthcoming, 
 consternation reigned in the oihce. Xo doubt the revenge 
 was sweet, but it was ih-judged ; for while no Cathohc mem- 
 ber of the Staff has ever raised his voice in its justification, 
 Doyle's conduct served but to increase the bitterness of the 
 anti-Catholic feeling in Punch's Cabinet, and perhaps to pro- 
 duce attacks more intemperate than any that had gone before. 
 And, moreover, it rendered more difficult the position of 
 others of the same faith who became members of the Staff. 
 
 So Doyle quitted the paper at the close of 1850, yet 
 his hand was seen in its pages in 1857, 1862 (four cuts), 
 and 1864, This was a question of "old stock" — a matter 
 which often crops up in Punch : it is not a unique cir- 
 cumstance to see a sketch appear man}- years after it was 
 drawTi, and even when the hand that has drawn it has 
 turned to dust. In 1883 there appeared a cut by ]\Ir. Sam- 
 bourne which was made fifteen years before; and in 1894 
 there was published a sketch by R. B. Wallace (of the late 
 Lord Beaconsfield) a year after the artist died and fourteen 
 years after he had ceased to draw for the paper. 
 
 But when Doyle left Punch he would draw for none of 
 its rivals. With the exception of the single lapse already 
 alluded to, his conduct was alwa3'S high-minded and generous ; 
 and his virtue and nobility of character have been testified 
 to by all his friends. He declined the offer of a large sum to 
 draw for a well-known periodical as he disapproved of the 
 principles of its conductors ; and on similar grounds he refused 
 to illustrate a new edition of Swift. Mr. Holman Hunt has 
 recorded his testimony as to his sterling worth. " Dicky 
 Doyle," he tells me, *' I knew affectionately. John Leech and 
 Doyle were never very cordial, Do3ie's staunch Romanism 
 separating them. While so rigid and consistent a religionist, 
 he was one of the most charitable of men,, and would never 
 be a party to any scandal, howe^'er much it had been pro- 
 voked. I am afraid that no portrait was ever painted of him, 
 certainl}' none showing his delightfully amusing laugh, which 
 always seemed to be indulged apologetically — with the face 
 bent into the cravat and the double chin pressed forward."
 
 458 The History of ''Punch'' 
 
 Doyle's great misfortune as an artist was that his father, 
 cultivating the son's fancy at the expense of his training, not 
 only would allow him no regular teaching, but would not 
 permit him to draw from the model — nothing but " observance 
 of Nature " and memory-drawing. The result was that Doyle 
 remained an amateur to the end — an extremely skilM one, 
 whose shortcomings were concealed in his charming illustra- 
 tions and imaginative designs, but were startlingly revealed 
 in his larger work and in his figure-drawing. As a draughts- 
 man he was usually feeble, though graceful ; his effects, 
 technically speaking, were constantly false, and his drawing 
 often as poor as Thackera3^'s. He was saved by his charm 
 and sweetness, his inexhaustible fun and humour,* his de- 
 lightful though superficial realisation of character, and his 
 keen sense of the grotesque. When he died in December, 
 1883, Punch devoted to his memory a poem in which his 
 artistic virtues are generously appreciated, but not a word 
 is said as to the parting of their ways. From this tribute, 
 this "reconciliation after death," I transcribe one stanza: — 
 
 " Turning o'er his own past pages, 
 
 Punch, with tearful smile, can trace 
 That fine talent's various stages, 
 
 Caustic satire, gentle grace, 
 Feats and freaks of Cockney funny — 
 
 Browx, and JoxES, and Robinson ; 
 And, huge hive of Humour's honey, 
 
 Quaint quintessence of rich fun, 
 Coming fresh as June-breeze briary 
 
 With old memories of our youth, 
 Thrice immortal Pipss Diarv ! 
 
 Masterpiece of ]\Iirth and Truth ! '' 
 
 In 1844 the versatile artist-dramatist, Watts Phillips, first 
 declared himself in Punch with a few examples of his art, 
 which George Cruikshank had fostered. Thev lasted up to 
 1846, but amounted to very little. He gave more attention 
 
 * It may be stated that Doyle contributed a ewe-lamb of literature to riinch 
 (May 13th, 1845), entitled " High Art and the Royal Academy " (Vol. XVI., 
 
 P- 197)-
 
 Watts Phillips. — Henry Doyle. 459 
 
 to " Puck, " of which Chatto was the editor ; and when, a 
 few years afterwards, he joined " Diogenes " as its cartoonist, 
 he gave full rein to his undoubted talent. 
 
 In the same year Richard Dovle's brother Henrv — better 
 known as a distinguished member of the Roval Hibernian 
 Academy, and best of all as the grave and extremely able 
 Director of the National Gallery of Ireland — made a number 
 of small cuts for Punch, which were published in 1S44 and 
 the following years ; but as I was informed, at the time or 
 his death, by his elder brother James, now also dead (the 
 chronicler, and the compiler of the '' Official Baronage of 
 England") : "The Punch episode was the merest child's play 
 to him. His line, chosen years before, was sacred or poetic 
 art ; and his illustrations to Telemachus, done before this time, 
 remarkable for invention and colour, were gi^eatly admired 
 bv Prince Albert. That he drew for Punch at one time 
 is, of course, true ; but the mention of it gives a false im- 
 pression of his taste and principal work at that period." Yet 
 the spirit of humour was strong within him, for he was one 
 of the "Great Gunners" in 1845; and from 1867 to 1869, 
 when he was appointed to Dublin, he was cartoonist for 
 " Fun," signing with a Hen, or " Fusbos." 
 
 Thomas On why n, best known, nowadays, perhaps, by his 
 " extra illustrations " to " Pickwick " and " Nicholas Xickleby," 
 and bv his plates to "Valentine Vox" and Cockton's other 
 novels, began to contribute a few blocks to Punch — a fact 
 which has hitherto been denied. His first drawing, published 
 on p. 130, Vol. XIII. (1S47), illustrates an article by Gilbert 
 a Beckett, entitled, " The Friends Reconciled." The next 
 was a "Social," on p. 230 of the same volume, representing 
 a hatter's wiles and their victim. But Onwhyn was better 
 used to the etching-needle than the pencil, and his drawing 
 on wood was hard and unsympathetic, and his figures were 
 usually rather strained than funny. About this time he was 
 retiring from his position as a popular illustrator of books. 
 Throne Crick's " Sketches from the Diary of a Commercial 
 Traveller," embellished by Onwhyn, had just appeared ; and 
 the artist was beginning to bring out his series of albums of
 
 460 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 plates, big and small, on all sorts of humorous subjects. The 
 time was, therefore, appropriate at which to embark on in- 
 dependent illustration in Punch. But in the following year 
 he contributed not more than a sketch or two ; and thence- 
 forward, until he finally laid down his pencil in 1870, he 
 confined his artistic efforts to his own happy ideas with but 
 few exceptions — such as " Welcome, a Charade ; by W. Shake- 
 sides" (1850). Onwhyn died so late as 1886. 
 
 For four years, if we except two or three unimportant 
 cuts contributed by E. J. Burton in 1847-8-9, no new name 
 appears upon the draughtsman's roll. Then John IVIacgregor 
 — the celebrated " Rob Roy " — who had begun to contribute 
 paragraphs and short articles in 1847, commenced adding 
 sketches, such as his " Silence in the Gallery," in January, 
 1848. " Prince Albert's Hat " was also his, and others besides ; 
 and it is worth remarking that the proceeds of these sketches 
 and articles were given to the police-courts, wherewith the 
 magistrates might assist poor cases. 
 
 The year 1850 became of the first importance in the his- 
 tory of Punch. Not that William McConnell and his gentle 
 art would make tlie year remarkable, for his early defection 
 from Punch, and his premature death from consumption, cut 
 short a career which promised considerably more than it 
 achieved. Mr. Sala tells me that McConnell was a handsome 
 little fellow, bright, alert, and full of originality. He was 
 always exceptionally well-dressed — and witli good reason, for 
 his father, on coming over from Ireland and settling in Totten- 
 ham Court Road, resumed his trade of tailor. The youth 
 sent in some sketches, which were highl}' thought of by 
 Mark Lemon. He was turned over to Mr. Swain for some 
 instruction in drawing on the wood, and subsequently took 
 up his residence in the engraver's house for a time ; but, 
 not living long enough to prove his individuality, he remained 
 to the end an imitator of Leech. Perhaps that was the 
 reason that he drew so small a salary from Punch ; at any 
 rate, he always resented what he considered to be the con- 
 tumelious and shabby treatment meted out to him by Mark 
 Lemon. But for such money as he did receive, it must be
 
 Willi AM McConnrll. 
 
 461 
 
 admitted tliat he gave full value in the fierceness of his 
 cartoons on Louis Xapoleon, He did much book illustra- 
 tion, besides drawing for the Press, serious and comic — his 
 Punch work including a couple of cartoons 
 in 1852, among a great number of "socials." 
 His last appearance was in July of that year. 
 He was a good and improving draughtsman, 
 especially of horses ; and he revelled in 
 beggars, " swells," and backgrounds. 
 
 The great acquisition of the year was John 
 Tenniel. The paper had been left b}' Doyle, 
 as I have explained, without its Almanac 
 blocks, and it found itself, moreover, without 
 a second cartoonist, and, what was quite as 
 important at the moment, without an artist of 
 distinctly decorative ability, who would pro- 
 vide the fanciful initial-letters, headings, and 
 title-pages which have alwa3"S been a feature 
 in Punch. The circumstances of his joining 
 the paper Sir John once recounted to me 
 in conversation, with that sort of apologetic humour and true 
 modest}' that are characteristic of him : — 
 
 " I never learned drawing, except in so far as attending a 
 school and being allowed to teach myself. I attended the 
 Royal Academy Schools after becoming a probationer, but 
 soon left in utter disgust of there being no teaching. I had 
 a great idea of High Art ; in fact, in 1845 I sent in a sixteen- 
 foot-high cartoon for Westminster Palace. In the Upper 
 Waiting Hall, or 'Hall of Poets,' of the House of Lords, 
 I made a fresco, but my subject was changed after my work 
 had been decided on and worked out. At Christmas, 1850, I 
 was invited by Mark Lemon to fill the place suddenly left 
 by Doyle, who with very good reasons for himself— that of 
 objection to the "Papal Aggression" campaign— suddenly 
 severed his connection with Punch. Doyle had left them in 
 great straits— the Pocket-book and Almanac to come out — 
 and I was applied to by Lemon, on the initiation of Jerrold, 
 
 W. McCONNELL. 
 
 {Froui a Photograph by 
 
 Soiith'Mell Brothers, 
 
 Baker Street.)
 
 SIR JOHN TENNIEL, R.I. 
 
 (From a Pen-Draiumg by Hiiiisel/.)
 
 S/j? John Tenniel Joins "Punch." 463 
 
 to fill the breach. This was on the strength of my illustra- 
 tions to ^'Esop's Fables, which had recently been published 
 b}^ Murray. I did the title and half-title to the nineteenth 
 volume, as well as the first page-border to the Almanac, 
 together with a few initials and odds and ends for the end of 
 that volume, and the first illustration to the next ; but only 
 the half-title, title, and tail-piece were signed. My first car- 
 toon was that facing page 44 in the twentieth volume ; and, 
 only signing occasionally for the first month or two, I went 
 on from time to time doing cartoons. 
 
 " As for political opinions, I have none ; at least, if I 
 have my own little politics, I keep them to myself, and profess 
 only those of my paper. If I ha^-e infused an}- dignity into 
 cartoon-designing, that comes from no particular effort on my 
 part, but solely from the high feeling I have for art. In any 
 case, if I am a ' cartoonist ' — the accepted term — I am not 
 a caricaturist in any sense of the word. My drawings are 
 sometimes grotesque, but that is from a sense of fun and 
 humour. Some people declare that I am no humorist, that 
 I have no sense of fun at all ; they deny me everything but 
 severity, ' classicality/ and dignity. Now, / believe that I 
 have a ^'ery keen sense of humour, and that my drawings 
 are sometimes really funny ! 
 
 " I have now been working regularly at the v/eekly car- 
 toons for Punch for close on thirty years (from 1862),* missing 
 only two or three times from illness. In all that time I have 
 hardly left London for more than a week ; yet I enjoy wonder- 
 ful health, doubtless to be attributed to regular riding. I 
 carry out my work thus: I never use models or Nature for 
 the figure, drapery, or anything else. But I have a wonderful 
 memory of observation — not for dates, but anything I see I 
 remember. Well, I get my subject on Wednesday night ; I 
 think it out carefully on Thursday, and make my rough 
 sketch ; on Friday morning I begin, and stick to it all 
 day, with my nose well down on the block. By means of 
 tracing-paper— on which I make all alterations of composition 
 and action I may consider necessary— I transfer my design 
 
 * This conversation tool^ place in April, 1889.
 
 464 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 to the wood, and draw on that. The first sketch I may, and 
 often do, complete later on as a commission. Indeed, at 
 the present time I have a huge undertaking on hand, in 
 which I take great delight — the finishing of scores of my 
 sketches, of which I have many hundreds. They are for a 
 friend — an enthusiastic admirer, if I may be permitted to say 
 
 so. Well, the block 
 being finished, it is 
 handed over to 
 Swain's boy at about 
 6,30 to 7 o'clock, who 
 has been waiting for 
 it for an hour or so, 
 and at 7.30 it is put 
 in hand for engraving. 
 That is completed on 
 the following night, and 
 on Monday night I 
 receive by post the 
 copv of next Wednes- 
 day's paper. Although 
 case - hardened in a 
 sense, I have never 
 the courage to open 
 the packet. I always 
 leave it to my sister, 
 who opens it and hands 
 ^ it across to me, when 
 
 ROUGH PENCIL SKETCH FOR ' ARTHUR AND ' 
 
 GUINEVERE," FOR " PUNCH'S POCKET-BOOK." I jnSt takC a glanCB 
 
 at it, and receive my 
 weekly pang. My work would be difficult to photograph 
 on to the wood, as it is all done in pencil ; the only pen- 
 and-ink work I haA-e done, so far, being for the Almanac 
 and Pocket-book.* 
 
 * Since 1S92, I may explain, Sir John Tenniel and Punch have moved with 
 the times. Sir John now draws his cartoons upon the Chinese-whitened 
 surface of cardboard, and they are photographed on the block in the usual 
 way.
 
 
 J= 
 
 •s: 
 
 
 bx; 
 
 
 
 
 — 
 
 
 n 
 
 _ 
 
 
 B 
 
 
 
 q; 
 
 
 
 a> 
 
 > 
 
 
 
 J, 
 
 
 
 CO 
 
 
 
 
 
 •^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 T3 
 
 *^ 
 
 
 C 
 
 <. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 r" 
 
 . 
 
 rv. 
 
 1) 
 
 *5: 
 
 
 
 
 r-i 
 
 '0 
 
 
 rn 
 
 
 .♦I 
 
 -v- 
 
 
 •*, 
 
 
 
 
 D 
 
 -a 
 
 ^ 
 
 -H 
 
 c3 
 
 "■ 
 
 
 'O 5 
 
 'O ^ 
 
 E E
 
 466 The History of "Punch." 
 
 "As I never have a model, I never draw from life, always 
 when I want a portrait, a uniform, and so on, from a photo- 
 graph, though not in quite the same spirit as Sambourne 
 does. I get a photograph onh^ of the man whom I want to 
 draw, and seek to get his character. Then, if the photograph 
 is in profile, I have to ' judge ' the full face, and vice versa; 
 but if I onl}' succeed in getting the character, I seldom go 
 far wrong — a due appreciation is an almost infallible guide. 
 I had the opportunity of studying Mr. Gladstone's face 
 carehillv when he did me the honour of inviting me to 
 dinner at Downing Street, and I have met him since ; but 
 I fanc}", after my ' Islxs. Gummidge ' cartoon and * Janus,' I 
 don't deser\-e to be honoured again ! His face has much 
 more character and is much stronger than Mr. Bright's. 
 Mr. Bright had fine eyes and a grand, powerful mouth, as 
 well as an earnest expression ; but a weak nose — artistically 
 speaking, no nose at all — still, a very intellectual face indeed." 
 
 Thus it was not only Nature, but the Pope, who marked 
 out Tenniel for the position of Piuich's Cartoonist — the 
 greatest " Cartoonist " the world has produced. Had the 
 Pope not "aggressed" by appointing archbishops and bishops 
 to English Sees, and so raised the scare of which Lord John 
 Russell and Mr. Punch really seem to have been the leaders, 
 Do3'le would not have resigned, and no opening would have 
 been made for Tennief. Sir John, indeed, was by no means 
 enamoured of the prospect of being a Punch artist when 
 Mark Lemon made his overtures to him. He was rather 
 indignant than otherwise, as his line was high art and his 
 severe drawing above "fooling." "Do they suppose," he 
 asked a friend, " that there is anything funny about me f " 
 He meant, of course, in his art, for privately he was well 
 recognised as a humorist ; and little did he know, in the 
 moment of hesitation before he accepted the offer, that he 
 was struggling against a kindlv destin}'. 
 
 John Tenniel was only sixteen years old when his first 
 oil picture was exhibited at the Suffolk Street Galleries, 
 and he soon became recognised, not only as a painter, but 
 as a book and magazine illustrator of unusual skill. But
 
 Early Comic Efforts. 467 
 
 he and Keene had already proclaimed themselves the 
 humorists they were by the production of the "Book of 
 Beauty," to which much public attention was drawn when 
 the sketches contained in it were exhibited and sold. They 
 had been fellow-students at the life class, and in the year 
 1844 were both intimate ^•isitors at the house of their friends, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Barrett. After dinner, when the lamp was 
 brought in, the two young artists would amuse themselves, 
 together with their host, by making drawings in coloured 
 chalks. Mr. Barrett, it may be said, was a thin man, signing 
 himself '' 5-i2ths," in recognition of the nobler proportions 
 of Mrs. Barrett, unquestionably his "better half." Keene 
 chose the " Signs of the Zodiac," to begin with, as the 
 subject of his admirable burlesques, Tenniel having already 
 selected quotations from Shakespeare, history, poetrv, and so 
 forth, the humour which he infused into them being equal 
 to anything he afterwards produced in Punch. But it may 
 interest the present owners of these highly-prized produc- 
 tions to know that those who produced them thought very 
 little of them as art, while Sir John expressed the greatest 
 surprise that in their rubbed condition thev should attract 
 any notice whatever. As early proofs, however, of the comic 
 facult}" of two of Punch's giants, they were interesting and 
 valuable designs ; while, so far as Sir John's work was con- 
 cerned, they were the forerunners of the extremely humorous 
 illustrations of Shakespearian quotations with which he ad- 
 vanced his reputation and his position on the paper. 
 
 No sooner had the severe young classicist determined 
 to accept the position offered him in PuucJis band, than 
 Mr. Swain was requested to wait upon him in Xewman 
 Street, and instruct him in the art of drawing upon wood. 
 But he found that Tenniel, the illustrator of the Rev. Thomas 
 James's edition of ^sop's Fables, published by John ^Murray 
 in 1848, was alreadv a brilliant expert. The accomplished 
 young draughtsman soon took keen delight in the smooth 
 face of a block, and at once began — and ever continued — to 
 demand a degree of smoothness that was the despair ot 
 Swain to procure. Tenniel, indeed, always drew with a 
 E E 2
 
 468 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 specially-manufactured six-H pencil — which appears more im- 
 pressive with its proper style of " H H H H H H " — and so 
 delicate was the drawing that, firm and solid as were the lines, 
 it looked as if you could blow it off the wood. The result 
 is that Swain has always interpreted Sir John Tenniel's work, 
 
 not simply facsimile'd 
 it, aiming- rather at 
 producing what the 
 artist intended or de- 
 sired to have, than 
 what he actually pro- 
 vided in his exquisite 
 gre}' drawings. So 
 Swain would thicken 
 his lines while retain- 
 ing their character, just 
 as he would reduce 
 Mr. Sambourne's, par- 
 ticularly in the flesh 
 parts, and otherwise 
 bring the resources of 
 the engraver's art to 
 bear upon the work 
 of the masters of the 
 pencil. Doubtless the 
 artists might deplore 
 the "spoiling" of their 
 lines ; but pencil greys 
 are not to be repro- 
 duced in printer's ink — they must be " rendered." And though, 
 as artists, draughtsmen may groan under the transitional 
 process, they realise that in submitting their work to the 
 wood-cutter's craft, they must take its drawbacks along with 
 its advantages. 
 
 The first drawing by Tenniel in the bound volume is, as 
 he says, the frontispiece to the second half-yearly ^■olume 
 for 1850, but his actual first contribution the initial on 
 p. 224 of that volume. Perhaps the most notable thing 
 
 ROUGH SKETCH FOR " THOR,' 
 POCKET-BOOK. 
 
 FOR " punch's
 
 " HUMPTY-DUMPTY ! " 
 
 {From Sir John Tenniel's First Rough Sketch for the Cartoon in "Punch," ^oth July, 1875 
 
 — /. iS, Vol. LXXV.)
 
 470 The History of "Punchy 
 
 about it is the extraordinary resemblance between the artist's 
 work at the beginning and at the end of his career. Of course, 
 it is much " tighter ; " it is much younger. But the hand 
 and method are strangely unchanged. It is beautiful in its 
 exquisite precision and its refinement, and altogether superior 
 in its character to what its creator, in a spirit of severe self- 
 criticism, chooses to believe. '' My first cartoon," he wrote 
 to me, ''was 'Lord Jack the Giant-Killer' — and awfully bad 
 it is ; in fact, all my work, at that particular time, now 
 seems to me about as bad as bad could be, and fills me with 
 wonder and amazement ! ! " But this cartoon, continuing 
 the Papal campaign so hateful to Doyle, by showing Lord 
 John Russell with his sword of truth and liberty attacking 
 the crozier-armed Cardinal Wiseman, was greatly inferior to 
 the smaller contributions. His improvement, however, was 
 rapid. Tenniel's first "half-page social" is on p. 218 of 
 the same volume; while in 1852 we have his first superb 
 Lion, and his first obituary cartoon. Gradually he took 
 over the political big cut, which Leech was happy to place 
 in his hands ; but during the long years that they worked 
 together the two men were admirable foils to one another. 
 i Leech sketched and Tenniel drew ; Leech gave us farce 
 ^ and drama, and Tenniel, high comedy and tragedy ; and 
 the freedom of the one heightened the severer beauties 
 of the other. And when Leech died, his friend continued 
 the labour alone. Except in 1864, 1868, and 1875-6-7-8, 
 in which last-named year he took his first holiday from Punch 
 work and went with Mr. Silver to Venice — (during his illness 
 or absence Charles Keene contributed thirteen cartoons *) — and 
 again in 1884 and 1894 (when ]\Ir. Sambourne twice took over 
 the duty), he has never, from that day to this present time 
 of writing, missed a single week. Nearly two thousand car- 
 toons, initials innumerable, " socials," double-page cartoons for 
 the Almanac and other special numbers, and two hundred 
 
 * But when, in 1866, Keene contributed three cartoons, Sir John Tenniel's 
 appeared side b}' side. This was the result of a revived experiment to add 
 to the attractions of the paper by giving two cartoons — an experiment 
 resumed in later years in the case of Mr. Sambourne and Mr. Furniss.
 
 His Untiring- Perseverance. 471 
 
 and fifty designs for the Pocket-books — such is the record 
 of the great satirist's career ; and the only change has been 
 in the direction of freedom of pencil and breadth of artistic 
 view. 
 
 Of his work little need be said here, for in its main 
 bearings it has already been fully considered. But acknow- 
 ledgment must at least be made of how, with all his sense of 
 fun and humour. Sir John Tenniel has dignified the political 
 cartoon into a classic composition, and has raised the art of 
 politico-humorous draughtsmanship from the relative position 
 of the lampoon to that of polished satire — swaying parties 
 and peoples, too, and challenging comparison with the higher 
 (at times it might almost be said the highest) etforts of litera- 
 ture in that direction. The beauty and statuesque qualities 
 of his allegorical figures, the dignity of his beasts, and the 
 earnestness and directness of his designs, apart from the ex- 
 quisite simplicity of his work at its best, are things previously 
 unknown in the art of which he is the most accomplished 
 master, standing alone and far ahead of an}- of his imitators. 
 The Teutonic character and the academic quality of his 
 work, modified by the influence of Flaxman and the Greeks, 
 are no blemishes ; one does not even feel that he draws 
 entirely from memory. Indeed, the things are completelv 
 satisfying as the work of a true artist, and — a quality 
 almost as grateful and charming as it was previously rare — of 
 a gentleman. 
 
 Yet this practice of drawing from memory has its draw- 
 backs ; for the things remembered are apt to grow old- 
 fashioned. The Flying Dutchman was running when Sir 
 John's locomotive still had the odour of Puffing Billy about 
 it. His indifference to that "actuality" which is the charac- 
 teristic of jVIr. Sambourne has often raised the howl of the 
 specialist. When in an excellently drawn cartoon full of 
 point (November, 1893), entitled "A Bicycle made for 
 Two," he grafted the features of a modern roadster on to the 
 type of i860, the cycling world fluttered in a manner that 
 must have been very encouraging to the artist. His machine, 
 they said, was the most wonderful one ever placed on the
 
 472 The History of "Punch." 
 
 market. Sir H. H. Fowler, it was said, was sitting on a 
 half-inch tube without a saddle, and " working with his heels 
 on pedals shaped like a Mexican gaucho's stirrup" — but his 
 critics had clearly never seen a gaucho's stirrup. " Xor has the 
 lady— riding behind, instead of in front — better accommoda- 
 tion, being in suspension over a frame that lacks a back- 
 stay, and above a wheel that buckles under her weight ; 
 while the handles are thrown up instead of down, and their 
 bars so slender that they must inevitably break." The gear- 
 case is on one side of the frame and the chain on the 
 other, and the frame itself was a marvel of ingenuity mis- 
 applied. Thus did the cyclists moan in many news- 
 papers, taking the matter an grand serieu.x, with quite 
 unusual regard for mechanical accuracy, and a total disre- 
 gard for the political allusion and point. Similarly in January 
 of the same year the "Forlorn :\Iaiden " of trade was shown 
 lying across the railway lines while an engine is bearing 
 down upon her. But " there are five rails in sight, all at 
 equal distances apart, though the railway gauge is four feet 
 eight inches and a half, and the locomotive is running 
 on the six-foot way." The girl, too, stretches across it, 
 and spans it from waist to ankles, not counting a bend at 
 the knees, so that at the lowest estimate she is ten feet 
 high. This violated the public conscience even more than 
 the fact that the engine rushes along the inside line of the 
 two sets of rails ; and they declared that never before had 
 the maxim ars lunga been more triumphantly indicated than 
 in the maiden's figure. But what of it all ? Is it not a 
 striking commentar}- on our English temperament, that while 
 an inaccuracy of a purely mechanical description raises the 
 protests of thousands who have no idea beyond the parts 
 of a bicycle or the width of a railway gauge, a score of 
 artistic beauties pass unnoticed and unchallenged ? 
 
 And so Tenniel worked his way upwards. The fact that in 
 a fencing bout he had partially lost his sight, through the button 
 of his father's foil dropping oft', whereupon he received the 
 point in his eye, was not the slightest deterrent. He regarded 
 it merely as an annoying, though not a very important, incident.
 
 Popular Reception of his Knighthood. 473 
 
 Being satisfied that the Ahnighty had only given us tioo eyes 
 as a measure of precaution, to provide against sucli vexatious 
 httle accidents as he had experienced, he went on working 
 as if nothing had happened. " It's a curious thing, is it not," 
 he said one day to the writer, "that two of the principal 
 men on Punch, du Maurier and I, have onh- two eyes 
 between them ? " Yet it only made him the more careful. 
 Free from mannerism, he never allowed carefulness to interfere 
 with fun, and his cartoon of Britannia discovering the scjurce 
 of the Nile, and of Lord Beaconsfield as a peri entering the 
 Paradise of Premiership, are among the memorabh- funny 
 things of Punch. His elevation to the leading position on the 
 paper has thus been gradual and certain ; not of his own as- 
 sumption, however, but the ready tribute of his colleagues, who 
 have always regarded him not only as the great artist, but 
 as the link incarnate of the tradition of Punch of the present 
 with the past. So he is the favourite of the band, to whom 
 he is the beloved '' Jackldes " of Shirley Brooks's christening. 
 It was Mark Lemon who, at the Dinner, first applied to him 
 the burlesque line — '' No longer Jack, henceforth Jackldes 
 call ; " but it was Brooks who confirmed the practice of 
 according to him the sobriquet which Punch (p. 148, Vol. XLV.) 
 had previously conferred on Lord John Russell, " England's 
 Briefest Peer." 
 
 It was a startling proof of his extraordinary, and by him half- 
 unsuspected, popularit}', that when Tenniel's knighthood became 
 known the honour was received with loud and general applause 
 — with an enthusiasm quite unusual in its command of popular 
 approval. " I am receiving shoals of letters and telegrams," 
 he wrote to me on the da)- of the announcement ; " I sup- 
 pose 3-0U know the reason Y." It is said that Lord Salisbury 
 had intended to make the recommendation himself, but that 
 the nomination was delayed and forgotten ; but when Mr. 
 Gladstone came into office the new Premier repaired the neglect 
 of the old, and at the same time acknowledged the stead>- sup- 
 port which Punch had offered to the Whig policy. By the 
 general public it was regarded as an appreciation of the man 
 who was the personification of the good-humoured and the
 
 474 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 loftier side of political life — who had brought the Punch spirit 
 round to something a good deal better and higher than he 
 found it, blending fun with classic grace, and humour with 
 dignity. To the art world it was the recognition of that 
 " Black-and-white " drawing which has been the glory of Eng- 
 land and the Cinderella of the Royal Academy of Arts. It was 
 in this sense that Sir John Tenniel accepted the distinction. 
 But it was to " Jackides " that the Punch Staff drank when 
 Mr. Agnew proposed his health at the Dinner following the 
 announcement of the nomination ; it was " dear old John 
 Tenniel " that the Arts Club toasted when, with Mr. Val 
 Prinsep, R.A., in the chair and Mr. du ^Maurier in the vice- 
 chair, the new knight was the honoured guest of his club, 
 and received its congratulations with the modest dignit}' and 
 kindlv good-taste characteristic of him. And it was " good 
 Sir John," the cartoonist — who has also been, at extremely 
 rare intervals, a Punch writer too (see Punch, p. 56, Vol. XX.) 
 — who was celebrated by the pen of Mr. Milliken — "the 
 Pride of Mr. Punch and the delight of the British Public." 
 
 i
 
 475 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 puxch's artists : 1850-60. 
 
 Captain Howard — Receipt for Landscape Drawing — Earnings, Real and Ideal 
 —George H. Thomas — Charles Keene — His Training — Introduction to 
 Punch — Called to the Table — Uselessness in Council — A Strong Politician 
 —Inherits Leech's Position — Keene as an Artist — Where He Failed— His 
 Joke-Primers— Torturing the Bagpipes— Good Stories, Used, Spoiled, and 
 Rejected—" Toby " as a Dachshund — Death of " Frau "—Keene's Technique 
 — His Inventions and Creations — And what He Earned by Them— Charles 
 Martin— Harry Hall— Rev. Edward Bradley ("Cuthbert Bede ")—" Verdant 
 Green " or " Blanco White " ?— Double Acrostics — George Cruikshank Defies 
 Punch — Mr. T. Harrington Wilson — Mr. Harrison Weir — Mr. Ashby-Sterry 
 — Alfred Thompson — Frank Bellew— Julian Portch— " Cham " — G. H. 
 Haydon — J. M. Lawless. 
 
 An amateur who signed with cross-pipes, and who appeared 
 five times in the following year, was the one other contribu- 
 tor of 1850 ; and then 1851 was dis- 
 tinguished by the enlistment of the 
 prolific draughtsman who at first used 
 three running legs — quaintly accepted 
 as the Manx arms — as his sign-manual. 
 This was Captain Henry R. Howard, 
 the son of a country gentleman, born 
 at Watford, where he lived in the same 
 house for over fifty 3'ears. He was 
 alwavs sketching from a child ; and 
 being persuaded by his friends to " do 
 some of those for Pimch," he sent a 
 few samples to the Editor, but without 
 much hope of success. They brought 
 an immediate in^•itation to call upon Mark Lemon, who told 
 him, after seeing his pencil sketches, that he might draw for 
 them, but not on paper, on wood ; and learning that he had 
 had no such experience, referred him for instruction to the 
 courtesy of Leech and Tenniel, whose senior he was by six 
 years. He was not entirely without artistic education, having 
 
 CAPTAIN H. R. HOWARD. 
 
 {From a Photograph by Lambert 
 West OH ami Son.)
 
 476 The History of " Puxch!' 
 
 studied in Hanover under a pupil of Benjamin West's. " You 
 must draw skeletons," said Herr Ramburg. " But I only want 
 to draw landscapes," pleaded the youth. ''Then 3'ou must 
 draw skeletons, first," replied the artist ; " it is the only way 
 to draw landscapes." 
 
 After securing Lemon's favour Captain Howard drew scores 
 of comic humanised beasts and birds in the form of initials and 
 decorations. At last, after some years. Lemon proposed a 
 change, when Howard quietly remarked, " Lve been wondering 
 how long you'd go on taking those things ; I should have 
 thought you were sick of them. I am." Meanwhile he had 
 changed his signature of the Manx legs— he had just been 
 sojourning in the island when he adopted them — as Lemon 
 represented it as Leech's opinion that it was sometimes un- 
 necessarily like his own wriggling signature ; and he had 
 adopted in substitution the little trident that figured in the 
 paper for fifteen years.. When Leech died, Captain Howard 
 aspired to be— in part, at least — his successor ; but although 
 he was now drawing figure-subjects, and had an inexhaustible 
 stock of jokes and fun, he was told, to his bitter disappoint- 
 ment, that new blood was wanted ; and the great mantle 
 which had fallen was now drawn round the shoulders of 
 Charles Keene and Mr. du Maurier. Captain Howard then 
 practicallv retired. Although in the first year of his contri- 
 butions he was /30 out of pocket by his PinKli work, as he 
 bought his own blocks instead of claiming them from Swain, 
 he was soon making £100 a year from the paper. Just 
 before he retired an officer recently returned from India 
 expressed the desire to draw also for Punch as a profession. 
 "I hear," said he, "that Leech makes / 1,500 a year out of 
 it." "So that you would be satisfied with / 1,200 ? " asked 
 Captain Howard. His friend admitted that even the inferior 
 sum would be acceptable. "Very well," replied Howard 
 encouragingly ; " come and dine with me, and Lll show 
 you by my books that my Punch income last year was just 
 twelve pounds ! " 
 
 Captain Howard's work, though clever and ingenious, was 
 weak. Its humour, often fresh enough, was never very
 
 George H. Thomas. — C. H. Bradley. j^yj 
 
 pronounced ; nor did the drautrhtsnian's hand ever become that 
 of a master. In 1853 he had made no fewer than sixty-six cuts, 
 and about doubled that number each }'ear up to 1867, when, 
 with only two drawings in the volume, he finally vanished 
 from PiDicJi's pages. Three years later there was printed an 
 initial by him, representing a comic hanuuer-fish (p. 265, Vol. 
 LIX.), but this belonged to "old stock;" and it marks the 
 failure of its author's long-sustained effort to obtain a recog- 
 nised position in the front rank of the artistic Staff. He died 
 31st August, 1895. 
 
 A contemporary of his was G. H. Thomas, brother of one of 
 the founders of the "Graphic," and a popular painter of the 
 day, who received much employment from the Queen. Mark 
 Lemon was very anxious to secure the services of so admir- 
 able a draughtsman ; but Thomas, who was trying to shake 
 himself free from wood-drawing in tinour of oil-painting, 
 showed little responsixe enthusiasm. He did, however, con- 
 tribute a couple of drawings — one of them a large head-piece 
 to the preface, representing a feast given to Punch on his 
 twenty-first volume day. In it he is supported by the Oueen 
 and Court, and at the round table are the representatives of the 
 nations. It is not a happy effort, and is clearly inspired by 
 Dovle — whose fancy the Editor was still seeking to replace; 
 and, moreover, it is poorly engraved ; but it is as full of 
 figures as of incident. Then came C. H. Bradley, who 
 seldom got beyond initials and trifles of large heads on little 
 bodies, being onh^ once or twice promoted to " socials " 
 during the nine years of his connection with the pajier. On ■ 
 occasion he showed real humour, while his artistic merit 
 seems to ha^e owed most of what excellence it possessed to 
 the study of Tenniel's work. Bradley, whose monogram 
 might easily be mistaken l)y the unwary for that of C, H. 
 Bennett, who followed eight years later, executed but fi\e- 
 and-thirty cuts between 1852 and i860. 
 
 Punch was ten years old when the hand of Charles Keene, 
 but not Charles Keene himself, was introduced to the Editor, 
 through the instrumentality of Mr. Henry Silver. Keene 
 had at first been intended for the law, and afterwards had
 
 4/8 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 spent a short [period in an architect's office. But he decided 
 to throw himself into art ; and in order to learn engraving 
 
 CHARLES S. KEENE. 
 {Drawn by J. D. Watson. By Coia-tesy of " Black atid White") 
 
 and drawing on the wood, lie followed the practice of the 
 day (such as had been adopted by Leech, William Harve}-,
 
 Charles Kerne's Diffidence. 479 
 
 Fred Walker, Mr. Birket Foster, Mr. Walter Crane, and other 
 of Punch's artists), and apprenticed himself to an engraver — 
 Whymper, for choice. Then he studied along with his comrade 
 Tenniel and other incipient geniuses at the Clipstone Street 
 Academy, and as early as 1846 produced with his friend — who 
 was soon to be his fellow-giant on Punch — the " Book (jf 
 Beauty," already referred to. He took a studio in the Strand 
 — a sky-parlour renowned for its dust and inaccessibilit\' — and 
 lived, as all good Bohemians should, chiefly on art, song, and 
 smoke : an existence sweetened by a few warm ])ut eclectic 
 friendships. He worked desperately hard, and having, through 
 his fellow-shireman Samuel Read, become connected with the 
 ''Illustrated London News," he made for it manv drawings 
 of the sort now called '' actualitv." 
 
 By that time Mr. Henry Silver had contracted with 
 Keene an acquaintanceship which was to grow into a ^\■arm 
 friendship, and it was under the shadow of that intimacy 
 that his earlier contributions were made. As Mr. Silver 
 himself explains in his statement written for Mr. George 
 S. Layard's admirable " Life and Letters of Charles Keene 
 of Punch " (p. 47) : "It may seem a little strange that 
 Keene at first showed some reluctance to let his name be 
 known where it was finalh' so famous. Still, it is the fact 
 that while his earliest Punch drawings were of my devising, 
 he steadily declined to own himself the doer of them. I was 
 writing then for Punch as an outsider, but my ambition 
 was to draw, and for this I had no talent. As for working 
 on the wood, I soon ' cut ' it in despair, and, like a ballled 
 tyrant, I knew not how to bring my subjects to the block. 
 Keene very kindly undertook the labour for me, and the 
 first design he executed was 'A Sketch of the New Paris 
 Street-sweeping Machines "—a couple of cannon, namely — 
 which was published in December, 185 1, immediately after 
 the blood)^ coup d'etat." 
 
 This was the barest sketch, childish and shaky in execution, 
 which, however, is explained in the legend as being due to 
 the " Special Artist " being in the line of fire. Mr. Layard 
 asserts that when Keene made the drawing he thought the
 
 480 The History of "Punch." 
 
 joke "a mighty poor one;" and he might have added, as 
 is made dear in the chapter deahng with " Plagiarism," 
 not even a new one, for Punch himself had used the idea 
 before (p. 166, Vol. XV.), and was then accused of theft 
 by the '* Man in the Moon." ^Ir. Silver proceeds : — 
 
 " His next two drawings illustrate an article of mine, 
 and appear on the second page of the next volume. His 
 fourth, a far more finished drawing, like these, saw the 
 light in 1852, and may be found in Vol. XXHI., p. 257. It 
 shows a gentleman engaged in fishing in his kitchen, and 
 is entitled ' The Advantage of an Inundation,'' the autumn 
 of that year being very wet. ^Nlark Lemon wrote to me 
 commending it, and asking me to try and draw a little more 
 for him. I showed Charles the letter, and said that now, 
 of course, his name must be divulged, for I clearly was 
 obtaining kudos under false pretences. However, he deferred 
 the disclosure for a while, and it was not until the spring 
 of 1854 that his 'C. K.' first appeared (vide initial ' G,' 
 Vol. XXVI., p. 128) — a modest little monogram, quite unlike 
 his later and so well-known signature. In the interim he 
 marked his drawings with a mask, which was a device of 
 mine for hiding his identity." 
 
 For nine vears Keene worked steadily on Punch, im- 
 proving artistically in an amazing manner, and in i860 he 
 was called to the Table — they ser\'ed long temis of probation 
 then — and ate his first Dinner on February 20th. It was a 
 notable company that he used to meet, all the chief " rising 
 stars" of Punch being still upon the Staff, save Douglas Jerrold, 
 who had died three years before. There were Mark Lemon, 
 Thackeray (nominally retired), Tom Taylor, Horace ]VIayhew, 
 Shirley Brooks, Percival Leigh, John Leech, Henry Silver, 
 and John Tenniel ; and into this brilliant assemblage, on 
 the evening in question (when, however, Thackeray was 
 absent, and Sir Joseph Paxton was present as a visitor), he 
 was received with a cordial welcome. But neither at that 
 time nor thenceforward did he take a prominent part in the 
 discussions over the cartoon, although on one occasion he 
 did astonish the company with an excellent though belated
 
 Kerne's Sense of Humour. 481 
 
 suggestion. He had, in fact, no originality of a literary or 
 humorous kind. He knew the exact value of a joke when 
 it was made, and could usually display its point to in- 
 comparable advantage; but joke - creation was not one of 
 his strong points, e^•en though he was often forced to it bv 
 necessity. Occasionally, however, he would miss a point 
 entirely, as in the joke sent him by :\Ir. Alfred Cooper*:— 
 
 " Visitor (having shot a have at the usual seventy yards J : 
 ' Long shot that, Johnson.' 
 
 " Keeper : ' Yes, sir ; Master remarked as it were a wery long 
 shot.' 
 
 " Visitor f gratified J : ' Ah ! Oh, he noticed it, did he ? " 
 
 " Keeper : ' Yes, sir ; Master always take notice. When gen'le- 
 men makes wery long shots, they don't get asked again ! ' " 
 
 "Why," asks Keene, "would 'Master' object to this 
 long shot ? Burnand .... is sure to want to know. 
 I don't know either ! Will you kindly explain, so that I 
 can answer him as if I were an expert." As if even a non- 
 sportsman would fail to see the point ! 
 
 But at the Table, delightful as Keene personally was — 
 he was lovingly addressed as "Carlo" — he was not a leading 
 conversationalist. He proposed little ; yet when his opinion 
 was asked, he gave it, with judgment and taste, tersely ex- 
 pressed. His work, besides, was rarely discussed at the 
 Table, for he usually had to seek his material outside. More- 
 over, he was, as he expressed it, a " hot Tory," and so stronglv 
 antipathetic did he profess himself towards the Liberal tend- 
 ency of some of the Staff of that day that he would declare 
 with a wink that he positively preferred to stay awav; 
 and on the occasion of the accession of ]Mr. Anstev, wrote 
 this sturdy Conservative " I hope he's a Tor}-. We want 
 some leaven to the set of sorry Rads that lead poor old 
 Punch astray at present." But few independent readers, and 
 fewer still of Keene's personal friends, will take verv seriouslv 
 his sweeping assertion and political pronunciamentoes — at least, 
 as regards Punch, for whom and for his colleagues he retained 
 to the end feeling-s of the warmest affection. 
 
 * See Mr. Layard's " Life and Letters of Charles Keene," p. 387. 
 F F 
 
 t
 
 482 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 When John Leech died in 1864, it was Keene who received 
 the main heritage of his great position as the social satirist 
 of the paper, and with it the heaviest share of work and 
 artistic responsibihty. Not only did his work -increase in 
 the ordinary numbers, but extra drawings — such as the etched 
 frontispieces to the Pocket-books — fell also to his lot ; and 
 a good deal against the grain — for he hated any approach 
 to personality, even though his target was a public man 
 and his shaft was tipped with harmless fun — he executed 
 fourteen cartoons, as is explained elsewhere. In addition to 
 his ordinary " socials " and the formal decorations of each 
 successive volume, Keene re-illustrated " Mrs, Caudle's 
 Curtain Lectures" with a marvellous series of drawings, and 
 Mr. Frank C. Burnand's "Tracks for Tourists," which made 
 their first appearance as "How, When, and Where" (1864), 
 and were ultimately re -published in " Very Much Abroad." 
 Of his outside work for "Once a Week," published by 
 Messrs. Bradbuiy and Evans, and other publications, no 
 mention need here be made. 
 
 It is doubtful if the public will ever realise how great an 
 artist Keene was. His transcendent merit has, however, for 
 a long time been the wonder and admiration of his brother- 
 craftsmen and of the critics. The stream of his genius con- 
 tinued to flow for six-and-thirty years in the most amazing 
 manner. His drawings are in the highest form of Impres- 
 sionism, reproducing every phase of fleeting expression and 
 suddenl3'-arrested action with a certainty and accuracy which 
 are absolutely unsurpassable. His power of composition, of 
 breadth of handling, chiaroscuro, and suggestion of colour 
 and form, was perfect within the range of his medium ; and 
 in that medium he gave us, not paper with pen-lines on it, 
 but a perfect sense of light, form, and expression. He was 
 as careful, too, in his "comic cuts" as the most conscientious 
 of painters could be in his canvas ; and drawing invariably 
 from the model — even if that model were simply an old shoe 
 — ^lie would often journey into the country for a background of, 
 say, a turnip-field, or in search of any other detail or local colour. 
 
 In one direction alone did he fail, or choose to fail — in
 
 Deficient Sense of Female Beauty. 483 
 
 the portrayal of facial beauty, elegance, and respectability. 
 A pretty woman lurked but rarely about the point of his 
 pencil, as she does so delightfully aibout those of his principal 
 collaborators on Punch; and an elegant woman — save by 
 accident—never. You may point to the Brittain- peasant in 
 the number for September 20th, 1856; to the very Leechy 
 young lady on p. 188, Vol. XXX\'i. (May 7th, 1859), who, 
 it must be admitted, really is a " lady ; " and to one or two 
 more. But these pretty women ser^•e rather to accentuate 
 the ugliness of all his other women, when they should have 
 been most beautiful ; while elegance is with him a %irtue 
 that very rarely saves. Keene, indeed, misrepresented his 
 countrywomen as much as M. Forain libels his. Keene's 
 " swells," and even his gentlemen, are snobs ; his aristocracy 
 and his clerks are cast in the same mould ; his citv voune 
 men are like artizans ; and his brides are forbidding — models 
 of virtue, no doubt, but lacking ever}- outward feminine charm. 
 These shortcomings, of course, are to a certain extent to be 
 accounted for by his own nature. Living in the strictest 
 economy and temperateness, he hated anything like ostenta- 
 tion. He despised '' Society " and the whole fabric of fashion, 
 and held the world of Burke and Debrett in good-natured 
 abhorrence. Like Leech and Dickens, he had given his heart 
 to the middle and lower-middle classes, and among them he 
 found his best models and most admirable motifs. 
 
 No Punch artist was ever so dependent upon his friends 
 for "subjects" as he, and none received such continuous 
 and delightful support. From Messrs. Joseph Crawhall, 
 Andrew Tuer, Walker, Clayton, Birket Foster, Sands, Fritchett, 
 Savile Clark, Ashby-Sterr}-, Chasemore, and others, he was 
 under constant friendlv, and fully-acknowledged, obligation. 
 Not but that he made constant effort to secure "jokes" of 
 his own. He was ever on the look-out, and often ver}- hard- 
 pressed, for them. One day he told ]Mr. Pritchett that he had 
 determined to join a riding class at Allen's Riding-school, 
 and seek inspiration there. His friend amiably suggested 
 that he (Mr. Pritchett) should attend as observer and 
 reporter, and tell Keene all the ridiculous things he did on 
 F F 2
 
 484 ^J^HE History of "Punch." 
 
 horseback and the amusing appearances he cut. But the 
 idea did not seem to commend itself to Keene, who merely 
 replied that he thought he should choose a hearse-horse to 
 ride, as being at once more stately, decorative, and safe. . 
 
 Amongst Keene's own subjects are to be included the 
 greater number of those series of drawings dealing with 
 artist and volunteer life ; but it must be recognised that to a 
 great extent Keene was frankly the illustrator of other men's 
 ideas, and often of other men's "legends." These legends, 
 or " cackle," were often touched up by Keene ; but sometimes 
 they were entirely original. And though it must be admitted 
 that thev are not concise as Leech's, they are, as a rule, 
 more life-like, more truthfully Impressionistic — ^just as his 
 drawings are. The "legend," by the way, Keene used to 
 term the " libretto " — a reflection, as it were, of his passion 
 for music (a passion he shared with Gainsborough and Dyce 
 and Romney, and so many more of our most eminent artists). 
 This love of music he indulged at the meetings of the 
 Moray Minstrels, in the Crystal Palace Choir during the 
 Handel Festivals, and in the depths of the country, wherein 
 he would bury himself in order to torture the bagj^ipes, with- 
 out testing too severely the forbearance of his fellow-men. 
 
 When he secured a good story — which he loved to impart 
 with an ecstatic wink to one or other of his closest friends 
 — he would look as carefully to the " libretto " as to the 
 drawing, as in the case of the British farmer who, crossing 
 the Channel for the first time — in great discomfort at the 
 roll of the boat — " This Capt'n don't understand his business. 
 Dang it, why don't he keep in the furrows f" or the story — 
 older, by the way, than Keene had any knowledge of— of 
 the Scotchman who was asked by a friend, upon whom he 
 had called, if he would take a glass of whiskey. " Xo," he 
 said, " it's too airly ; besides, I've had a gill a' ready ! " 
 
 And when his legends were altered by the Editor he 
 would fret for a week. Once when Tom Taylor altered the 
 good Scotch of a "field preacher" (Almanac for 1880) he 
 declared himself "in a great rage," and swore that he would 
 "never forgive" the delinquent. On other occasions, too, he
 
 CHARLES KEEXE TORTURING THE BAGPIPES. 
 {Front a Pen-Drawhig by Himself. By Permission of Henry S. Keene. Engraved by J . Swain.)
 
 4S6 
 
 The History of '"Punch." 
 
 
 
 fumed at the desecration of his " hbrettos ; " and when the 
 word 'Mast" was accidentally omitted from his joke— "Heard 
 my [last] new song?" " Oh, Lor! I hope so ! !" he mourned 
 
 over the loss of 
 jy-^-^i.^.i:^^^ thepoint. Yethe 
 
 ^izM^^^^^^^Sec^ might have been 
 
 comforted ; for 
 had the word 
 been retained, 
 the further 
 charge ofplagiar- 
 ism could have 
 been sustained 
 against him. 
 
 But his sorest 
 point against 
 Punch — to 
 which, after all, 
 he was sincerely 
 attached — was 
 not the altera- 
 tion, but the 
 total suppression 
 of some of his 
 w o r k . T w o 
 such cases are 
 duly recorded 
 by Mr. Layard 
 — both of them 
 admirable jokes 
 in their way, 
 though perhaps of questionable taste. The first deals with 
 a "Bereaved Husband's" opposition to the "Sympathetic 
 Undertaker's" remorseless insistence that the chief mourner 
 should enter the first carriage with his mother-in-law. 
 " Ah ! well," he sighs, with resignation ; " but it icill com- 
 pletely spoil my dav ! " 
 
 The second story — to which an excellent drawing was 
 
 FROM CHARLES KEENE TO HIS EDITOR. 
 
 J
 
 Death of Keenf!s " Toby." 487 
 
 made — tells of a widow who looks with sorrowful resigna- 
 tion upon a portrait of her husband that hangs above the 
 fireplace, and sa3'S - to her S3^mpathising friend : " But why 
 should I grieve, dear ? I know where he passes his e\-enings 
 now ! " The first of these Mark Lemon— ever anxious to 
 avoid giving offence — declined on the ground that it was too 
 hard upon mothers-in-law ; and the second because, in Keene's 
 own words, " Our Philistine Editor . . . said it would ' jar 
 upon feelings' !" He surely could not have borne completer 
 testimony to the care, the ultra-respect for others' sentiments, 
 which has usually distinguished Pioic/i, to the disgust of critics 
 of less refinement and consideration. 
 
 On another point, too, he was not at one with Pioic/i, 
 and that was " Tobv." The form and face of Mr. Punch, 
 as rendered by him, was hardly a classic rendering ; but 
 this was forgiven him. But Keene's Toby was neither the 
 cur represented by some, nor the Irish terrier affected by 
 others, but a dachshund ! And he persisted in so drawing 
 him to the end, not because he thought it right, but because 
 *' it might have been ! " and because the original of the beast 
 was his own much-loved pet " Frau," which he survived not 
 many days. (See next page.) 
 
 To this drawing particular interest attaches, for it is the 
 very last that ever came from his hand — a loving tribute to 
 an old friend that had passed away. Concerning it, Mr. 
 Henry S. Keene writes to me : " The history of the dog 
 is shortly this. She was a favourite old dog of my brother's, 
 and has figured a good many times in his drawings as the 
 dog of the 'typical' Punch, and was of the breed of the 
 'dachshund.' She was very old and full of infirmities, and 
 my brother consented, with some reluctance, to put the 
 poor thing out of its misery. When it was dead, he had 
 it put on a chair in his room, and made the sketch. This 
 was about three months before he died, and was the last 
 thing he drew. It required an effort on his part, as he had 
 entirely left off doing any work since the beginning of last 
 year [1890]." 
 
 More than any other man on Punch, Keene suffered at
 
 488 
 
 The History of "Punch'' 
 
 the hands of the engraver. But it was wholly his own fault. 
 He took no heed whatever of the engraver, and set before 
 him problems to which there was no solution. Thus, he 
 loved to make his drawings on old rough paper, which by 
 its grain gave a wonderfully charming but irreproducible 
 quality to his ragged lines, and which by stains of age would 
 impart effects wholly foreign to the art of the wood-cutter. 
 
 FRAU 
 
 ALIAS " TOBY, LYING IN" STATE. 
 (^Keene's Last Draiving.) 
 
 Moreover, he would manufacture his own inks in varying 
 degrees of greyness, and even of different colours, and then 
 set them before the cutter (not the engraver, mind) to 
 translate into black-and-white. Yet there are some who 
 blame the craftsman for not reproducing what it was an 
 absolute impossibility to reproduce by printer's ink and graver ! 
 But Keene was engrossed in his art ; and I have seen a 
 drawing, at Mr. Birket Foster's house at Witle}', which was 
 the seventh attempt he made before he was satisfied. This 
 was the drawing entitled "Ahem!" representing a man 
 kissing a girl, while someone, with the familiar inconsiderate- 
 ness of humanity, is approaching. The background for this 
 drawing is Mr. Foster's house.
 
 Keene as an Artist. 489 
 
 But although Keene was not a man of ideas, his merits 
 as a creator — as a reahser of t3'pes — were supreme. Manv 
 of his dramatis personoi no doubt became old-fashioned in a 
 sense ; but who can deny the truth to life of the Kirk Elder, 
 the slavey, the policeman, the tussy City man, the diner- 
 out, the waiter (did he not invent "Robert" ?), the cabman, 
 the henpecked husband, the drunkard, the gillie, the Irish 
 peasant, the schoolboy, and the Airs. Brown of Arthur 
 Sketchley's prosaic muse ? The wealth of his limited fanc}', 
 and his power of resolving it into well-ordered design, and 
 presenting it with strange econoni}- of means, invested these 
 puppets of his with a vividness which is often startling. 
 With greater force and subtlety, if with less refinement 
 and grace, than Leech — though not, like him, the genial 
 sketcher of the genial side of things — he has recorded, in the 
 five or six thousand designs that make up the sum of his con- 
 tribution, the character of "the classes" of our day, and that 
 with such intensitv of truth that we derive our delii^ht in 
 his work even more from the faithfulness of its representa- 
 tion than from the fun of the joke and the comic rendering 
 of the subject. One writer has been found who sees in his 
 pictures nothing but degradation, and who condemns the one 
 which shows a tippler who has returned late and thrown 
 himself upon the bed beside his wife fully clad and with his 
 umbrella open, as " obscene, and it is matched by many 
 another equally odious" ! But everybody else will endorse 
 Sir Frederic Leighton's enthusiastic testimony that "among 
 the documents for the study in future da3's of middle-class 
 and of humble English life, none will be more weighty than 
 the vivid sketches of this great humorist." * In praising 
 Keene's " feeling of out-of-doorness," in the " ]\Iagazine of 
 Art," ]\Ir. William Black criticised truly when he declared, 
 " Ever and again we come upon a bit of a turnip-field, a hedge- 
 row, even the corner of a London street, the vividness of 
 which is a sudden delight to the eyes." This estimate was 
 well thrown into verse a few months later, when Punch in 
 its bereavement sang the praises of its greatest artist : — 
 
 * Speech at Royal Academy Banquet, May 2nd, 1S91.
 
 490 The History of '■ PuxchJ' 
 
 " . . Nor human humours only ; who so tender 
 Of touch when sunny Nature out-of door 
 Wooed his deft pencil ? Who like him could render 
 Meadow or hedge-row. turnip-field or moor ? 
 
 Snowy perspective, long suburban winding 
 Of bowerv^ roadway, villa-edged and trim. 
 
 Iron-railed city street, where gas-lamps blinding 
 
 Glare through the foggy distance, dense and dim ? '^ 
 
 Keene's simple, kind, and somewhat lonely life are too well 
 known to call for recapitulation here — his tenderness and chivalry 
 towards women, his imconventionality, his love of ancient 
 pipes and virulent ''dottle "-smoking, his quaint story-telling 
 and singular modesty, his sensitiveness (he never would ask 
 his nephew, Islr. Corbould, to sit as model to him again after 
 a bantering inquiry of how much he was going to pay"), his 
 Conservatism, his humour, his gentle hobbies, and, lastly, his 
 stern economy. Indeed, by his thrift, when he died, he was 
 found to have accumulated over ^30,000, chiefly out of his 
 Punch work, in spite of the fact that he would never receive 
 a salary : all this is accessible elsewhere. For some time 
 before he died he ceased to draw for the paper, so broken 
 was he ; and it is worth noting that the last sketch that ap- 
 peared from his hand was " 'Arry on the Boulevards," in the 
 Paris Number of Punch (1889), although he was not able to 
 join the rest of the Staff in their trip to the Universal 
 Exhibition. 
 
 He died on the loth of January, 1S91, and was buried 
 in Hammersmith Cemetery, in the presence of most of his 
 colleagues, who mourned their friend — 
 
 " Frank, loyal, unobtrusive, simple-hearted, 
 
 Loving his book, his pipe, his song, his friend ; 
 Peaceful he lived and peacefull}' departed, 
 A gentle life-course with a gracious end." 
 
 Charles ]\Iartin — a son of the distinguished painter of 
 Biblical catastrophes, of boundless halls, and illimitable space, 
 John Martin — made three drawings for Punch. "The
 
 Charles Martin. — " Cuthbert Bedr." 491 
 
 Bonnet-maker's Dream " was an effort to enlist sympathy 
 for one class of women-workers ; but his only fair illus- 
 trated joke was that in which a page-boy, pointing to the 
 old torch-extinguishers, in one of the London squares, informs 
 his wondering companion that -they -are " what the swells in 
 ancient days put their weeds, out with." But as an artist he 
 was lazy, preferring to make occasional -nice little water-colour 
 drawings than to work hard ?and continuoush* at black-and- 
 white. He succeeded in making his way into society as a 
 man-'bout-town, which he preferred to either ; so that his 
 connection with Punch began and ended with the year 1853. 
 
 An amateur signing "C" made an anonymous appearance 
 in the same year ; and Mr. Harry Hall, who was horse- 
 painter first at Tattersall's, and -afterwards at Newmarket, 
 where he made ]Mark Lemon's acquaintance while painting 
 a Derby Winner, contributed a single sketch. It is not 
 remarkable, nor superior to his subsequent work as horse- 
 draughtsman to the "Field"; but it proves, at least, that 
 Mr. Sydney P. Hall's father could draw with ease. 
 
 It was in 1S53 that the Reverend Edward Bradley* first 
 contributed a drawing to Punch under his well-known pseudo- 
 nym, but earlier than that he found admittance in its pages, 
 with both picture and prose, under the signature, not of 
 "Cuthbert Bede," but simply " E. B." The nom dc plume 
 under which he is best known hQ adapted from the names 
 of the two patron saints of Durham, to which city he was 
 much attached, and within whose boundaries he spent his 
 'Varsity career. 
 
 "Photography being a novelty in 1853," says he in his 
 MS. reminiscences, to the transcript of which I have 
 had access through the courtesy of his son, Mr. Cuth- 
 bert Bradley, " ]\Iark Lemon readily accepted my proposal 
 to introduce it into Punch," and accordingly, the first four 
 
 * English humour is under a great debt to the Enghsh Church. Not only, 
 of course, are Sydney Smith and "Tom Ingoldsby" of immortal fame— to 
 name no others— in the front rank of our wits, but Punch has received the 
 homage of " Cuthbert Bede," Dean Hole, the Rev. W. F. Callaway, Canon 
 Ainger, and the Rev. Anthony C. Deane.^iThe Irish Catholic priest Father 
 James Healy, by the way, indirectly contributed a number of capital jokes.
 
 492 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 caricature illustrations of photography that appeared were in 
 Punch, between May and August, 1853. One of these repre- 
 sented '' The Portrait of an Eminent Photographer who has 
 just succeeded in focussing a view to his Complete Satisfaction." 
 
 He was depicted with his head under 
 the hood, while a bull was charging him 
 in the rear — a sketch that was pleasantly 
 referred to by Charles Kingsley in his 
 novel, ''Two Years Ago." 
 
 To the encouragement of Mark 
 Lemon, Cuthbert Bede owed a good 
 deal, in respect to both pen and pencil, 
 and in the warmth of his geniality the 
 sketches for "Verdant Green" were 
 made, and, says the author, more than 
 fort)^ of them were engraved for Punch's 
 pages, to appear a page each week.* 
 But circumstances caused Mark Lemon, 
 with Cuthbert Bede's consent, to trans- 
 fer them to a special Supplement at that 
 time being prepared by Punch's Editor 
 for the '■' Illustrated London Xews "^a journal which then 
 enjoyed the co-operation of all the best pens and pencils 
 more closely identified with the Sage of Fleet Street. 
 
 Then in 1850 the MS. of "Verdant Green" went the 
 round of the publishers for issue in book-form, and not till 
 after a year's tour was it accepted, and reluctantly enough 
 issued, the publisher vowing that it would not pay its ex- 
 penses. But within four-and-twenty hours he found out his 
 mistake, and the announcement was made thirty years after- 
 wards, that the sale of the book had amounted to upwards 
 of 170,000 copies — while the author, from first to last, received 
 the splendid sum of /350 for a work which must be reckoned 
 among the great popular successes of the century. 
 
 When Douglas Jerrold was at Oxford, in November, 1854, 
 Cuthbert Bede was presented to the sharp-tongued wit, the 
 
 REV. EDWARD BRADLEY 
 (" CUTHBERT BEDE "'). 
 
 (From a Photograph by A . J. 
 Hancock.) 
 
 * It is to be observed, however, that there is no mention of these engravings 
 in Mr. Swain's " PiiiKh Cut Book."
 
 '' CUTHBERT BeDE's" SUCCESS. 493 
 
 introducer adding, by way of explanation, " Mr. Verdant 
 Green." " At that time," says Bede, " I was closely shaven, 
 and had a very pale face. Douglas Jerrold looked sharply up 
 at me, with a glitter in his blue eyes, and at once said, ' Mr. 
 Verdant Green ? I should have thought it was Mr. Blanco 
 White ! ' " — though, of course, there was no more real resem- 
 blance between Blanco White's face and that of the Rev. 
 Bradley's, than there was between " Mr. Verdant Green " and 
 " Doblado's Letters from Spain." " Among several things that 
 were very agreeable to me in connection with the publication 
 of 'Verdant Green,'" he continues, "was a circumstance that 
 was related to me by an eminent Oxford don, who is now a 
 bishop. He had entered the room of Dr. Pusey, at Christ 
 Church, and saw, as usual, the library table covered with 
 books of divinity and learned tomes ; but on the top of these 
 was perched, in pert, cock-sparrow fashion, that shilling rail- 
 way book that had recently been published, with the spectacled 
 face of the Oxford Freshman on the cover, ^ly friend told 
 me that Dr. Pusey held up the book to him and said, that 
 he had not only read it through, but that he kept it on his 
 table so that he might read bits of it in the pauses of his 
 severer study." 
 
 One of Cuthbert Bede's proudest memories was the intro- 
 duction of the double acrostic. He did not claim to have 
 invented it, for he knew of the monkish acrostics; but for 
 six months he had amused his friends with his revival before 
 he showed them to Mark Lemon. The latter, with a quick 
 eye for novelty, asked Bradley to write a paper on them 
 for the "Illustrated London News," which was then being 
 edited by Dr. Charles Mackay, and the humorist was only 
 too happy to comply with the request. The first of these 
 " double acrostic charades "—the first ever printed— appeared 
 in the paper on August 30, 1856, and at intervals for some 
 months afterwards; indeed, there was a regular colunm 
 devoted to them, edited bv Cuthbert Bede, that drew letters 
 from all parts of the world, literally in thousands, which 
 were forwarded to him in packets by rail. He had to explain 
 their construction, and give examples for practice in the art.
 
 494 The iHisTORY of "Punch." 
 
 The first was ''Charles Dickens — Pickwick Papers"; then 
 followed " London— Thames," "Waterloo— Napoleon/' "Scu- 
 tari Hospital — Miss Nightingale," and then " Lemon— Punch." 
 Here is how the last-named was treated : — 
 
 The Letters (5). 
 
 I brighten even the brightest scene (L am P) 
 
 I very nearly an ostrich had been ... ... (E m U) 
 
 I with a hood once pass'd all my days ... ... (M aria N) 
 
 I am a fop in a play of all plays... ... ... (O sri C) 
 
 To its greatness the city of Bath I did raise ... (N as H) 
 
 The Words. 
 I'm a Mark of judgment, of taste, and wit. 
 
 O'er a crowd of pages I rule the roast ; 
 I mix with choice spirits, while choicer ones sit 
 
 Around, while I give them full many a toast. 
 Of my two words, my first is squeez'd into my second. 
 Although at its head it is commonl}' reckoned. 
 
 " When I read it to Mark Lemon," says Bede, in con- 
 clusion, " he said that Punch ought to be well flavoured, for 
 that into its composition there went not one, but three lemons 
 — Mark Lemon, Leman Rede, and Laman Blanchard." 
 
 Edward and his brother, Thomas Waldron Bradley, were 
 sons of a surgeon of Kidderminster. When the former was 
 quite a child, his delight in sketching was as remarkable as 
 his keenness of observation, and he had a trick on arriving 
 home, after seeing an}'thing that interested him in the streets, 
 of saying, " Give me a slate," and sketching the scene upon 
 it with the utmost facility. It was this facility, joined to his 
 lack of artistic education, which placed upon his work the 
 unmistakable stamp of the amateur. But his sense of humour 
 saved him, winning for him admittance to PiiticJis pages in 
 1847, when he was onh' twenty years of age. He had made 
 his debut the previous year in " Bentley's Miscellany," with 
 some love verses signed with his usual pen-name. Five 
 years later he was making suggestions for " The ]\Ionth," 
 and both he and his brother Walrond (whose pseudonym 
 of " Shelsle}' Beauchamp " is hardly yet forgotten in his own 
 county) wrote in it.
 
 £a 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 lO 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 lO 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 6 
 
 > 
 
 o 
 
 George Cruikshank and "Punch." 495 
 
 His earl}- ]MS. diaries record frequent receipts of small 
 sums from Punch in return for small contributions. His first 
 draft upon the Whitefriars exchequer was on October 23rd, 
 1847, when one giiinea was received. By 1853 the receipts 
 were a little more frequent, but still hardh' noteworthy. 
 Here, at any rate, is an example : — 
 
 " Up to August 4th, received from Mark Lemon for Punch — 
 Photo subjects 
 Table-turning ... 
 
 Initial letter to Peterloo Brown, I. 
 Sidney Snub ... 
 Savage Lions in London 
 Sept. 14:2nd and 3rd Peterloo Brown letters 
 Article "High Mettle Dragon." 
 
 — while his earnings for the following year amount to £22 6s. 
 for drawings and MS. After 1856 he contributed nothing 
 more to Punch' s pages, though a stray forgotten cut appears 
 to have cropped up in the second volume for 1874. 
 
 George Cruikshank was a valuable friend to Cuthbert Bede, 
 just as he was to Watts Phillips, and gave him a good deal 
 of advice as to drawing on wood for PuncJi, as well as 
 practical lessons in draughtsmanship, by working before him 
 on his wonderful etching of the "Tail of a Comet;" still, he 
 was unable to impart to his pupil's work either trained 
 ease or stvle. Cruikshank was on terms of intimacy with 
 Mark Lemon, but he never drew for Punch, sa^-e indirectly 
 for its advertisement page in 1844 — an announcement for 
 his ''Table-Book," in which appear the portraits of Gilbert 
 Abbott a Beckett (his literary Editor), Thackeray, and himself. 
 Yet the " Quarterly Re^-iew," in the course of an essay upon 
 that journal, declared that " Piuich owes at least half its 
 popularity to the pencil of George Cruikshank " ! The fact 
 is. that Cruikshank, thoudi on intimate terms with manv 
 of the Staff, would never allow himself to be persuaded to 
 draw for its pages. "We shall have you yet," said ]\Iark 
 Lemon one day. "Never," said Cruikshank, in his most 
 melodramatic tone and striking his favourite attitude. 
 He had then become the staunchest of total abstainers,
 
 496 The History of ''Puxch." 
 
 and he held its very name in abhorrence. Moreover, he 
 professed to look upon their Dinners as orgies ; but it is far 
 more likely that the predominance in its pages and in its 
 councils of his mighty rival, John Leech, had more to do 
 with his total abstinence — from Punch, I mean — than any 
 other consideration. " Between Cruikshank and Leech," says 
 Mr. Frith, " there existed little sympathy and less intimacy. 
 The extravagant caricature that pervades so much of Cruik- 
 shank's work, and from which Leech was entireh' free, 
 blinded him a little to the great merit of Cruikshank' s serious 
 work. I was very intimate with * Immortal George,' as 
 he was familiarly called, and I was much surprised by the 
 coolness with which he received my enthusiastic praise of 
 Leech. ' Yes, yes,' said George, ' very clever. The new 
 school, you see. Public always taken with novelty.' " Never- 
 theless, it must not be forgotten that the only lessons in 
 etching Leech ever had he received from George Cruikshank. 
 Moreover, George had a grievance, as will be seen by the 
 following letter addressed to Mr. G. H. Haydon, one of 
 PuncJis subsequent contributors, to whom reference will be 
 made later on :— ., ^63^ Hampstead Road, N.W., 
 
 "My Dear Sir, "January 7, 1867. 
 
 "I am sorry that I am not able to tell you where to 
 find a ' Punch and Judy,' but I think some of that family reside, 
 or might be heard of, in the vicinity of Leicester Square. The 
 ' Punch ' that I copied my figures from for the ' History of 
 Punch and Judy ' was an old Italian long since deceased. His 
 performance and figures were first-rate — far superior to anything 
 of the present day, and it is quite evident that poor Leech and 
 others copied my Punch, for Punch and other works, from the 
 Punch that I copied from this Italian Punch. 
 
 " Speaking of Punch, you are, I presume, aware that although 
 the idea of ' Punch ' was taken from my ' Omnibus,' that I never 
 had anything to do with that work of ' Punch,' and also that for 
 many years (20 ! ! !) I have not taken anything in the way of Piuich. 
 
 " However, I will say no more about Punch at present, as I 
 fear you will feel as if you could ' punch ' the head of 
 
 " Yours trul}-, 
 
 " George Cruikshank."
 
 \ 
 
 Cruikshank's Grievance. 497 
 
 His grievance was that Punch's figure was stolen fr(jm 
 his book (to which Payne ColHer had written the text), 
 and that the paper itseh' was but an imitation ot his own 
 short-hved monthly magazine. With greater reason could he 
 complain that the Punch Pocket-books were copied from his 
 "Comic Annuals," as they were, and that the imitations 
 killed the originals after a contest of a dozen years ; but 
 the idea of Punch being copied from the "Omnibus," with 
 which it had hardly a single point 
 in common, save humour and illus- 
 tration, has probabh' about as much 
 foundation as Cruikshank's claim 
 against Dickens and " Oliver Twist," 
 or against Harrison Ainsworth and 
 "The Miser's Daughter" and "The 
 Tower of London." Yet Punch 
 rendered ample tribute to his genius, 
 not so much in the adaptation of 
 man}^ of his best-known drawings 
 to cartoons, including " Jack Shep- 
 
 pard " (1841), "Oliver asking for t. Harrington WILSON. 
 
 More " (1844), " The Fix " [Points of {Dra-am by r. iv. ir/hon, /?./.) 
 Humour] (1844), "The Juggernaut" 
 
 (1845), "Oliver Twist and\he Artful Dodger" (1846^ "The 
 Deaf Postilion" (1846), and " Fagin in the Cell" (1848), 
 "The Election" [Sketches by Boz] down to " Harcourt the 
 Headsman" (June 8th, 1895); ^^-^t also by deliberate state- 
 ment and amiability prepense. That, however, did not 
 prevent Punch from chaffing "the Great George" upon 
 occasion, as when he was preparing his "Lite ot Falstaft " 
 the journal gravely assumed that he would reform that 
 incorrigible tippler into a "teetotal Falstaff," and protested 
 against the enthusiast mixing water so copiously with tlic 
 milk of his human kindness. So Cruikshank set off in great 
 wrath towards Fleet Street to seek out the scoffer, and, 
 meeting Blanchard Jerrold, sputtered out his inn-jiose and 
 declared that he was on the trail of that scoundrel Punch 
 to "knock his old wooden head about." When he died, Punch 
 G G
 
 498 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 announced that " England is the poorer b}' what she can 
 ill spare — a man of genius. Good, kind, genial, honest, and 
 enthusiastic George Cruikshank . . . has passed awa}-." 
 
 Mr. T. Harrington Wilson, the well-known special corre- 
 spondent of the " Illustrated London News," at that time 
 a specialist in theatrical portraiture, joined the paper as 
 an occasional contributor in 1S53, and over various mono- 
 grams sent in a dozen clever, but hardly striking, drawings. 
 These were "socials" dealing with society or fashion, stage 
 situations from behind the scenes, and grotesque ideas, such 
 as the " effect of wearing respirators on burglars " (October, 
 1853). Mr. Wilson — who, by the way, had studied at the 
 National Gallerv side by side with Sir John Tenniel and 
 Charles Martin — contributed to the Pocket-books from 1854 
 to 1857, and ceased his connection when he was ordered 
 abroad. 
 
 All the outside artistic help received by Punch in 1854 
 came from five occasional correspondents : from " F. M.," 
 an amateur, in February ; from ]Mr. Swain the engraver (who 
 fitfully contributed unimportant sketches at times of sudden 
 need), in the same month ; from J. Bennett ; from Chambers 
 (a half-a-dozen initials extending over that and the following 
 year, and reappearing in 1864 ;) and from Mr. Harrison Weir. 
 The contribution of the latter occurred during Leech's indis- 
 position, when Mr. Weir was invited by Mark Lemon to make 
 a few drawings to fill the place which would be so sadly 
 missed. So the artist — who was working under Lemon on 
 the " Field " — produced a half-page drawing illustrative of the 
 tribulation of a young lady who was obliged to leave half her 
 luggage behind by reason of the cab-strike ; and it was printed 
 on p. 165 of Vol. XX VH. Then Leech recovered, and Mr. 
 Weir's services were dispensed with. 
 
 The second clergvman who ever drew for Punch was 
 the Rev. W. F. Callawav, a Baptist minister of York and 
 Birmingham, and the son of a gentleman who had distin- 
 guished himself by writing a book on " Cingalese Gods." 
 He contributed one or two sketches, the first one being 
 referred to in his MS. diary, February 15th, 1855 — "Found
 
 The ''Lazy Minstrel" as Artist. 
 
 499 
 
 my Sketch in P/^;;c//—' Comment on the Balaclava Railway.' " 
 It had been re-drawn in part by Leech, but the character 
 of the original was left intact. Then three initials from 
 Ince are to be chronicled ; another from "■ W. R.," and a 
 drawing -signed "H.," from B. C. Halliday (p. 200, Vol. 
 XXVIIL), showing ''Our Artist in the Crimea" in a hopeless 
 mess ; as well as a dozen initials of no particular importance 
 from G. W. Terry (p. 171, Vol. XXX.) from 1856 to 1858. 
 
 Mr. J. Ashby-Sterry, so well and pleasantly known in 
 later days as Punch's " Lazy Minstrel," and writer of verses 
 and paragraphs innumerable in its pages, was from 1856 to 
 186 1 an artistic contributor on fifteen occasions. "When 
 I was a youth," he writes, "I fear I must have annoyed 
 good, genial Mark Lemon very much, for I was continually 
 sending pen-and-ink sketches to Punch. Not content with 
 showering these upon him, which were invariably courteously 
 returned, I began to pelt him with wood blocks. I took to 
 drawing on the wood enthusiastically, and was continually 
 popping these little parcels into the letter-box under the 
 shadow of St. Bride's Church. At last one of them, to mv 
 intense joy, appeared. Altogether I must have had about 
 four initial letters, a dozen black silhouettes, and a quarter- 
 page social cut inserted in the paper. But the quantity that 
 were never used at all, and the number that were re-drawn 
 by my old friend Charles Keene, is a high testimony to the 
 artistic knowledge and editorial skill of Mark Lemon." But 
 Mr. Ashby-Sterry does himself an injustice, as all will say 
 who have seen the vivacious sketch of a gentleman struggling 
 violently inside his shirt, with the legend : " How agreeable 
 it is, more especially if you are late, and are dressing against 
 time to dine with ultra-punctual people — how agreeable it 
 is, on getting into your clean shirt, to find the laundress has 
 been careful to fasten all the buttons for you ! " Moreover, 
 he was trained as an artist, both at " the Langham " and 
 at the Royal Academy Schools ; and portraits painted by 
 him of his father and grandfather have long since "toned" 
 into canvases at once able and attractive. 
 
 A few sketches by Saunderson in this same year were 
 
 G G 2
 
 500 The History of "Punch." 
 
 followed by the debut of Alfred Thompson. When a cavalr}' 
 officer, this gentleman, encouraged by the acceptance of his 
 work by "Diogenes," in 1854, sent a few drawings — 
 initials, for the most part — to PiincJi, that were published 
 in I S5 6-7-8, and he was persuaded by Mark Lemon to take 
 up the career of art. On retiring from the service, he studied 
 in Paris, and contributed to the " Journal Amusant ; " and 
 on his return found that Mark Lemon was dead, and that, 
 by the side of Keene and Tenniel, there had grown up a 
 giant in the person of Mr. du Maurier, Under Tom Ta3dor's 
 editorship he was a regular literary contributor, and was 
 promised the next vacant place on the Staif ; but an offer 
 from Messrs. Agnew of the management of the Theatre 
 Royal, Manchester, tempted him away from London and all 
 journalistic enterprise. On his return to town, Mr. Burnand 
 was on the point of becoming Editor, and the connection 
 came to an end. And so Punch knew him no more, and 
 Mr. Thompson appeared before a later generation chiefly as 
 editor of the brilliant little "Mask," as designer of stage 
 costumes and ballets, and writer of pantomimes. By some he 
 was also remembered as a contributor, in 1865, to the "Comic 
 News" and "The Arrow." His last Punch sketches were 
 published in 1876 and 1877, and in the Pocket-book for the 
 latter year was buried what was, perhaps, his most important 
 literary contribution that is worth preserving — a continuation 
 of "Daniel Deronda." The most that can be said of Mr. 
 Thompson's sketches is that they are bright and not 
 without fancy ; but since these were made, his power and 
 charm of grace greatly increased. He died in Xew Jerse}', 
 September, 1895. 
 
 Frank Bellew, whose signature consisted of a flattened 
 triangle, either with or without his initials, drew about thirty 
 initials and quarter- or half-page "socials" from 1857 until 
 1862, many of them dealing with incidents connected with 
 the American Civil War ; and then — following the example 
 of Newman and Mr. Thompson — he went to America, where 
 he obtained more recognition for his clever outline drawings 
 and for the pathetic touches and moral points which he
 
 Julian Portch. — " Cham!' 501 
 
 loved to introduce ; and there he begat a son whose reputa- 
 tion as a humorous draughtsman (being " Chip " of the New- 
 York " Life ") soon became far greater than liis father's. 
 Bennet and " B. W." followed with a few trifles in 1857 and 
 
 1858, and then on October 13th Julian Portch sent in his 
 first contribution. 
 
 Portch sprang from humble surroundings, and with no 
 recommendations but his art ; that, however, was sufficient 
 for Mark Lemon, It is true that it lacked strength, but 
 it showed a delicate pencil and a certain power of comic 
 expression sufficient to place him among " Mr. Punch's 
 clever voung men " of the second rank. He was forth- 
 with employed on decorations to the preface and to the 
 Pocket-book (a task on which he was engaged for several 
 consecutive years), as well as on Punch itself. He stopped 
 active contribution in 1862, his work being seen only once in 
 1863, 1864, 1867, and 1870; but the last drawing he sent in 
 was in October, 186 1. He had illustrated "Uncle Tom's 
 Cabin," a new edition of Boswell's " Life of Johnson," and, 
 in part, Mr. Cholmondele}' Pennell's " Puck on Pegasus," when 
 in 1855 Henry Vizetelly, whose pupil he had been, sent 
 him to the Crimea as war correspondent for the " Illustrated 
 Times," in order to make sketches of British camp life. 
 In the rigours of that awful winter he was laid low witli 
 rheumatic fever, ending in general paralysis ; and after three 
 years of lovingh' tended illness he died in September, 1865. 
 
 An anonymous contributor, more than usually modest, 
 then sent in three drawings (August, 1859) as from "A 
 Stranger," and then the distinguished French caricaturist, 
 "Cham" (the Comte Amedee de Xoe), made six humorous 
 and spirited character sketches of Turco soldiers in Paris in 
 
 1859, not very complimentary to his country's allies. When 
 he had visited London previously, Mark Lemon had sent 
 him a little parcel of wood-blocks for drawings for Punch, 
 and was astonished to receive them all back the next 
 morning, all covered with vigorous work, with a calm request 
 for " more woods." He was, perhaps, a better raconlcur than 
 comic draughtsman, and, speaking English thoroughly well,
 
 502 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 became at once a great favourite. Thackeray, in particular, 
 delighted to do him honour in his rooms at Young Street. 
 In the safne year Brunton, a young artist far better known 
 outside Punch's pages than in them, put his sign-manual of 
 arrow-pierced hearts to a couple of drawings ; and it is 
 curious to observe how in his " Annamite Ambassadors " he 
 forestalled Mr. Furniss's " Lika Joko " series. 
 
 Miss Coode was the first lady who drew for Punch, con- 
 tributing nineteen drawings from November, 1859, to January, 
 1861 ; and then G. H. Ha3'don (barrister-at-law and steward 
 of Bridewell and the Royal Bethlehem Hospital) began his 
 connection. He was the intimate friend of John Leech, by 
 whom he was introduced to Punch, and of Charles Keene, 
 with whom he used to draw regularly at the Langham 
 Sketching Club. During 1860-1-2 he contributed twenty-two 
 sketches and initials. He was a keen fly-fisherman, and 
 man}^ of Leech's subjects of this sort were done with him at 
 Whitchurch, Hampshire, which they haunted together for the 
 sport. After Leech's death Haydon contributed nothing 
 more, as it was only during his spare time and out of 
 friendl}- feeling that he made his sketches. He was, on the 
 other hand, the subject of several of Keene's angling draw- 
 ings, which were also done for the most part at Whit- 
 church. Such is the sketch in the Almanac for 1885, 
 wherein the '' Gigantic Angler " is an excellent portrait of 
 Haydon, while Leech's drawing of August nth, i860, was 
 a record of an incident that happened while the friends 
 were fishing the same water. From that extremely pro- 
 mising young artist, M. J. Lawless, who was doing some 
 of his best designs for " Once a Week," there came between 
 May, i860, and the following Januar}-, six drawings; but 
 he was already a dying man when they were done, and he 
 left little proof in them of the greatness of his talent. He 
 was still contributing, however, when, on September 28th, 
 i860, there was sent into the office a drawing from the 
 hand of one of the most brilliant of PnucJis lights — 
 George du Maurier,
 
 503 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 punch's artists : 1860-67. 
 
 Mr. G. du Maurier's First Drawing — The " Romantic Tenor " — Polite Satire — 
 His Types and Creations — His Pretty Women — And Fair American — 
 "Chang," " Don, " and "Punch" — Mr. du Maurier as a Punch Writer- 
 Mr. Gordon Tliompson — Mr, Stacy Marks, R.A. — Paul Gray — Sir John 
 Millais, Bart., R.A, — Mr. Fred Barnard— First Joke Refused as " Painful ' 
 — Mr. R. T. Pritchett — Initiation by Sir John Tenniel — Fritz Eltze — 
 His Amiable Jocularity — Mr. A. R. Fairfield — Colonel Seccombe — Fred 
 Walker, A. R.A. —Mr. J. Priestman Atkinson ("Dumb Crambo")— C. H. 
 Bennett— Mr. W, S. Gilbert ("Bab")— His Classic Joke— G. B. Goddard 
 — Miss Georgina Bowers — Mr. Walter Crane. 
 
 When, in i860, Mr. George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier 
 contributed his iirst drawing to Punch, he had httle suspicion 
 
 that he would be counted, together 
 with John Leech, John Tenniel, and 
 Charles Keene, as one of the four great 
 pillars on which would rest the artistic 
 reputation of the paper. In that first 
 drawing, himself and two of his friends 
 were represented entering the "studio" 
 of a photographer, smoking, as the 
 manner of artists is ; and they are 
 coldly requested by the deity of the 
 place to leave their tobacco outside, 
 as "they are in an artist's studio" 
 (p. 150, Vol. XXXIX.). It was a poor 
 sketch enough, showing some straining 
 after comicality, and lacking every 
 trace of the grace and beaut}' the draughtsman was so soon 
 to develop. He was Parisian born, and after studying with 
 a view to a scientific career, he became convinced, through 
 Dr. Williamson's amiable assurance that he would make a 
 "shocking bad chemist," that art and not science was his 
 
 GEORGE DU MAURIER. 
 
 (Fi-oin a Photograph by IV. and 
 D. Downey.")
 
 504 The History of "Punch." 
 
 destin)^ — more especially as his professors had been de- 
 lighted with such little caricatures of his as they had seen ; 
 but, as Mr. du Maurier suggestively put it in his lecture 
 on "Social Pictorial Satire," "they had not seen them all." 
 He studied art at Antwerp and Paris in company with several 
 notabilities of the day ; but when, through an accident in 
 the laboratory, he lost the sight of one eye, and found the 
 other seriously imperilled, his chances of success in life 
 seemed small. It was when Iving, during his long illness, 
 in the Antwerp Hospital, in 1858, that he first saw "Punch's 
 Almanac" — a delight which he never forgot. When he 
 recovered his ordinary health, he returned to England, 
 though with little improvement of sight to cheer him. With 
 a courage, however, equal to that of Sir John Tenniel, he 
 girded himself against fate ; he worked hard in London, 
 where he lived in humble lodgings at 85, Newman Street, 
 which he shared with his life-long friend, the late Lionel 
 Henley, afterwards R.B.A. — " the dearest fellow that ever 
 was." He sometimes wondered, he has told me, if he would 
 eat a dinner that day ; and as becomes the impecunious, he 
 was a tremendous democrat. He " hated the bloated aristo- 
 cracy, without knowing much about it ; and, to do it justice, 
 the bloated aristocracy did not go out of its way to 
 pester him with its attentions." But in those happy, 
 hungry, hard-working days, when dinner was not always a 
 vested interest, Mr. du ]\Iaurier seemed alread}' tinged with 
 the daintier tastes that were destined to lead his pencil to 
 the dehneation of these same "bloated" classes; and even 
 in those hard times he could always boast a dress-suit. 
 
 So at the age of twenty-six — the same as that at which 
 Charles Keene made his debut in Punch — he sent in an 
 occasional contribution that was far more in Leech's manner 
 than in what came to be his own. 
 
 Art has a way, figuratively speaking, of flourishing on an 
 empty stomach, and Mr. du Planner made rapid progress 
 on the training. Keene's acquaintance and genial friendship 
 enslaved at once his artistic methods, as well as his artistic 
 adoration. It was not that he admired Leech less, but that
 
 " The Thackeray of the Pencil!' 505 
 
 he appreciated Keene more ; and when the former died, to 
 the sorrow and consternation of the Staff, Mr. (hi ]\Iaurier 
 was appointed to his seat at the Table. He obeyed the 
 summons on the first Wednesday that followed Leech's death, 
 and carved his monogram on the board between those of the 
 bosom friends, Thackeray and Leech. ]\Iark Lemon, with 
 characteristic shrewdness, soon discovered in what direction 
 la}^ the talent and perhaps the penchant of the artist, and 
 told him not to try to be ''too funny," but to do the graceful 
 side of things, and to be "the romantic tenor in Mr. Punch's 
 opera bouffe compan}^," while Keene was to do the comic 
 songs. The little social dramas of the day, the drawing-rooms 
 of Belgravia, and the nurseries of Mayfair — those were his 
 preserves, from which he could get as much game as he 
 chose, humorous if he liked, but graceful withal. 
 
 But Mr. du Maurier is emphatically not what is com- 
 monly understood by " a funny man," for all his subtlety and 
 love of humour ; he is a combination of the artistic, with a 
 distinct and clear sense of beauty, and of the scientific, with 
 speculations and theories of race and heredity — who would 
 as lief draw . East-End types for the sake of their " charac- 
 ter," and would look at a queer face more for the interest 
 that is in it than for its comicalitv. If Mr. dA Maurier's 
 sense of beauty is strong, so is his appreciation of ugliness ; 
 and if you take down any of the volumes of Punch — that 
 shine in their shelves like the teeth in the great laughing 
 mouth of Humour itself— you will find no faces or forms 
 more hideous or grotesque than those which the artist has 
 chosen to put there. 
 
 But if there is one thing to justify the opinion of his 
 admirers that he is the "Thackeray of the pencil," it is 
 primarily to be found, not so much in the keen satire of his 
 drawing and legends, but in his startling, his strikingly truth- 
 ful creations. Creations we have had from Leech, Keene, and 
 others — from Leech's pure sense of fun and jollity ; from 
 Keene's unerring observation of men and women, and fleet- 
 ing emotion— but those of Mr. du Maurier go deeper into 
 vices, virtues, habits, and motives, and are at the root of his
 
 5o6 The History of "Punchy 
 
 pictorial commentaries. He has given us true pictures of the 
 manners of his time ; and those manners he has satirised with 
 more pohteness and iron}-, perhaps, than broad humour. He 
 worked well with Keene in double harness, and his pictures 
 are at once a foil and a complement of that genius's work 
 and poiiit de vice. He has satirised everything, and his art 
 has been admirably adapted to the depth of the civilisation 
 he probes and dissects. His sense of beauty and tender- 
 ness apart, he is to art much what Corney Grain was to 
 the stage, though his hand is not so heavy ; and while you 
 laugh with Leech, you smile with Mr. du Maurier — lovingly 
 at his children, respectfully at his pretty women, and sar- 
 donically at his social puppets. 
 
 His own particular creations — his types and "series" — are 
 to some sections of Punch's admirers, PiincJis chief attraction. 
 Especially is this the case in the United States,* where to Mr. 
 du Maurier many people have looked almost exclusively, not 
 only for English fashions in male and female attire, and the 
 derniere mode in social etiquette, but for the truest reflection 
 of English life and character. First of all these types are 
 Sir Gorgius Midas — who, the artist once confided to me, was 
 drawn without exaggeration from real life — and his common 
 wife and still vulgarer son. Then Mrs. Ponsonby de Tomkyns, 
 the clever and scheming, and her husband, depressed and 
 stolidly obedient ; the bishop and the flunkey, all calves and 
 dignity ; Grigsby, the " comic " man, and his punctilious 
 friend, Sir Pompey Bedell, inflated with pretentious emptiness ; 
 'Arry and 'Arriet, blatant and irrepressible ; young Cadby, 
 the Cockney ; and the Duke and Duchess of Stilton, whose 
 very figures seem to be drawn in purple ink ; the refined 
 colonel, a counterpart and not unworthy comrade of Xew- 
 come himself; IVIaudle, Postlethwaite, and Mrs. Cimabue 
 Brown, most delightful trio of sickening "aesthetes" — specially 
 beloved of Mr. du Maurier, whose famous drawing, "Are 
 You Intense ? " is perhaps the particular favourite of all his 
 satiric Punch work ; Mr. Soapley and Mr. Todeson, who vie 
 
 * Mr. Henry James, jun., considers ("Century Magazine," 1883) that 
 "since 1868, Punch has been, artistically speaking, George du Maurier."
 
 Synthetic Jocularity. 507 
 
 with each other in vulgar servihty and sycophancy ; the Herr 
 Professor, ponderously humorous in smoking-room or boudoir ; 
 and Anatole, the bridegroom, happ}' and dapper in the Bois 
 de Boulogne ; Titwillow and the ex-Jew at the Club — what 
 an assemblage of carefully differentiated specimens of London's 
 characteristic inhabitants ! That man}' of them are often 
 accepted, universally quoted as types, apart from any express 
 reference to Punch or to its artist, is the best testimony ot 
 the truth of his iron}- ; for they are as recognisable in the real 
 world as the Jacques, the Becky Sharps, and the Pecksniffs 
 of other brains. And besides these there are the general 
 characters so accurately presented to us — the refined lady 
 with the very old face and frontal grey or white curls whom 
 Mr. du Maurier used to draw, I believe, from the person of 
 Mrs. Hamilton Aide ; the charming young ladies for whom, 
 in succession, his wife and daughters have sat ; and the de- 
 lightful little ones to whom Professor Ruskin paid partial 
 tribute when he declared, a little cruelly, perhaps, that the 
 "charm of his extremely intelligent, and often exquisitely 
 pretty children, is dependent, for the greater part, on the 
 dressing of their back hair and the fitting of their boots." 
 
 The admirable setting in which Mr. du Maurier frames 
 his series of jokes is testimony to his genius. ,He follows 
 Leech's plan of such series (" Servantgalism," "The Rising 
 Generation," etc.), but the quality of the thought and its 
 presentation is as much more elaborate than Leech's as his 
 method of draughtsmanship is more complicated. These 
 series or formulas, in their chief heads and subtle variations, 
 display the quality of his mind. If you turn to the volumes 
 for 1888 (XCIV. and XCV.) you will find examples of no fewer 
 than nine of them : (i) Things one would rather have left 
 unsaid ; (2) Things one would rather have expressed dif- 
 ferently ; (3) Social Agonies ; (4) Feline Amenities ; (5) Our 
 Imbeciles ; (6) Typical Modern Developments ; (7) Studies 
 in Evolution ; (8) Nincompoopiana ; and (9) What our Artist 
 has to put up with ; — the last-named, however, a vein which 
 Keene began to work as early as 1854. 
 
 His talent, too, in devising the legends, or "cackle," for
 
 5o8 
 
 The History of ''Punch: 
 
 the drawings is imiformly happ}', unsurpassed by any man 
 who ever wrote for Punch. As Mr. Anstey says, he has 
 brought the art of /r^c/5-writing to perfection. His legends are 
 
 not always so concise as Leech's, but 
 for truth of expression, felicitous col- 
 loquialism, and above all, for foreign 
 accent, he is unapproached. I go 
 farther, and say that he is the first 
 man who ever put truthfully upon 
 paper, and properly differentiated, the 
 "broken English" and slangy mis- 
 pronunciations of German, French, and 
 Semite, to say nothing of his Cockney ; 
 indeed, his studies in this direction 
 prove him, besides an admirable 
 physiologist pour rire and a pungent 
 though courteous satirist, an inimitable 
 comparative-" broken " -philologist. 
 
 True to his role of " Romantic 
 Tenor," ]Mr, du Maurier has endowed 
 Punch with the greater part of the 
 grace and beauty which have done so 
 much to make the paper what it is. 
 " In his social subjects," says a dis- 
 tinguished critic,* " Mr. du Maurier, 
 though somewhat mannered and fond 
 of a single type of face and figure, 
 has carried the ironical genre, received 
 b\- Leech from Gavarni and Charlet, 
 to the highest point of elegance it 
 "MY PRETTY WOMAN." ^^'^^ attained." He is too fond of the 
 {Draxvn by George du Maurier.) beautiful, sighs Mr. Jamcs; he sees 
 
 everything cyi beau, and Mistress and 
 Maid with him are a good deal of Juno and Hebe. Xo 
 doubt his grace often militates against his fun, but Mr. du 
 Maurier, as has already been suggested, is only by accident 
 a professional funny man. Besides, when he wishes to be 
 
 * See " Encyclopaedia Britannica." 
 
 '^^
 
 His " Pretty Woman. 
 
 509 
 
 merely funn}', he passes Beaut}' by as if he were not the 
 most devoted of her adorers, as you ma}' see in one of the 
 best of all his drawings in Punch, in which a typical!}' selfish 
 master of the house orders up the cook into the breakfast- 
 room, complaining that he can- 
 not eat the bacon which he has 
 just served ; his wife's, he says, 
 is the worst he ever saw — and 
 his own is nearly as bad ! 
 
 Even more than his lovely 
 child (often drawn from his little 
 grandson), his superb youth, 
 and his splendid gentleman, ]Mr. du 
 Maurier's pretty woman is the pedestal 
 upon which he has erected his repu- 
 tation — at least, so far as Punch is 
 concerned. His pretty woman, he de- 
 clares, is the granddaughter of Leech's, 
 and he beseeches the public to love 
 her, paternally at least as he does, 
 " for her grandmother's sake." 
 
 Writing his mind on the subject of 
 his deliirhtful creation at m^- own re- 
 quest,* he says : — 
 
 "I do hope the reader does not dislike 
 her — that is, if he knows her. I am so 
 fond of her myself, or, rather, so fond of 
 what I want her to be. She is my piece 
 dc resistance^ and I have often heard her 
 commended, and the praise of her has 
 sounded sweet in mine ears, and gone 
 straight to my heart, for she has become 
 
 to me as a daughter. She is rather tall, I admit, and a trifle 
 stiiT ; but English women are tall and stiff just now ; and she is 
 rather too serious ; but that is only because I find it so difficult, 
 with a mere stroke in black ink, to indicate the enchanting 
 
 PENXIL STUDY FOR " PUNCH 
 PICTURE. 
 (By Geo7-ge du Maurier.) 
 
 little curved lines that 
 
 from the nose to the 
 
 m 
 
 outh 
 
 * See "Magazine of Art," 1S91.
 
 ^lo The History of "Punch!' 
 
 corners causing the cheeks to make a smile — and without them 
 the smile is incomplete — merely a grin. And as for height, I 
 have often begun by drawing the dear creature little, and found 
 that by one sweep of the pen (adding a few inches to the bottom 
 of her skirt) I have improved her so much that it has been 
 impossible to resist the temptation— the thing is so easy, and 
 the result so satisfying and immediate." 
 
 Nowadays, he has declared, girls are no longer pretty — 
 they are beautiful ; and as Mr. Galton, the anthropometrical 
 expert, himself admits, they, even more than the rest of 
 mankind, have certainly grown taller. The artist, as we have 
 seen, invented the tall woman ; the Psyches of our fathers' 
 days have become the Venuses and Junos of these ; and 
 more than one writer has gravely sought to fix the responsi- 
 bility, or the credit, on Mr. du Maurier and his pencil. 
 Scientific investigation has taught us that the English girl 
 tops her foreign sisters, though her average weight is two 
 pounds less than that of the fair American ; and there is 
 little doubt that if she does not absolutely adapt her height 
 to the artist's sense of beauty and power of inspiration, she 
 has at least to thank him for making it fashionable. The 
 truth of the matter is that Mr. du Maurier has always been 
 a close observer ; and just as his drawings have always been 
 in the fashion in point of dress through his careful watching 
 of the changing wardrobe of his wife and daughters, so 
 was he the first to record the increasing stature of English 
 girls, even while Leech was still drawing them as he had 
 known them — short and buxom and " plump little dump- 
 hngs " — never recognising that they had been deposed by 
 Fashion and improved by Nature. But the race changed, and 
 Punch changed with them. Venus was \''enus once more, 
 and Mr. du Maurier was her Prophet. 
 
 "And the old ladies!" proceeds Mr. du Maurier; "it is 
 such a pleasure to draw them, and do one's best. To think 
 of all the charming old ladies one has known, and (accord- 
 ing to one's letterpress) to select the chin of one, the white 
 curls of another, the mouth and nose of a third, and then 
 to make a subtle arrangement in sweet sympathetic wrinkles
 
 The American Goddess. 511 
 
 — too often to be subtly disarranged by the engraver and 
 the printer ! 
 
 " Then we get to the male characters, and there it is 
 comparatively plain sailing ; and would be pleasant sailing 
 enough but for the hideousness of certain portions of the 
 modern male attire. However new, however good the 
 tailor, however comely the leg beneath, the Trouser is 
 the one heart-breaking object to the conscientious but 
 cesthetically-minded draughtsman on wood ! It ignores the 
 knee, and falls on the boot in a shape that has no reference 
 to the ankle whatever — a shape of its own — and yet the 
 ankle is the foundation of everything ! 
 
 '' Next in order of demerit and impossibility comes the 
 chimney-pot hat, which is not lacking in character, but is 
 ugly and ridiculous. Its one redeeming feature is the 
 difficulty it presents to the draughtsman. It is mathematical, 
 geometrical, with every curve known to science, as hard to 
 represent correctly as a boat or a fiddle — more so ; and the 
 delight of successful achievement is proportionately great. 
 Linlev Sambourne alone, who was originally trained as an 
 engineer, has been able to grapple with the chimney-pot 
 hat ; Walker all but succeeded by the sheer force of his 
 heaven-born genius." 
 
 But, in spite of all this beauty, surely his misrepre- 
 sentation of that divinity — the American Girl — is beyond all 
 hope of pardon, beyond contrition, beyond all penance. He 
 does full justice to her refined and splendid loveliness and 
 her magnificent proportions ; but he seems to regard her, 
 if one may say so, as a sort of Kensington-Town-Hall- 
 Subscription-Dance young lady, a little more otitne and free 
 and slangy and vulgar. She guesses in the ball-room that 
 English partners don't " bunch " (give bouquets) ; when 
 invited to go in to supper she avers, not without a sense of 
 inward satisfaction, that she is '' pretty crowded already ; " 
 she has a deep though entirely a tourist's interest in English 
 institutions, ruins, and celebrities ; she has little reverence 
 else for what is in the heavens above or the earth beneath ; 
 and she dearlv loves a lord — or she would, if by any honourable
 
 512 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 means she can obtain the chance. His American girls, 
 too, all come from one and the same place ; they are all 
 born from one and the same mother ; their natural clever- 
 ness and iinnatm-al ignorance are compounded in the same 
 proportions, and, altogether, they are the most charming 
 and delightful libels on American young-womanhood that 
 well could be. But is his representation of the American 
 o-irl any less pleasant than the common, home-made American 
 view of an English gentleman — at least, of ail English 
 " swell " ? Not at all. On the contrary, she is, as I said 
 before, a divinity. 
 
 More than once Mr. du Maurier has broken awa}' from 
 his light comedy role and, besides giving vent to his fantastic 
 power in his wonderful "Night-mares," has given us some- 
 thing with serious thought, and, now and again, with tragedy 
 in it — has offered us, indeed, a taste of the deepest poetic 
 quality that he has shown in his novels of " Peter Ibbetson " 
 and " Trilby." You may see a touch of it in Tenniel's great 
 cartoon at the outbreak of hostilities between France and 
 Germany, in which the great Napoleon stands warningly in 
 the path of the infatuated Emperor ; that was du Maurier' s 
 suggestion. You may see a touch of it in the page drawing 
 of ''Old Nickotin Stealing Away the Brains of His Devotees" 
 (1868), in which a circle of strange men, whose own heads 
 are their pipe-bowls, smoke awav their brains through long 
 tubes that work well into the composition, while, in the 
 foreground, one of the poor foolish wretches drops, just as 
 a last little curling puff rises from his smoked-out skull. 
 There were more of such compositions before 1880, at the 
 time when Mr. du Maurier was still making full-page draw- 
 ings in Punch. But, after all, it is not in Punch, but rather 
 in the " Cornhill Magazine " and " Once a Week," in " Es- 
 mond," and other works — particularly in the " Illustrated 
 Magazine " — that his full power in serious work must be 
 sought. 
 
 Professor Ruskin, after declaring that the " terrific force " 
 of Mr. du Manner's satire of character in face and figure 
 consists in the absence of caricature, describes as " cruelly
 
 Mr. du Mauriers Draughtsmanship 513 
 
 true " the design '' representing the London mechanic with 
 his family when Mr. Todeson is asked to amuse ' the dear 
 creatures ' at Lady Clara's garden tea ; " and proclaims the 
 artist more exemplary than either John Leech or John 
 Tenniel (" the real founders of Punch, and by far the greatest 
 of its illustrators both in force of art and range of thought ") 
 "in the precision of the use of his means, and the subtle 
 boldness to which he has educated the interpreter of his 
 design." * \\\ point of fact, the engraver has had to " inter- 
 pret " Mr. du ^Maurier's drawings far less than those of many 
 of his colleagues, for his line is too delicate, sympathetic, 
 and precise to leave room for anything but the strictest 
 possible facsimile. This was quite as true in the old days 
 when he drew upon the block, as in later times, when, 
 3'ielding to the stern demands of failing eyesight — which, 
 for a period, forced him to suspend work altogether — he 
 drew with the pen upon paper several times larger than the 
 ultimate reduction effected by means of- photography. It is 
 curious in tracing his hand through Punch to see how his 
 work gradually strengthened ; how his early vigour of sub- 
 ject and activity of mind, expressed in strong black-and- 
 white, gave wav to a daintier touch when the grace and 
 prettiness of his dramatis personce came to demand greater 
 refinement of the drawn line ; and how this again constantly 
 widened out into a broader method, under the inspiration 
 of Charles Keene. And yet from first to last, in the 
 smallest sketch as in the most elaborate picture, his hand 
 is unmistakable. 
 
 In common with Keene and others, ]\Ir. du ^Maurier has 
 suffered from time to time from printers' errors. One of 
 the most curious, perhaps, is that in which three little boys 
 are shown in a drawing playing upon a sofa, evidently very 
 much in the way of their elder sister, who is receiving a 
 visit from an admirer. The sister asks her brothers with 
 pardonable point if they will not go and play downstairs. 
 No, the oldest replies. Mamma has sent them up " to play 
 forfeits." The joke, utterly pointless as printed, becomes 
 
 * "The Art ot England: The Fireside," p. 174. 
 H H
 
 514 
 
 The History of "Punch! 
 
 intelligible when it is explained that "forfeits" is an error 
 for "propriety." Many of the artist's jokes, as already ex- 
 plained, have come from various friends ; indeed, in this case^ 
 they are probably less often manufactured than in that of 
 others. All the same, it may be of interest to record that 
 the oft-quoted joke of the aesthetic young couple who agreed 
 that they must "live up to" their blue and white tea-pot. 
 
 "CHANG." 
 {Draivn by G. du Maiiricr. By Courtesy of the Fine Art Society.) 
 
 was not " made up," but was spoken in downright, imbecile 
 earnest. 
 
 Like Keene, too, ]\Ir. du IVIaurier loved to put his o\ni 
 dogs into Punch. Whether it was his magnificent St. Bernard, 
 " Chang," whose seven-foot skeleton now graces the Royal 
 College of Surgeons, or his little terrier, " Don," or his dachs- 
 hund, " Punch," they have all played their part in public 
 and justified their existence as models, and have in their 
 time been the pets as much of you and me as of their 
 legal owner. But, for all his connoisseurship in dogs, Mr. 
 du Maurier is woefully deficient in certain forms of sports- 
 manlike knowledge, and could he but have heard the howls 
 in the cricket world a few years since when he ventured on 
 depicting a "mixed match," and showed the wickets about
 
 And Triumph. 515 
 
 .ort}' yards apart, he would almost have wished the excellent 
 joke untold. Herein, of course, he was not more ignorant 
 than his friend Keene, who had to be specially coached 
 (yet with what disastrous results !) when he wished to \>xq- 
 sent a picture involving the "placing" of the field. 
 
 Apart from his artistic ser^'ices to Punch, ]\Ir. du ^Nlaurier 
 has been a contributor to its pages of verse and prose, 
 comparable with some of the best that has appeared there. 
 Who can forget his admirable nonsense-verses, his " Vers 
 NoJisensiqiies a l' usage des Families 
 Anglaises," or his exquisite fooling in his 
 " Shalott " poem, or his "Alphabet" 
 verses, or his vers de societe f They 
 worthily heralded the novelist as we 
 know him now, who is also the author 
 of one of the most brilliant lectures — 
 brimming over with happy thought and 
 sparkling epigram — that have been com- 
 posed in recent years. It is by his long, 
 varied, and effective service that Mr. du ^^orawnbyCduManrUr.) 
 Maurier has to be recognised as one of 
 the four artists — Leech, Keene, and Tenniel being the others 
 — who bore the chief share in raising Punch to his pinnacle, 
 and he is to be named with Keene as a truthful recorder 
 of the life and humours of Society during the last forty 
 years of the nineteenth century. But if it is for this achieve- 
 ment, and for his delightful genius that he is primarily 
 esteemed in Whitefriars and throughout the English-speaking 
 world, it is for himself and his own good-humour that 
 " Kiki " — as he is known to his intimates — has been regarded 
 with aifection and admiration by his colleagues during the 
 long period of his honourable, dignified, and brilliant connec- 
 tion. 
 
 For the space of one-and-twenty years — a period which 
 drew to a close in 1895 — ^^r. du Maurier has lived and 
 worked in his house near Hampstead Heath, from which 
 he has wrought so many backgrounds for his Punch pictures. 
 Whitby, Scarborough, Boulogne, as well as Paris and London, 
 H H ? 
 
 DON.
 
 516 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 have oftentimes afforded him local colour ; but you get to 
 learn Hampstead as you look at his drawings better than 
 
 any of the others, and to know 
 his sanctum — his salon-studio. Its 
 characteristic bits, its bow-window, 
 its Late-Gothic fireplace, its win- 
 dow-seat, are all familiar. And 
 here the artist's model has latterly 
 been the draughtsman's more 
 constant companion, 
 for "the older I 
 grow," says Mr. du 
 ]\Iaurier, "the more 
 careful, the more of 
 a student I become." 
 So, for every Punch 
 drawing he now 
 makes beautiful pen- 
 cil studies which, in 
 mv opinion, are even 
 more delightful and 
 more dainty than the 
 pen-and-ink pictures 
 they assist in per- 
 fecting. Examples of 
 these studies, accurateh' and simpl}- drawn, are here repro- 
 duced, and they will be seen to reveal the draughtsman's 
 graceful artistry more completely than any other work in his 
 recognised medium. 
 
 It w^as in the year following Mr. du Maurier's debut that 
 Mr. John Gordon Thompson began his short connection with 
 Punch. He was a very young man, and these drawings were 
 almost his earliest work. He was at that time studying for 
 tlie Civil Service, and after his appointment to Somerset 
 House he discontinued to a great extent his artistic efforts ; 
 but when he left the Service in 1870 he resumed the pencil, 
 and became, and remained for twentN* years without one 
 week's break, the cartoonist of " Fun." His style was not 
 
 PENCIL STUDY FOR " PUN'CH ' PICTURE. 
 (By George du Mattricr.)
 
 Mr. Stacy Marks.— S/r John Millais. 
 
 517 
 
 yet formed when he contributed to Punch, and his three- 
 and-thirt}' socials, all published by 1864, gave little promise 
 of the ability he afterwards displayed in the papers, magazines, 
 and books innumerable which he illustrated with such furious 
 ardour. 
 
 ]\Ir. H Stacy Marks, R.A., also made his appearance in 
 the paper in 1861, with a design for an architectural hat ol 
 Tudor-Gothic order, fitted with gargoyles round the brim for 
 rainy weather. He also made an initial 
 " I," and then was seen in Punch no 
 more until the Almanac for 1882, when 
 he made a full - page ornithological 
 drawing of " Up before the Beak." 
 
 Paul Gray was another of Punch's 
 promising contributors fated to an early 
 death. He began with a few initials 
 — a couple of " A's " were his first little 
 feat, one of them made out of an old 
 woman and a bathing machine. Then 
 came "socials" up to 1865, which at- 
 tracted attention for their grace, in 
 spite of their lack of backbone ; but 
 after a variety of work, including 
 drawings for the "Argosy" and illus- 
 trations for Kingsley's " Hereward," his 
 pencil was laid down, and he was no 
 more than twenty-five when he died. 
 
 Half-a-dozen sketches by Harris in 
 1863 were followed b}^ Sir John Millais' 
 first contribution — a mock-heroic illus- 
 tration to Mr. Burnand's " Mokeanna " 
 (p. 115, Vol. XLIV.). The distinguished 
 artist repeated his unusual experience 
 in the Almanac for 186^, when in a 
 
 L- 
 
 PUNCH 
 
 D> 
 
 PENCIL STUDY FOR 
 PICTURE. 
 (By George dit Ulaurkr.) 
 
 technically exquisite drawing he showed 
 a couple of children in a studio as- 
 saulting the lav figure. There were other pictures by which 
 Sir John figured indirectly in Punch. As one of the most
 
 5i8 
 
 The History of "Punch: 
 
 intimate friends of John Leech, he took the hvehest interest 
 in his work. "Once," he informs me, "I forwarded two 
 drawings to Leech from Scotland, and he traced them on to 
 the wood and the}^ appeared in Punch — one a tourist strugghng 
 against the wind in a plaid ; the other, two artists sketching 
 with veils on to escape the midges. Possibly they were 
 the occasion of my attending the Dinner. Leech, I think, 
 asked me to do a drawing for * Mokeanna ' and the drawing 
 of the ' Children in the Studio.' " 
 
 About this time it is claimed that ]\Iiss Joanna Hill, the 
 niece of Sir Rowland Hill, contributed some sketches on 
 the convict question ; but it is certain that nothing in her 
 name was ever accepted. 
 
 A far more interesting and amusing adherent was Mr. 
 Fred Barnard, a humorist of the first rank ; but as he 
 was not yet seventeen years of age at the time it is not 
 
 surprising that his 
 greatly inferior to 
 work of later years, 
 was rejected, as he quaintly explains 
 in the following note: "In 1863 I 
 was a student (and in consequence 
 fondlv supposed to be studying) at 
 Heatherley's School of Art in New- 
 man Street, and was then half-past 
 sixteen. I must have had ]")lenty 
 of assurance at that time, for, un- 
 known to anyone, I sent a joke, 
 accompanied by a pencil sketch, to 
 Punch. It represented a brute of a 
 dustman belabouring his horse's head 
 with the butt-end of his whip. To 
 him enters a fussy, benevolent-looking, and slightly sarcastic 
 old gentleman, who remonstrates with him in these words : 
 ' My good man, that isn't the way to treat }'our horse ! You 
 should poke it in his eye — poke it in his eye, man ! ' Mark 
 Lemon returned it as, he said, ' the enclosed is rather too pain- 
 ful for Punch.' Encouraged by this repulse, I sent in another 
 
 drawings were 
 
 his admirable 
 
 His first joke 
 
 A LIBEL ON HIMSELF. 
 (,liy F. Barnard.)
 
 Mr. Fred Barnard. 519 
 
 joke and drawing, which were accepted. A small parcel arrived 
 shortly afterwards containing a * block ' of wood. As I had 
 never seen one before, and had no notion whatever as to 
 the process of wood engraving, I didn't know what it was, 
 or for what use. At the back, on its rough ribbed surface, 
 was a mystic inscription which 1 interpreted into ' C. Bra- 
 mitsi Struss,' but which a friend informed me was intended 
 for ' 6, Bouverie Street,' and he showed me how to set to 
 work. And so I did the drawing and some dozen others. 
 . , . But I rather fancy I shine with more than usual 
 brilliancy in religious periodicals — especially when the articles 
 I have to illustrate are written by imbecile women or 
 ministers of the Gospel — I find it so congenial and instruc- 
 tive," In three years Mr. Barnard was seen but fifteen 
 times in all. Twenty years later, in 1884, he made a last 
 appearance in a drawing which did not show him at his 
 best (p. 303, Vol. LXXXIV.). This was entitled "Early 
 Prejudice," in which a child, referring to the baby, suddenl}^ 
 exclaims, " Oh, mamma ! when baby begins to talk, what a 
 dreadful thing if we find out he s an Irishman ! " — a joke, 
 by the way, which in its main point was anticipated by 
 Mr. du ^Nlaurier in 1876, in his drawing called "Waiting for 
 the Verdict." Lastly there was a sketch called " Evening at 
 Earls," which was sent in and engraved, but not used ; and 
 since that day Mr. Barnard abstained from further contribu- 
 tion. 
 
 In this same year a young lady named Miss iNIansel 
 (now Mrs. Bull) sent in a drawing of an incident which 
 occurred at her uncle's place at Anglesey in Hampshire — 
 the initials " R. M." on the buckets being those of Colonel 
 Mansel. " My eyes ! " says Cooper the groom, in effect, 
 to a gentleman who has watched a lady dismount from her 
 over-ridden animal; "to them ladies a 'oss is a 'oss, and he 
 must go ! " Leech slightly re-touched the drawing, adding 
 pigeons in the foreground, and so forth, but, of course, did 
 not add his initials. Curiously enough, this block was in- 
 cluded among that artist's "Pictures of Life and Character" 
 (p. 52, Series IV.). " I remember I was very proud," writes
 
 520 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 the lady, " a few days after the drawing appeared, at hearing 
 some officers in High Street, Portsmouth, quoting my sketch 
 as a lady galloped up the road. I was only about seventeen 
 
 then." 
 
 After a single contribution (entitled ''Clara") by that ill- 
 fated o-enius, George Pinwell, Mr. R. T. Pritchett left his rifles 
 for Punch's pages. He was in fact but a boy when he took 
 
 charge of his father's gun factory at 
 Enfield, and was still a lad when he 
 conducted experiments in competition, 
 with his own hand, for a new Govern- 
 ment gun, introducing a bullet of his own 
 conception, firing every shot, and triumph- 
 ing over everv competitor. So the " En- 
 field " or "Pritchett rifle" brought him 
 fame ; but it proved the stumbling-block 
 of his artistic career, for he found out 
 for himself the truth that a man known 
 for one thing has little chance in any 
 other field — particularly in the artistic 
 field. He was glad, however, when the Government eventu- 
 ally decided to manufacture the gun themselves, and the 
 House of Commons voted him /i,ooo — though the experi- 
 ments had cost nearly three times as much — and he was 
 enabled to take to art. 
 
 It was at a meeting of the Moray Minstrels, the delight- 
 ful " Jermyn Band " promoted by Mr. Arthur Lewis — where 
 every man was invited on his own merits and guests were 
 excluded — that he met John Tenniel. John Forster was the 
 leader, and there were often present John Leech, Dickens, 
 Stanfield, Thackeray, Landseer, Tom Angell, Sir John Millais, 
 Mr. Carl Haag, Mr. Frith, Mr. Marks, Charles Keene, Mr. 
 Whistler, and Sir Arthur Sullivan ; altogether a notable com- 
 pany. It was under Sir John Tenniel' s hospitable roof that Mr. 
 Pritchett was initiated into the mysteries of wood-drawing. He 
 had been watching the Master drawing his cartoon, and was 
 busy sketching the top of his amiable head, when its owner 
 told him he would be much better occupied in drawing on the 
 
 R. T. PRITCHETT. 
 
 (From a Photograph by H. 
 Biho, Warwick.')
 
 Mr. R. T. Pritchett. — Fritz Eltzr. ;2i 
 
 D- 
 
 wood, and threw him over a piece. Upon it Mr. Pritchett 
 made a sketch, which Sir John took to Mr. Swain, and which 
 afterwards appeared in one of A. K. H. B.'s works. By 
 Mr. Swain the draughtsman was introduced to " Once a 
 Week " and to Punch, and ft)r the hitter Mr. Pritchett 
 began with some initials. His work appears from 1863 until 
 1869, some six-and-twenty amusing drawings in all, and 
 when he ceased in order to take to painting, he drew for 
 no other comic paper ; for he had adopted the proud motto : 
 " Aut Punch, aut nuUus." He then took to travel, writing 
 books and illustrating them b}- himself, and commended him- 
 self still further by the cruise he made and illustrated with 
 Lady Brasse^- in The Sunbeam. Moreover, he has for many 
 years drawn privately for the Queen, in recognition of which 
 he received the Jubilee medal. A portrait of him, drawn 
 bv Charles Keene, may be seen in the Punch picture wherein 
 a little girl asks her papa if she "may have the gentleman's 
 moustache for a tail for her horse" — a portrait so good that 
 by virtue of it he made the acquaintance of ^Vlr. Sambourne 
 years after, when the latter gentleman accosted him with 
 the words " I know you by Keene's likeness of 3-ou in 
 Punch ! " 
 
 Then came Fritz Eltze, who was introduced to Punch 
 on May ist, 1864, and in due course took up some of the 
 work let fall by Leech. He was a son of Sir Richard 
 Mayne's confidential secretary, and most of what he knew 
 of the life he drew was what he could see down Scotland 
 Yard, or what he could remember of happy early days at 
 Ramsgate. He was a confirmed invalid who had never 
 enjoyed life like other children, and the consumption from 
 which he died was already developing. He submitted a 
 few sketches to Mark Lemon who, according to his custom, 
 sent Mr. Swain to make inquiries, with a result that was 
 the brightest spot in the artist's life. Although his work 
 had the touch of the amateur about it, it had a curious 
 charm ; and rapid improvement followed. His humours of 
 the fashions and follies of the da}' were greatly appreciated, 
 especially as his work advanced to halt^page " socials ; " but
 
 522 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 it was to his tender touches that his popularity was chiefly 
 due, particularly in his treatment of child-life. The little one 
 
 who being told that they may not have mistletoe in church 
 
 at Christmas— naively asks if " they must not love one another 
 in church," and the other who, when playing at " horses " and 
 one of the leaders falls, cries to its companion next in com- 
 mand to "sit on her head and cut the traces," are typical 
 of his work in this direction. His last contribution (Mr. 
 Punch a la Turc on a minaret) appeared in September, 
 1870, but a. couple of drawings, in 1872 and 1875, were 
 pubhshed "out of stock." Eltze, one of Punch's tall men, 
 by the way, was a pleasing draughtsman whose work, in 
 its curious absence of lining, had a striking appearance of 
 originality in its practically broad outline. 
 
 Mr. A. R. Fairfield may be known by his sign-manual 
 like a Sign of the Zodiac run wild. It is, however, merely 
 an inverted "A" on the Greek character ^ with its stem 
 elongated. He sprang from an artistic family, and after 
 three months' training at South Kensington in 1857, he began 
 to draw on wood for " Fun " at about the same time as Mr. 
 \V. S. Gilbert — the autumn of 1861. His connection with 
 Punch was fortuitous. Being sent by Dr. James Macaulay, 
 the editor of the "Leisure Hour," to Mr. Swain for some 
 blocks on which to make his drawings for that magazine, 
 he was smartly captured by the vigilant engraver for the 
 "London Charivari." The result was many initials and 
 drawings made to his own jokes ; but his first contributions 
 appeared in the special " Shakespeare Jubilee Xumber." 
 His work appears often enough after that — four-and-twenty 
 times in 1864 and 1865. They were at times amateurish in 
 manner, but they had character and humour. It was Leech's 
 death that practically put an end to Mr. Fairfield's connec- 
 tion with Punch, for Keene then came to reign supreme in 
 the art department ; but it did not matter much, as Mr. 
 Fairfield, at that time a clerk at the Board of Trade — in 
 which capacity onl}^ he ever came into contact with Tom 
 Taylor, then Secretary of the Local Government Board — 
 was given to understand that his career would be interfered
 
 Colonel Seccombe. — Fred Walker. 523 
 
 with if he prosecuted too far his outside work. In 1887 
 (p. 245, \o\. XC.) another sketch appears, comet-hke, after 
 an interval of more than twenty years. 
 
 Colonel Seccombe followed a few weeks after ]Mr. Fair- 
 field's debut. At that time he was a subaltern. His youth- 
 ful military drawings — signed with a sketch of a cannon — 
 were clever, and highly promising. His cuts appeared in 1864, 
 1866, and again in 1882 — eight altogether. Foreign service 
 interrupted the young draughtsman's artistic studies for a 
 considerable period, but the result of his later labours is seen 
 in the many works for children and others which he has since 
 published. 
 
 At the same time came a bevy of draughtsmen-, who added 
 little to Punch's prestige — Dever, whose eight drawings are 
 but caricatures, which none can see without being renrinded of 
 some of the grotesque types which later on were adopted 
 by Mr. E. T. Reed in his earlier work ; H. R. Robinson 
 with two (though his work was not printed till two years 
 later) ; Chambers with one ; and Rogat with three ; and then 
 the year 1865 brought two or three contributors of interest 
 and importance. 
 
 The first of these was Fred Walker, A.R.A., whose first 
 drawing, printed in the "Almanac," shows a number of water- 
 nymphs sea-bathing, around Neptune — called " The Xew 
 Bathing Company (Limited). Specimens of the Costumes to 
 be worn b)' the Shareholders " — is graceful, and technically 
 good, but not particularly remarkable, and is rather fanciful 
 than funny. His second and last, " Captain Jinks of the 
 Selfish and his Friends enjoying themselves on the River" — a 
 more masterly sketch— was made in 1869 (p. 74, Vol. LVH.), 
 in hot indignation at the selfishness and mischievousness of 
 steam-launch skippers on the upper Thames. He had him- 
 self been an angry witness of the destruction of the river- 
 banks by private steamboats, but had fairly boiled o\-er at the 
 sight of the very incident which he recorded in Punch — tlie 
 outrageous, insolent indifference shown by the trippers to all 
 on the river or its banks, save their own selfish selves. As 
 a fisherman, Mr. Leslie, R.A., tells us, Walker looked upon the
 
 524 
 
 The History of " Plwch." 
 
 J. PRIESTMAN ATKINSON. 
 
 steam-launcher as his natural enemy ; and it was while the 
 
 two friends were on the river together that the incident 
 
 occurred, and the drawing was de- 
 cided upon. " He was most fas- 
 tidious about this work, rehearsing it 
 many times before he was satisfied. 
 ... In rendering the distant landscape 
 the work becomes entirely finished and 
 tender. It is a beautiful little bit of 
 Bray, with the church and poplars 
 drawn direct from Xature ; a bridge 
 is introduced to prevent the scene 
 beincT too easilv recognised. On the 
 opposite bank is a portrait of myself, 
 with easel and picture upset by the 
 
 steamer's swell. ... I was told that three copies of Pinich 
 
 were sent to the steam-launch proprietor on the day of 
 
 publication. . . . This clever bit of satire had no effect." 
 "Dumb Crambo, 
 
 Junior"— Mr. J. Priest- 
 man Atkinson — is better 
 
 remembered by Punch 
 
 readers, perhaps, by his 
 
 pencil - name than by 
 
 his common cipher. In 
 
 1864 he was in the 
 
 General Manager's office 
 
 at Derby, pleasingly 
 
 varying his clerical duties 
 
 b^' drawing caricatures 
 
 for the amusement of 
 
 his fellow - clerks, and 
 
 designing cartoons for 
 
 the local satirical journal, 
 
 the "Derby Ram," which 
 
 appeared spasmodically 
 
 and devoted itself prin- ,^. ^ ^^^g^,, ,^„„ ,,^^^ ^^^,,on. 
 
 cipally to electioneering (Drawn h j. rnest,„a„ Atk;„son.)
 
 Mr. J. Priest MAN Atkinson. 525 
 
 purposes. One of his colleagues was Hany Lemon, ]\Iark's son, 
 who showed his father some of his friend's sketches. On the 
 occasion of a subsequent visit paid b}- Mr. Atkinson to town, 
 Mark Lemon iuAited him to dine at the Garrick Club (whither 
 thev dro^"e in a hansom, much in the style shown in the 
 sketch ), and Shirley brooks drank to him as '' the future 
 cartoonist of Punch!' His first cut — an initial T — appeared 
 on p. 15, Vol. XLVIIL, and thenceforward ]Mr. Atkinson has 
 been considered on the " outside Staff/' with but two breaks : 
 the first during an absence in Paris for artistic instruction, 
 and the second from 1869 to 1876, when an opportunity 
 occurred to make a "sure fortune" in commerce. The 
 "sure fortune," as usually befalls, became a pecuniary loss, 
 and the draughtsman gladly went back to the serxnce of 
 Punch and the other papers and books to which his pencil 
 (under a different signature) has been devoted. It is years 
 since ^Nlr. Atkinson, who has latterly worked less for Punch 
 than in the early days of his connection, was able to do 
 himself full justice in a half-page drawing ; but his " Dumb 
 Crambo " series remain among the happy things which Punch 
 has published in the direction of punning sketches. They 
 remind one of those by Hine, Xewman, and the rest, in the 
 old " blackie " davs, and are often little masterpieces of 
 comic ingenuitv — as mav be seen in " Shooting o^'er an Ex- 
 tensive Moor," where a man is discharging his weapon over 
 the portlv figure of a Moorish gentleman. Mr. Atkinson, 
 in addition, made some two score literary contributions to 
 the paper and "Pocket-book" — poems chiefly, and stories, 
 not counting smaller trifles, between August, 1877, and the 
 accession of Mr, Burnand to the Editorship. It was, I ma}' 
 add, at the suggestion of Vlx. Burnand that Mr. Atkinson 
 adopted his nom de crayon, just as he suggested ]\Ir. Furniss's 
 " Lika Joko." 
 
 One of the brightest and most talented draughtsmen Punch 
 has ever had was Charles H. Bennett, the forerunner of ]\Ir. 
 Linlev Sambourne. He had graduated in comic draughts- 
 manship, having been the life and soul of " Diogenes " (August, 
 1855), and rendered solid service to the "Comic Times" (1855),
 
 526 
 
 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 and the "Comic Xews " (1863 to 1865), by ^vhich time his 
 cipher of an owl, and then of a B in an owl's beak {" B in 
 it " = Bennett), were known and appreciated. Apart from 
 his Punch work, his " Bimyan's Pilgrim's Progress" was his 
 masterpiece in serious art ; while in the opposite direction his 
 " Shadows " (which procured him for a time the public nick- 
 name of "Shadow 
 1 Bennett"), as 
 well as his 
 amusing " Studies 
 in Darwinesque 
 Development" for 
 Vizetelly's "Illus- 
 trated Times," 
 and his second 
 series, somewhat 
 less satisfactory, 
 of " Shadow and 
 Substance," ob- 
 tained for him 
 great popularity. 
 But when he 
 came on Pimch, 
 introduced to 
 Mark Lemon by 
 Hain Friswell, he 
 was within two 
 3'ears of his death . 
 His debut was on February irth, 1865, with a sketch of "Our 
 Play Box," in which " Mr. Punch's delight at finding his Dear 
 Old Puppets where he left them in July " shows that the 
 artist had already begun those illustrations to the " Essence of 
 Parliament " which form the backbone of his Punch work. 
 Occasional pictures there are, unconventional in shape, grot- 
 esque, ingenious, graceful in fancy, that delight us while, as 
 a rule, they successfully conceal any lack of early artistic 
 education ; but the Parliamentary drawings are those bv 
 which Bennett will be best remembered. Between the date 
 
 
 CHARLES H. BENNETT. 
 (From the Water-Colour Drawing by Hitnsclf.)
 
 Charles H. Bennett. 527 
 
 of his first sketch, when he was forthwith summoned to the 
 Table without serving any probationary period, to that last 
 sketch in the spring of 1867, showing Lord John Russell as 
 a cock crowing upon the 1832 Easter ^gg (p. 116, Vol. LII.)^ 
 he had made over 230 drawings for the paper, besides his con- 
 tributions to the Pocket-books of 1866 and 1867. He had 
 already established himself, despite repeated absences through 
 ill-health, one of the greatest favourites in Punch's company ; 
 and the comic letter addressed to him by his colleagues 
 during one of his illnesses is printed in the chapter on the 
 " Punch Dinner." Indeed, he had not time to cut his cipher 
 on the Table ; the H is begun and abandoned. "As for 
 dear Bennett," Mr. Frederic Shields tells me, "every link 
 that attached me to him has so long since been severed, 
 that to attempt to find the lost end of the thread is hopeless. 
 Nothing remains but the sweet odour of his memory — like a 
 faded rose-leaf turned up in a long-closed drawer." But 'Six. 
 Sala declares that he had been, " socially, the most miserable 
 of mankind. He was sober, industrious, and upright, and 
 scarcelv a Bohemian ; but throughout his short life he was 
 ' Murad the Unlucky.' At one time he occupied shabby 
 chambers in the now defunct L}-on's Inn, Strand ; and it was 
 the poor fellow's fate to have a child born — a child that died 
 — the sack from his employers, and the brokers in, a! I in the 
 same day." Still, Bennett, who was one of the original founders 
 of the Savage Club, was cheerful enough, and of a singularly 
 lovable disposition — as may almost be gathered froni his pic- 
 tures in Punch, in which the shadow of none of his former 
 troubles is ever reflected : nothing but his " facile execution 
 and singular subtlety of fancy." Indeed, " Cheerful Charley," 
 as he was known to his intimates, became, as he himself 
 declared, one of the luckiest and happiest of men — fully 
 appreciated for his art and his own delightful qualities by 
 troops of admiring friends. It was his extraordinary power 
 of realising an abstract thought and crystallising it at once 
 into a happy pictorial fancy that set him on a pedestal, a 
 poet among his colleagues — those colleagues who, when he 
 died, lamented " the loss of a comrade of invaluable skill,
 
 528 The History of "Punch." 
 
 and the death of one of the kindhest and gentlest of our 
 associates, the power of whose hand was equalled by the 
 goodness of his heart." 
 
 But Bennett left his family in sad straits, and, on Shirley 
 Brooks's initiative, the " Punch men " at once set about devis- 
 ing a means to help them. The result was the theatrical per- 
 formance referred to on pp. 132-134. The ]\Ioray Minstrels 
 wound up this famous entertainment, and Shirley Brooks de- 
 livered a touching address of his own writing. 
 
 Besides T. W. Woods (who made four drawings), Prehn 
 (two), Lowe (six), and Hays (three), Mr. W. S. Gilbert 
 swelled the list of contributors in this same year (1865). 
 His work, consisting of fifteen small cuts signed with the now 
 familiar '' Bab," and designed to illustrate the rhymes they 
 accompany, was lost to Punch by the indisposition for com- 
 promise displayed by contributor and Editor alike. " I sent 
 three or four drawings," Mr. Gilbert informs me, " and half- 
 a dozen short articles ; but I was told by Mark Lemon, or 
 rather a message reached me from him, that he would insert 
 nothing more of mine unless I left ' Fun,' with which I 
 was connected. This I declined to do unless he would take 
 me on the regular staff of Punch. This he declined to do, 
 and so the matter ended. I had previously offered ' The 
 Yarn of the Nancy Bell' (the first of the Bab Ballads) to 
 Punch, but Mark Lemon declined it on the ground that it 
 was 'too cannibalistic for his readers.'" So Mr. Gilbert 
 knew Punch no more ; and it is commonly related that he 
 enjoys nothing more than an occasional good-humoured fling 
 at the journal which could not see his worth. " I sav, 
 Burnand," he has many times been reported to have said 
 at the Garrick Club and elsewhere, when the Editor had 
 referred to the heav}^ post-bag delivered each day at the 
 office, though witticisms found among the wilderness of 
 suggestions were desperateh' few, " do you never get anvthing 
 good?" ''Oh, sometimes — occasionally." "Then," drawled 
 the other, " K'hy don't you ever put one of them in ? " 
 
 "A Hot Chestnut" (p. 143, Vol. XLIX.) was the first 
 contribution of G. B. Goddard, well known a little later on
 
 M/ss Georgina Bowers. 
 
 529 
 
 as Bauverie Goddarcl, the animal-painter. Oil-colour was in 
 truth his medium; but his drawings were good, and Punch 
 for a couple of }'ears rejoiced in his new hunting draughts- 
 man. Goddard was a great friend of Charles Keene, with 
 whom he shared for a time a studio in Baker Street ; but 
 feeling that he must paint pictures rather than draw upon 
 the wood-block, he left the paper, after placing to his credit 
 fourteen drawings — of which some were adjudged to contain 
 the best horses seen in its pages since the death of Leech. 
 
 By far the most important lady artist who ever worked 
 for Punch was ]\Iiss Georgina Bowers 
 (for some years now Mrs. Bowers- 
 Edwards).* It is not usual, as I 
 have remarked before, to find a 
 woman a professional humorist, 
 though a colonial Punch is edited 
 by a lady ; but it is, I believe, an 
 undoubted fact, that up to this 3'ear 
 of grace no female caricaturist has 
 yet appeared before man's vision. 
 But Miss Bowers was a humorist, 
 with very clear and happy notions 
 as to what fun should be, and how 
 it should be transferred to a picture. 
 Her long career began in 1866, and 
 thenceforward, working with undiminished energy, she exe- 
 cuted hundreds of initials and vignettes as well as " socials," 
 devoting herself in chief part to hunting and flirting subjects. 
 She was a facile designer, but her manner was chronically 
 weak. It was John Leech who set her on the track ; Mark 
 Lemon, to whom slie took her drawings, encouraged her, 
 and with help from Mr. Swain she progressed. 
 
 " My first published drawing," Miss Bowers tells me, 
 " was a dreadful thing of a girl urging a muff of a man to 
 give her a lead at a brook. My 'jokes' all came from 
 
 * The other ladies are Miss Coode, Mrs. Romer (Mrs. Jopling-Rowe), Mrs. 
 Field, Miss Fraser, Miss Mansell (Mrs. Bull) — merely a sketch, and Miss Maud 
 Sambourne. 
 I I 
 
 MRS. BOWERS- EDWARDS. 
 
 (From a Photograph by S. A. 
 IValker.)
 
 530 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 incidents I saw out hunting, and from my own varied adven- 
 tures with horse and hound ; but occasionally a suggestion 
 sent to the Editor was transferred to me to be put into 
 shape. Then some one else wrote up to them. When I 
 first hunted in Hertfordshire, I had great opportunities for 
 provincial sporting studies. I feel now that some of my 
 subjects were too personal, and wonder how many people 
 forgave me. I often overheard stories about myself in 
 the hunting-field (where I had hard times with ladies 
 occasionall}'). When Shirley Brooks died, I felt I had lost 
 my best and most helpful friend ; and then Mr. Tom Taylor 
 cared nothing for sport or sporting subjects, so that I felt 
 that my work was uncongenial to him, and I got on 
 badly and lost all interest in it, and gave up, after having 
 drawn ten years for the paper, to which I shall never again 
 contribute." 
 
 Mr, Walter Crane, of all people in the world, appears on 
 p. 33 of Vol. LI. The cut is hardly funny, except in idea 
 — it represents a chignon-show — nor is it as well drawn as 
 much of the work he was doing at the time ; he had not 
 yet hit upon the style or subject that he afterwards made 
 his own. A couple of sketches by O. Harling, an amateur, 
 conclude the list for the year. 
 
 The year 1867 is famous in PiincJi s calendar for the 
 acquisition of Mr. Linley Sambourne ; but an earlier arrival 
 was Mr. Frederic Shields. Mr. Swain suggested that he 
 should "do a letter or two;" Mr. Shields did three, in- 
 cluding a "social" ("Want vour door swep', marm ? "), and 
 a girl curling her hair with the fender-tongs. The initials 
 were kept over until 1870 ; and this constituted the sum of 
 Mr. Shields' artistic adventure into the domain of humour.
 
 531 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 punch's artists: 1867-82. 
 
 Mr. Linley Sambourne — Mechanical Engineering Loses a Decorative Designer — 
 Mr. Sambourne's Work — His Photographs — And Enterprise — Strasynski — 
 Mr. Wilfrid Lawson— Mr. E. J. Ellis— Mr. Ernest Griset— Mr. A. Chase- 
 more — Mr. Walter Browne— Mr. Briton Riviere, R.A. — An Undergraduate 
 Humorist — A Punch Initial Converted into an Academy Picture — Mrs. Jop- 
 ling-Rowe — Mr. Wallis Mackay — Mr. J. Sands, Artist, Traveller, and 
 Hermit — Mr. W. Ralston — Mr. A. Chantrey Corbould — Charles Keene's 
 Advice— Randolph Caldecott — Major-General Robley — R. B. Wallace — 
 Colonel Ward Bennitt — Mr. Montagu Blatchford — Mr. Harry Furniss — 
 Origin of Mr. Gladstone's Collars — A Favourite Ruse — How It's Done — 
 Mr. Furniss and the Irish Members — The Lobby Incident — Clever Re- 
 taUation— Mr. Furniss's Withdrawal— Mr. Lillie— Mr. Storey, A.R.A.— 
 Mr. Alfred Bryan. 
 
 One da}' when Mr. 
 Linley Sambourne 
 made a successful ap- 
 pearance as Admiral 
 Van Tromp at a fancy- 
 dress ball, Mr. W. S. 
 Gilbert drily observed, 
 " One Dutch of Sam- 
 bourne makes the 
 whole world grin ! " 
 The jest was wider 
 in its application than 
 he who made it, prob- 
 ably, had intended. 
 The humour of the 
 artist, his quaintness 
 of fancy, wit, and 
 touch, are appreciated 
 LINLEY SAMBOURNE. ^^^. whocver looks for 
 
 ^Fro,naDra^i»^^i>yHuusci/.) somcthing more, eveu 
 
 in a professedly comic design, than that which is at first and 
 I I 2
 
 532 The History of "Punch" 
 
 immediately ob%ioiis. When, early in 1867, ]\Iark Lemon fell 
 into admiration of a little drawing that was luckily thrust 
 into his hand, and declared that the young draughtsman who 
 wrought it had a great future before him, he proved himself 
 possessed of a facult}' of critical insight, or of an easy-going 
 artistic conscience, uncommon even among editors. Few who 
 saw ]Mr. Linley Sambourne's early work, even throughout 
 the first two or three years of his practice, would have 
 imagined that behind those woodcuts, for all their cleverness, 
 there lay power and even genius, or that the man himself 
 would soon come to be regarded as one of the greatest 
 masters of pure line of his time. 
 
 At that time ]\Ir, Sambourne had been working in the 
 engineering draughtsmen's office of ^Messrs. Penn and Sons, 
 of Greenwich. But the work was not congenial ; the " pupil " 
 spent most of his time in sketching, and there is a storv 
 — doubtless as apocryphal as it is malicious — that in one of 
 his designs for a steam-engine, he sacrificed so much to 
 " effect " as to carry his steam-pipe through the spokes of 
 the fly-wheel. It was his office companion in misfortune, 
 Mr. Alfred Reed, who secured his friend's release from the 
 thraldom of the iron-boimd profession, by seizing the sketch 
 already alluded to and showing it to his father, German Reed. 
 B}' that gentleman it was submitted to his friend Mark 
 Lemon, who had about that time been writing an " enter- 
 tainment " for the company at the "Gallery of Illustrations." 
 The result was an editorial summons to the sketcher, and 
 an engagement which has lasted to the present day. Thus 
 it was that, with a sketch of John Bright tilting at a quintain 
 under the title of " Pros and Cons," ]Mr. Sambourne found 
 himself, at the age of twenty-two, a regular contributor to 
 Punch — though he had still to wait until 1871 before he 
 was rewarded with a seat at the Table. 
 
 Of artistic education he had had practicalh- none. In 
 the engineering drawing-office he had learned how to handle 
 the pen and to put it to uses which have become a feature 
 of his draughtsmanship. But besides a life-school attendance 
 extending over not more than a fortnight, he had no other
 
 Mk. Sambourne forms his Style. 533 
 
 teachers than his own eyes and his own intelhgence. In 
 his earhest work with the pencil there was a curious use of 
 the point. Suddenly he was called upon, through the 
 unexpected absence of Charles Keene from town, for more 
 important work than that with which he had hitherto been 
 entrusted. This was the half-page head-piece and the tail- 
 piece to the preface to Vol. LIII. Then came promotion to 
 the "small socials" and "half-page socials." Some of the 
 work he did fairly well, founding himself now upon Leech, 
 now upon Keene ; but his character and originality were 
 too powerful to follow any man. He began to form a style 
 of his own, and that style did not lend itself to the 
 representation of modern life. It was suited better for 
 decoration than for movement ; while the beauty of line and 
 of silhouette which he sought and obtained, in spite of his 
 intense, almost aggressive, indiA'iduality, placed him absolutely 
 apart from all the black-and-white artists of the day. 
 
 It was, I have said, to the example of his predecessor, 
 Charles H. Bennett, who died in April, 1867 (the very month 
 in which Sambourne's first drawing appeared), that we owe 
 those wonderful initial letters to the " Essence of Parlia- 
 ment" of Shirley Brooks — those intricate drawings which, 
 covering nearly a whole page, were such miracles of in- 
 vention, of fancy, and of allusion, swarming with figures, 
 overflowing with suggestion, teeming with subtle symbolism. 
 But these things did not come at once. It was not until 
 the "comic cut" idea was put entirely on one side and 
 his imagination allowed full play, that Mr. Sambourne fully 
 developed his powers — his strength of conception, design, and 
 execution. And then it was that he revealed the fact that 
 though a humorist — and invariably, too, a good-humorist— 
 by necessity, he is a classic b}^ feeling. 
 
 The artist's personality, as it should, impresses us first, 
 powerfully and irresistibly. While under Mark Lemon, Mr. 
 Sambourne, as an artist, was still unformed. Under Shirley 
 Brooks was awakened his wonderful inventive faculty. Lnder 
 the regime of masterly inactivity — the happy policy ot Imssez 
 faire—oi Tom Taylor, the talent had burst forth into
 
 534 The History of "Punch.'' 
 
 luxuriance, not to say exuberance. And under Mr. Burnand 
 it was schooled and restrained within severer limits. 
 
 It was many years before regular political cartooning* 
 fell to his lot. He illustrated several of Mr. Burnand' s serials 
 in Punch, and some of his work out of it. But afterwards 
 he rose to the treatment of actuality. Upon the event of 
 the hour his picture is formed, and each week his work must 
 be forthcoming. There can be no question of failure, no 
 dallying with the subject, however elaborate or unpromising it 
 may appear. A decision must be come to, and that rapidly ; 
 and there the artist sits, his watch hung up before him, 
 " one eye on the dial and the other on the drawing-paper," 
 knowing that at the appointed hour the work must be ready 
 for the messenger. Thus the majority of his four thousand 
 designs have been greatly hurried — hurried in thought as 
 well as in execution. Many have been wrought in a single 
 day ; the great majority within two days ; very few, indeed, 
 have taken more. But when he has the time he wants, 
 what amazing results are achieved ! Sir John Tenniel once 
 exclaimed to me : " What extraordinary improvement there is 
 in Sambourne's work ! Although a little hard and mechanical, 
 it is of absolutely inexhaustible ingenuity and firmness of 
 touch. His diploma for the Fisheries Exhibition almost gave 
 me a headache to look at it — so full, cram-full of suggestion, 
 yet leaving nothing to the imagination, so perfectly and 
 completely drawn, with a certainty of touch which baflles 
 me to understand how he does it." 
 
 For the rest, Mr. Sambourne's method, like his work, is 
 unique. Keen of observation though he is, his memory for 
 detail is not to be compared to that of Sir John Tenniel ; 
 and, actuated by that desire for accuracy which he holds 
 desirable in a journal specially devoted to topical allusion, 
 he avails himself extensiveh' of the use of photography. 
 In the cabinets in his studio, filled full of drawers, each labelled 
 according to their contents, over ten thousand photographs 
 are classified : every celebrit}- of the day, and to a certain 
 
 * Mr. Sambourne's cartoons are dealt with in the chapter devoted to that 
 subject.
 
 H/s Passion for Accuracy. 
 
 535 
 
 extent of the past, British and foreign, at various ages, 
 in various costumes, and in various attitudes ; representa- 
 tives of the Church, the Bench, and the Bar; of Science, 
 Art, Literature, and the Stage ; the beasts and birds and 
 insects in and out of the Zoological Gardens ; figures by 
 the score, nude and draped ; costumes of all ages and every 
 country ; soldiers, sailors, and the uniforms of every armv 
 and navy ; land and sea and sky ; boating and botanv, nuns 
 and clowns, hospital-nurses, musical instruments, and rifles, 
 locomotives, wheel-barrows, shop-windows, and evervthing 
 else besides — everything, in short, as he himself declared, 
 " from a weasel to a Welshman " — all are photographed mostly 
 by himself, and all are arranged by himself, in readiness 
 against the demand for accuracy and the exigencies of haste. 
 But when time permits, Mr. Sambourne goes to greater 
 trouble still. Does he require a special uniform ? he begs 
 the War Office — not unsuccessfully — to lend him one or two 
 men, or even a detachment ; does he want to represent 
 Mr. Gladstone — say, as Wellington (as he did November 2nd, 
 1889) ? he procures the loan of the duke's own raiment, 
 and only stops short at borrowing Mr. Gladstone himself. 
 For his types, too, he takes pains not less thorough. For 
 Britannia's helmet, he made working drawings of the unique 
 Greek piece in the British Museum, and from that had a 
 replica constructed — one of the most notable items in a 
 notable " property " room. 
 
 At the back of his house is a paved courtyard, wherein 
 his servant poses as every character under the sun while he 
 is photogi'aphed by his master, who then runs inside to 
 develop the plate and make a dash at his drawing. Or he 
 will photograph himself, or the model in the desired attitude ; 
 or he will get his friends to pose. Among his sitters there is 
 none more useful than the burly man who serves equally well 
 for " Policeman A i " or John Bull, for the Duke of Cambridge 
 or Prince Bismarck. It was he who sat for one of the finest 
 of Mr. Sambourne's " junior cartoons " on the occasion when 
 the great ex-Chancellor had said : "I am like the traveller lost 
 in the snow, who begins to get stiff while the snow-flakes
 
 536 
 
 The History of "Punch!' 
 
 cover him." This picture of the aged and forlorn statesman, 
 accompanied only by his faithful hound, is perhaps the best 
 of the artist's achievements of dignity and pathos — worthy 
 of being named with ''Dropping the Pilot" of Sir John 
 Tenniel. His passion for realism is so great that, I remem- 
 ber, when he was engaged on his " Mahogany Tree " for 
 the Jubilee number of Punch — one of the most popular 
 drawings he ever made — he had just such a table duly laid 
 for dinner in the courtyard, with one person sitting at it in 
 order to show the proportion, and photographed it from a 
 window of the house at the necessary elevation * But for his 
 love of accuracy he would not have done these things ; nor, 
 but for his love of naturalism, could he have given us his 
 numerous fine studies of Nature. And but for this, Mr. Punch 
 would never have printed one or two of his Norwegian 
 sketches, such as " The Church-going Bell," in which there 
 was not the slightest attempt at humour or fun — nothing but 
 a calm and reposeful love of Nature, the deep, sad impression 
 on the mind and heart of the artist as he watches the 
 northern sun dip in sleepy majesty behind the panting waves. 
 Like Rabelais, he can use the pencil to greater ends under 
 cover of the motley, and encase bitter truths with the gilt 
 of a printed jest. Like Giotto and his legendary feat, he 
 can draw you a perfect circle with his pen — and perhaps 
 he is the only man in the country who can do it. His is 
 the rare gift that in him sense of fun, of di,frnit}', and of 
 art is equal. He will brook nothing more serious in his 
 sallies than chaff and banter ; and yet his kindly art, based 
 upon Nature and observation of the work of others, has, 
 
 * It may be as well to give here the names of the ainers, so that the reader 
 may identify them in the reproduction which forms the frontispiece to this 
 volume. Mr. Burnand, at the head of the table, with his left hand outstretched 
 towards the figure of Punch, is giving the toast of the evening; on his left is 
 Mr. Anstey, and then Mr. Lucy and Mr. E. T. Reed, the late Gilbert a Beckett 
 and Mr. Milliken, Sir W. Agnew, the late Mr. W. H. Bradbury, Mr. du Maurier, 
 Mr. Furniss and ^Ir. R. C. Lehmann, Mr. Arthur a Beckett, Mr. Sambourne, and 
 Sir John Tenniel. The portraits and busts along the wall are (from left to right) 
 of Mark Lemon, Gilbert Abbott a Beckett, with, under it, Douglas Jerrold, 
 Thackeray, Doyle, Hood, Leech, Shirley Brooks, and Tom Taylor. On the 
 easel is a portrait of Charles Keene, then recently dead.
 
 L. Strasynski, Mr. E. J. Ellis, Mr. E. Griset. 537 
 
 bv its very truth, made him enemies even on foreiirn thrones. 
 Nevertheless, it is less as a politician and a satirist that he 
 claims recognition ; it is primarily as an artist that he will 
 assuredly be remembered when his place among his country- 
 men has to be determined. 
 
 A Polish artist, with ^Nlr. Sambourne's initials, L. Strasvnski 
 by name, also began in 1867, and during that and the 
 following year contributed nine cuts, very foreign in feel- 
 ing and firm in touch. Then, after an anonymous draughts- 
 man, '' M. S. R.," had appeared with a single cut f" Candles"), 
 Mr. F. Wilfrid Lawson, the elder brother and teacher of 
 Cecil Lawson, contributed a sheetful of initials and vignettes 
 which dribbled forth in the paper up to 1876 ; and ]Mr, 
 T. Walters, a half-a-dozen, up to 1875. Mr. E. J. Ellis, 
 now better known in other fields than comic draughts- 
 manship, began on December 12th, 1867. He had received 
 an introduction to Mark Lemon through Mr. (now Sir) 
 Algernon Borthwick, and found the Editor "good-natured 
 enough," as he himself says, " to allow me to do a dozen 
 or so of initials, and a quarter-page illustration. They were 
 all more or less pinched and painful things, and Mr. Lemon 
 did not conceal from me that ' he was not knocked over 
 by them.' But they were drawn on the block — not on paper 
 — and from the strangeness and discomfort of it came the 
 tight-elbowed style of the work. Of what I did altogether, 
 only about a third were printed ; half were paid for ; but 
 what they paid for they did not print, and what they 
 printed they did not pay for." At that time :Mr. Ellis 
 caught the fever of decorative art, classic and romantic, 
 which culminated in the "interpreted" edition of Blake's 
 " Prophetic Books," in collaboration with Mr. Yeats ; and 
 Punch lost a promising recruit. 
 
 The experience of Mr. Ernest Griset, who is first seen on 
 p. 61 of Vol. LI v., was more extensive but less gratifying. He 
 excelled at comic animals — his human figures are most of them 
 of one ragged type — but on Bennett's sudden disappearance 
 he was quickly encouraged to take up the dead man's 
 work, and was enabled to show in many of his three-and-
 
 538 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 sixty drawings of that year the full range of his talent, his 
 remarkable invention and ingenuity. Mr. Griset, though 
 
 born in Boulogne, was educated in 
 England, and after studying art under 
 Gallait, intended to follow water-colour 
 painting, taking subjects by preference 
 of a Glacial Prehistoric kind. But 
 the foundation of " Fun " gave him the 
 opportunity of comic draughtsmanship, 
 and the work he did for the paper 
 brought him ]\Iark Lemon's invitation 
 to call upon him. A cordial reception 
 and a flattering tribute to his ability 
 were foirowed by an understanding of 
 regular employment, and the young 
 draughtsman became a Punch artist 
 did not remain long in favour. His 
 not highly popular, and Mark Lemon 
 
 ERNEST GRISET. 
 
 {From a Photograph by IV. G. 
 Parker and Co.) 
 
 unattached. But he 
 work, perhaps, was 
 perceptibly cooled towards him. So, finding he was no longer 
 wanted, Mr. Griset, who was then no more than twenty-four 
 years of age, retired, and consoled himself in other directions 
 —notably by illustrating " yEsop's Fables," which had attracted 
 Bennett and Sir 
 John Tenniel be- 
 fore him. 
 
 At the end of 
 the index to Vol. 
 LIIL is a little 
 tail-piece that 
 marks the advent of 
 Mr. A. Chasemore. 
 This draughtsman 
 was welcomed by 
 Mark Lemon with 
 the words : " You 
 
 may try your hand at a large drawing, but let it be broad 
 fun. We don't want any more ladies and pretty children." 
 That was in i86£ — yet ladies and pretty children do not 
 
 MR. ERNEST GRISET OBEYS THE EDITOR'S SUMMONS.
 
 Mr. Briton Riviere. 539 
 
 even now seem to have lost their popularity ! The original 
 drawing was not a success, and had to be touched up by 
 Keene. It is mentioned here as affording another good 
 example of the careful way in which sketches are adapted. 
 The subject was a recruit joining a volunteer corps. The 
 adjutant inquires : " What company would you wish to be 
 in ? " to which the recruit replies : "Oh, gentleman's co'pany, 
 of course ! " The recruit was left untouched, but the adjutant 
 was re-drawn by Keene. " Tm afraid there's not much 
 humour in the idea," wrote the artist with quaint modesty ; 
 "still, I hope it's good enough for Punch/" Up to 1875 
 Mr. Chasemore contributed thirty-three drawings, and in 
 addition there was a belated one in 1879 ; and then he passed 
 over to "■ Judy," to which paper he thereafter devoted himself. 
 
 The last recruit of the year was " Phiz' " young son, 
 Walter Browne, who, through his father's influence with Mark 
 Lemon, was allowed to contribute a few drawings, the first 
 of which appeared on p. 148, Vol. LV., and the last on 
 November 20th, 1875. He was hardly out of his student- 
 ship at the time — he was a pupil of Bonnat — and his work 
 was "young;" but he might have risen on Punch had he 
 not allowed himself to be tempted away by a delusive offer 
 of Tom Hood's of constant work on " Fun," so that he 
 closed the door in his own face, and had thenceforward to 
 look to news-drawing and book-illustration for advancement. 
 
 Mr. Briton Riviere, R.A., appeared in the month of 
 January, 1868. Few who have followed his career as painter 
 would detect in him the inveterate humorist ; yet it was in 
 that direction that his bent led him while he was still a boy. 
 When at Oxford he had amused himself of an evening with 
 making humorous illustrations in pen-and-ink, and a book 
 which he then so drew was shown by him in 1868 to his 
 friend Mr. G. L. Craik, one of the partners in the house of 
 Macmillans, and the husband of John Halifax, Gentlewoman. 
 This book Mrs. Craik sent to Mark Lemon, who invited 
 the young graduate to the Punch office, and adopting the 
 grotesque illustrations to "Mazeppa" at once, gave him 
 a sort of runnine commission to do incidental work, to
 
 540 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 which Mr, Riviere gladly responded by a total of the twenty- 
 three cuts — chiefly of wild animal subjects — contributed by 
 him through 1868 and 1869. Not only was the work 
 congenial, but the artist at the time was entirely dependent 
 upon illustration for his livelihood, for he was newly-married, 
 and the picture-buying public had not yet been educated up 
 to purchasing his canvases. His illustrations — in chief part for 
 American publications — were all done at night, as his days 
 were delivered over to earnest though unremunerative 
 painting. But directly his pictures began to make way, he 
 dropped illustration, which had made inroads upon his health 
 and had permanently injured his left eye through the strain 
 of the artificial light. So Mr. Riviere ceased his Punch 
 connection, the proprietors, moreover, consenting to suppress 
 those blocks which had not vet appeared, as the painter 
 feared that they would do harm to himself professionally, 
 and no particular good to the paper. Yet he has always 
 expressed his pride that he should have been one of the 
 outside " Punch Staff," and he has proved it by elaborating the 
 initial " M," which was published on p. 217, Vol. LVI., in 
 " Puncli s Derbv Sporting Prophecy," into his picture " Of a 
 Fool and His Folly there is no End," which was painted 
 and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890. 
 
 A couple of drawings from ^Ir. Cooper, and an initial 
 by "W. V." (the cipher of :\Ir. Wallis Mackay, whose 
 sketch and subsequent work did not appear for a couple 
 of years) were next sent in, and then came Mr. J. Moyr 
 Smith, whose long series of clever mock-Etruscan drawings 
 continued with few breaks for the space of ten years. Although 
 the spirit that runs through them becomes monotonous after a 
 while, the draughtsmanship and the excellence of the fooling 
 alwavs elicit admiration. Mr. Smith had served his time to 
 architecture ; but natural love of figure-drawing, intensified by 
 the study of Sir John Tenniel's comic illustrations of the 
 historical costume, faithfully and even learnedlv delineated 
 and perfectly drawn, settled his career, and " Fun," under 
 Tom Hood's editorship, witnessed his start in humorous 
 life. Referred to Mark Lemon by *' Pater " Evans, he
 
 
 Mr. Moyr Smith. — Mrs. Jopling-Rowe. 541 
 
 obtained a ready hearing, and for "a couple of years drew 
 
 for the paper ; but he did not work regularly, during an interval 
 
 of three years, until 1872. From this time forward he was 
 
 one of Punch s recognised outside contributors, though he 
 
 worked for it only when not engaged in 
 
 making designs for art-manufacturers. It 
 
 was under Shirley Brooks's editorship, 
 
 and later under Tom Taylor's, that he 
 
 gave full rein to his passion for classic 
 
 treatment, and his ornament, which gave 
 
 a distinct cachet to Punch up to 1878, 
 
 was not founded on a mere grotesque 
 
 treatment of classical subjects, but was 
 
 the fruit of a close study of and 
 
 easy familiarity with heathen mythology, ^1,^ -^^ <,.,.- 
 
 classical, Egyptian, and, in particular, j ^,oyr smith. 
 
 Norse. The fun was not particularly (Fro,naDra7uin^byHimsci/.-) 
 broad, but Tom Taylor was especially 
 tickled by his attempts to find amusement in the extra- 
 ordinary head-dresses worn by ladies of Ancient Egypt — such 
 as that in the cut (July nth, 1874) learnedly inscribed "Oos 
 Yer After ? " ^ 
 
 Mrs. Jopling-Rowe, then Mrs. Frank Romer, was the only 
 new arrival in the year 1869. The death of her husband had 
 left her under the necessity of supporting herself and her 
 children, and as niece of Mark Lemon she might have obtained 
 easy admittance to Punch, had she not found portrait-painting 
 a more remunerative occupation. Under the initial ot her 
 name she made but four drawings of little importance, the most 
 ambitious being an illustration of the ''Song of Sixpence," 
 which was treated as a subject from '' Nursery History." It 
 appeared on page 56 of Volume L\ II. 
 
 Mr. Wallis Mackay, the clever ''Captious Critic" of 
 later days, followed " W. G."— a contributor of a couple of 
 trifles— and worked for Punch from 1870 to 1874, making 
 seven-and-twenty drawings, "socials" chiefly, in his well- 
 known style, it was in the latter year that Tom Taylor 
 succeeded to the editorship, and having been mortally
 
 542 
 
 The History of ''Punchy 
 
 offended with a personal sketch which the " Captious Critic " 
 had drawn some time before, he forthwith cancelled the 
 connection. Even the blocks alread}' in hand and paid for 
 were suppressed, with the exception of four, of which the 
 last appeared in 1877. On the accession of Mr, Burnand, says 
 Mr. Mackay, he was informed that Bouverie Street was no 
 longer "a close borough," and that the Essence of Parliament 
 awaited him; but the "Special Correspondent " was away in 
 the wilds of Ireland, and the opportunity passed by. 
 
 The same day as that on which the first of Mr. Bennitt's 
 four drawings arrived — (he must not be confounded with the 
 Colonel Bennitt who is referred to later on) — saw also the 
 first contribution of Mr. J. Sands, Charles Keene's friend, who 
 put his little anagrammatic device of an hour-glass to more 
 than three-score drawings between the years 1870 and 1880. 
 Save for their ingenuity, the}' were not of first-rate importance. 
 Mr. Sands had been an Edinburgh and Arbroath solicitor; 
 a prairie farmer ; an art-student under Charles Keene, who 
 made him practise drawing until he became dyspeptic and 
 melancholy at the sight of his own feeble work ; an emigrant 
 to Buenos A^tcs, where he practised most trades in turn, 
 
 including that of newspaper artist ; a 
 contributor and draughtsman (again 
 under Keene's eye) to London maga- 
 zines, and to Punch ; a sojourner in 
 the almost inaccessible island of St. 
 Kilda ; an archcuological explorer in 
 the islands of the Hebrides ; and 
 finally, for thirteen years a hermit, 
 livins: a hermit's life, solitarv and in- 
 tellectual, at the water's edge, at 
 Walls, Shetland. Many have been the 
 stones that have rolled for Punch, but 
 few that have rolled so far, or gathered 
 so much moss the while. In his more 
 civilised moments, so to speak, Mr. Sands lived for a time a 
 good deal in the life of Keene, to whom he presented many 
 jokes and sketches for pictures ; but he became disheartened 
 
 J. SANDS. 
 (From a Painting.)
 
 Mr. E. F. Brew FN all. — Mr. W. Ralston. 543 
 
 at the slowness of his own promotion, and suspecting, more- 
 over, that Keene, in his heart, would have been glad were 
 he to retire in favour of Mr. A. Corbould, Keene's nephew, 
 he finally decided to withdraw. Nevertheless, the friendship 
 of the two men lasted to the end — a friendship that was a 
 rare and deep attachment. 
 
 Two more names belong to 1870 — that of Mr. E. F. Brewt- 
 nall, R.W.S., whose single contribution was sent in in this 
 year ; and Mr. W. Ralston, of Glasgow, later a photographer 
 by profession, but b}- taste and opportunity an artist. It was 
 with Shirley Brooks's succession to the Editorship that Mr. 
 Ralston obtained his recognition. '' I remember," says the 
 draughtsman, -'how in walking down to business that day I 
 tried to look unconscious of my greatness, and mentally deter- 
 mined that it would make no difference in my bearing." His 
 drawings at first were very hard, but the point of humour 
 was invariably good, and the Scottish "wut" equal to that 
 of the best man who ever drew for the paper. He was a 
 self-taught draughtsman, who learned by watching his younger 
 brother, '' whose artistic boots," says he, " I was not fit to 
 black ;" but he improved rapidly, and contributed in all two 
 hundred and twenty-seven drawings, 
 initials, and '' socials." At the death 
 of Tom Tavlor, Mr. Ralston's contri- 
 butions ceased, only one more from 
 his pencil ever appearing in the paper 
 — in 1886. It was partly because Mr. 
 Ralston became a busy " Graphic " 
 artist, and partly because the Editor 
 was in search of new blood ; but the 
 only time ]\Ir. Ralston made his post- 
 Tavlorian appearance in Punch (that 
 was not "old stock") was with an w. ralston. 
 
 article in the Sandford and Merton '^^T^Rali^n^u^^^Jf 
 
 style, directed against the Duke of 
 
 Bedford and the Bloomsbury gates. This little attack, called 
 " K. G. — Q. E. D.," constitutes Mr. Ralston's sole contribution 
 to the literature of the age.
 
 544 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Mr. A. Chantrey Corbould, as already explained, was 
 introduced to Punch by his uncle, Charles Keene. Be,^nning 
 in 1 87 1, he worked on until 1S90, when a temporary cessa- 
 tion intervened. His work, dealing chiefly with hunting and 
 "horsey" subjects, has always a certain freshness, in spite 
 
 of being, technically speaking, 
 a little tight, and at one time 
 raised their author to very near 
 the front rank in popularit}-. 
 He was only eighteen when 
 he joined (the expression " ]Mr. 
 Punch's young men," it will be 
 seen, is no misnomer), having al- 
 ready had the benefit of Keene 's 
 ad%-ice. One of the elder artist's 
 letters is before me as I write : — 
 
 A. CHANTREY CORBOULD. 
 {Dra'um by Himself.) 
 
 " I saw your drawing this 
 morning," he says, " and think it 
 ver}- good, considering the short 
 time you have had to study art ; 
 but I can see that the execution 
 would render the drawing rather 
 difficult to engrave, and you want 
 a little more study and practice 
 in ' the human face divine ' to 
 please the newspaper people. I 
 never give advice on these matters, but I can tell \-ou from my 
 own experience I don't think drawing on wood is a good road 
 to stand on as an artist : but if you don't agree with me, and 
 wish to go in for this particular branch, it seems to me that you 
 should article or apprentice yourself by legal agreement with some 
 engraver of large business for a certain time on certain terms. 
 This is how I began, and have been sorry for it ever since ! " 
 
 Fourteen years later, when Mr. Corbould was still hoping 
 for that position with which many people already credited 
 him — a Staff appointment — Keene wrote : — 
 
 " I've no doubt myself that it is in your power, if you manage 
 well, to get on to Punch. It is rather unlucky that Burnand
 
 Mk. a. C. Corbould. — Raxdolph Caldecott. 545 
 
 is not a sporting man " [Mr. Burnand, b\- the way, is an inveterate 
 horseman]. "... I should advise you to drive gently but steadily 
 at hunting and country subjects, and if you get a good idea of 
 any sort have a shy at it, and encourage your friends to look 
 out for you. . . . You've noticed I only do one a week now, as 
 a rule. I send you an idea you might work out. Wouldn't 
 you make it a meet (in background), and the speakers mounted ? 
 '• ' Think I must part with him.' She : ' What ! all at once, 
 wholesale ? Wouldn't it be better to sell him retail on little 
 skewers ? ' I'll look out and send you anything in your line I 
 hear of." 
 
 This ioke of Keene's was duly worked out by Mr. 
 Corboukl. and was produced Xov. 22, 1SS4 (p. 249, Vol. 
 LXXXVIl.). Up to this time the draughtsman had worked 
 under three Editors, to whom, as was the practice, he would 
 send in shght sketches to " legends," and work out those 
 which were accepted, the selection being made in due course, 
 with a bit of criticism to take the ^•a^it^- out of him, thus : 
 " Very good subject. The man is far too big for the horse, 
 which is a 15.5 if he's an inch. This was generally Leech's 
 mistake ; so }-ou err in remarkably good company. Why 
 ' Hunting Puzzle' ? It's not a puzzle." 
 
 Apart from a couple of sketches by ]\Irs. Field and one 
 by ]\Ir. Graham, the year 1S72 brought no contributor but 
 Randolph Caldecott. The half-a-dozen sketches together 
 comprising his "Seaside Drama" (p. 120, Vol. LXI.) contains 
 no hint of that peculiar style, individual humour, and perfect 
 suggestion, which he was to make his own. His drawings 
 were pubhshed in 1872, iS 73, and 1S75, and then again in 
 1879, 1880, 1882, and 18S3— eighteen drawings in all; but 
 it was not until 1879 that Caldecott showed any of his later 
 freshness and humorous exaggeration. It was in 1870, his 
 biographer asserts, that his drawings were shown to Shirley 
 Brooks and Mark Lemon : — 
 
 " Mr. Cloutih thus records the incident : Bearing an intro- 
 
 ductory letter, he went up to London on a flying visit, carrying 
 
 with him a sketch on wood and a small book of drawings ot 
 
 ' The Fancies of a Wedding.' He was well received. The sketch 
 
 J J
 
 546 The History of "Punch." 
 
 was accepted, and with many compliments the book of drawings 
 was detained. ' From that day to this,' said Mr. Caldecott, ' I have 
 not seen either sketch or book.' Some time after, on meeting Mark 
 Lemon, the incident was recalled, when the burly, jovial Editor 
 replied, ' My dear fellow, I am vagabondising to-day, not Punching.' 
 I don't think Mr. Caldecott rightly appreciated the joke." * 
 
 Caldecott had had some practice in humorous drawing, having 
 drawn three years before for the " Will-o'-the-Wisp " and 
 " The Sphinx." But his Punch work was merely occasional ; 
 his more serious labours were for the "Graphic," "The 
 Pictorial World," and most notably, on Mr. Edmund Evans's 
 suggestion, for the immortal children's books which the 
 engraver might print in colours. He was only forty years 
 old when he died, and Punch, in the course of a long 
 obituar)^ poem, bore witness to his singular charm, though 
 he made no reference to the work contributed to his own 
 pages : — 
 
 '' Svire never pencil steeped in mirth 
 
 So closely kept to grace and beauty. 
 The honest charms of mother Earth, 
 
 Of manly love, and simple duty, 
 Blend in his work with boj'ish health, 
 
 With amorous maiden's meek cajolcrv. 
 Child-witchery, and a wondrous wealth 
 
 Of dainty whim and daring drollery." 
 
 Perhaps the best military contributor of jokes that Punch 
 has had is Major-General H. G. Robley. Keene, as I have 
 already stated, re-drew or touched up the earlier of his 
 sketches, which dealt for the most part with military life 
 on foreign service. Twenty-seven contributions, many of 
 them unsigned and of varying degrees of importance, came 
 from young Captain Robley, as he was then, of the 91st 
 (Argyle and Sutherland) Higlilanders. To Keene he was, as 
 the artist confessed, " a very obliging correspondent," who 
 sketched well and sent him manv suggestions. " You see, a 
 
 *This is all very well ; but as the alleged visit took place in 1870, the year 
 in which Caldecott came up to London, and as Mark Lemon died on the 23rd 
 of May in that year, and that not suddenly, the story is hardly above suspicion.
 
 Major-General Robley. — R. B. Wallace. 547 
 
 mess-table makes a very 'preserve' for Punch subjects. I 
 don't follow his drawings very much, but they are very 
 useful in military subjects." Captain Robley contributed 
 during the years 1873-8. Mr. W. J. Hennessy, who has 
 since established his position as a delicate and accomplished 
 draughtsman, made a couple of drawings of social subjects 
 in 1873, and two more in 1875, but they were by no means 
 of the excellence to which the artist afterwards attained. 
 
 No fresh contributor appears in 1874, the couple of 
 sketches signed " C. B." having been sent in twelve months 
 before, and that of F. Woods having been practically re- 
 drawn, although his initials were allowed to stand ; but 1875 
 witnessed the work of five new hands in the paper. The 
 first was Robert Bruce Wallace, whose style was modelled 
 on that of C, H. Bennett, and greatly inspired besides by 
 Mr. Sambourne. The bulk of his work was done from 1875 
 to 1878 inclusive, but in the latter year he fell away, 
 and his contributions became very rare. He died in 1893, 
 and one of his drawings made a posthumous appearance in 
 1894. He was a very prolific contributor. Wallace gave 
 up his Punch connection — not, as has been said, because the 
 remuneration was insufficient, but because he considered 
 himself ill-treated. According to him, he had fully under- 
 stood that he was to succeed Miss Georgina Bowers, and 
 with this promotion in view, he had proceeded to Worcester- 
 shire from Manchester, where he lived, and made preparatory 
 studies of horse and hound and landscape scenery. When, 
 contrary to expectation, he found himself passed by, he was 
 grievously disappointed and annoyed, and refused to go on 
 with initials and so forth— which he drew with so much 
 beauty and conscientiousness. He was a secretary of the 
 Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, and had a considerable 
 reputation as a wit at its councils ; and when Ford Madox 
 Brown was engaged on his Manchester frescoes, Wallace 
 acted for some time as his assistant. 
 
 Then followed Colonel Ward Bennitt, late of the 5th 
 Lancers, who drew several initials and " socials ; " but being 
 at that time a lieutenant (in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons), 
 J J 2
 
 548 
 
 The History of " Puxch." 
 
 he found that he had no time during the day to draw for 
 Punch, and that night work affected his eyesight. Mr. J. 
 Curren, with a couple of sketches, in 1875 ^"^^ 1876 ; ^Ir- 
 L. G. Fawkes, of the Royal Hibernian Academy, with a 
 single drawing in the former year ; and that clever 3'oung 
 painter, Valentine Bromley, who died so young after pro- 
 mising so well, with a single drawing, complete the list ; but 
 there was nothing distinctive in the work of an}' save the last. 
 Mr. Montagu Blatchford, who adopted — not without success 
 — the Bennett -Sambourne -Wallace style of half-decorative, 
 
 half-pictorial representation, appeared 
 towards the end of 1876 ; and although 
 he was supplanted a few years later 
 by Mr. Harry Furniss and Mr. Wheeler, 
 he continued, even after 1881, to be 
 seen fitfully in Punch. He was, by 
 profession, a carpet-designer, with un- 
 usual skill in freehand drawing ; and 
 when in the spring of 1876 he no 
 longer saw ]Mr. Sambourne's work in 
 the paper, he adopted the shrewd idea 
 of sending in some sketches in which 
 that artist's style was respectfully imi- 
 tated. But Tom Taylor was shrewder 
 still, and wrote : " Dear Sir, — Mr. Sambourne's absence is only 
 temporary. I have not, therefore, an opening for a designer 
 to fill his place, and return your drawings, which are very 
 clever ; " adding that he would be glad to give the young ap- 
 plicant an opening if possible — a chance which soon came, but 
 which never meant very much for the artist. He began with 
 a comic umbrella-stand, and from that basis made scores of 
 small subjects, all, with but half-a-dozen exceptions, of his 
 own suggestion. Then, when Tom Taylor died he sent less 
 and less — a little sore that he should be pushed aside for 
 younger men — and finalh' ceased altogether, returning to 
 Halifax in response to business calls. Then followed W. J. 
 Hodgson (who is not to be confounded with the draughts- 
 man of the same name and initials of nearlv twentv vears 
 
 M. BLATCHFORD. 
 
 (From a Photograph by 
 IVarwick Brooks.)
 
 Mr. E. J. Wheeler. — Mr. Harry Furniss. 549 
 
 E. J. WHEELER. 
 {Drawn by Hii/isclf.) 
 
 later), with four cuts, during 1876 and the two next years; 
 "Captain F.," with a couple; Miss Fraser ("IVF"), daughter 
 of Colonel Fraser of the City Police, 
 with seven sketches ; and Mr, Hall- 
 ward, with a couple of initials. 
 
 For four years no accession of im- 
 portance was made, Mr. W. G. Smith, 
 ■vNith a single initial, and Mr. W. G. 
 Holt, with three more ambitious cuts, 
 being all that 1878 had to show ; while 
 1879 brought forth Mr. Dower Wilson 
 with a ''social" in the Almanac, and a 
 nameless F. B. (-'Memorials"). In the 
 following year Mr, Athelstan Rusden 
 made his maiden appearance as an 
 illustrator with a Disraeli Elephant, 
 
 which he had drawn on the wood and sent in from Man- 
 chester ; but " Moonshine " offered the inducement of con- 
 tinuous occupation, and the young amateur drifted away. 
 
 The year 1880 is memorable for the enlistment of Mr. 
 Harry Furniss. Mr. E. J. Wheeler was the other arrival, 
 and he still (1895) spreads over Punch's pages his bright 
 
 little theatrical sketches and initials, 
 as well as illustrations to Mr. Bur- 
 nand's own literary contributions. His 
 drawings are unmistakable, as much by 
 their rather old-fashioned method as 
 by the well-known monogram of later 
 years, or by the appropriate sign-manual 
 of a " four- Wheeler " in his earlier con- 
 tributions. 
 
 In Mr. Harry Furniss Punch found 
 an artist who was destined to become, 
 during the fourteen years of his con- 
 nection, a considerable factor in his 
 career. Mr. Furniss was bred up in 
 the Punch tradition. While still a boy at school in Ireland 
 —where, through a mistake on Time's part, he was born, of 
 
 HARRY FURNISS. 
 
 [From a Photograph by Deben- 
 ham and Gould.)
 
 550 
 
 The History of "Punch" 
 
 English and Scotch parents — he produced, edited, and illustrated 
 " The Schoolboys' Punch " in manuscript, in careful imitation 
 of the original, drawing the cartoon as well. One of these 
 " big cuts " represented himself as the performer in a cabinet- 
 trick — (the sensation of the Davenport Brothers was before 
 
 the public at the time) 
 
 ^^f-^^"^ 
 
 7 
 
 ALINCTON 
 
 DEAN PARK 
 
 eOURNEMOuril 
 
 — in which the cabinet 
 was the school, and the 
 ropes that bound him 
 the curriculum ; while 
 from another cabinet he 
 /I \/. . emerges in full blaze of 
 
 JU.^ C^.'C^'*'/^ h '^'^^-^^^^ scholastic triumph. He 
 
 t ' m soon began drawing, and 
 
 engraving his own de- 
 signs, for Mr. A. M. 
 Sullivan's Irish version 
 of Punch ; and having 
 met Tom Taylor — who 
 then reigned in White- 
 friars — and been by him 
 applauded for his 
 sketches, he accepted 
 the hint that he might 
 send in drawings to the 
 original Hunchback of 
 Fleet Street. But 
 when they came, Taylor 
 declined them on the 
 ground that the ideas 
 were unsuitable ; yet, 
 curiously enough, they 
 several times appeared, re-drawn bv members of the Staff. 
 One of these, re-drawn by Mr. du Maurier in February, 1877, 
 represented a scene witnessed bv Mr. Furniss from the rail- 
 way — a flooded field navigated by two men in a boat, who 
 are reading a notice-board indicating that the submerged 
 "highly-eligible site" was "To be Let or Sold for Building." 
 
 
 BISHOP PUN'CH. 
 {By Harry furniss.)
 
 Origin of Mr. Gladstoxe's Collars. 551 
 
 Mr. Furniss thereupon decided to have done with Punch during 
 that editorship ; and came to London to seek his artistic 
 fortune. He speedily made such way on leading journals, 
 especially on the " Illustrated London News," that Mr. 
 Burnand, on succeeding to his office, invited the young 
 draughtsman, then aged twenty -six, to become a regular 
 contributor. Mr. Furniss's first sketch (published on p. 204, 
 Vol. LXXIX., 1880) was a skit on what is ignorantly called 
 the Temple Bar Griffin — (it is really an heraldic dragon, 
 designed bv Horace Jones) — executed by his friend C. B. 
 Birch, A.R.A. 
 
 At that time Mr. Henry W. Lucy had just been summoned 
 to reinforce Punch's Staff, and to take over the " Essence of 
 Parliament," since Shirley Brooks's death so ponderously dis- 
 tilled by the late Tom Taylor, and to him was left the 
 selection of an illustrator of his " Toby's Diaries." In select- 
 ing Mr. Furniss he made a wise choice, for the " Lika 
 Joko" of later times had been a close student of politics, 
 and seemed cut out for the post. How he justified himself 
 is sufficiently known ; he achieved for himself a great popu. 
 larity, and unquestionably acquired for Punch a unique 
 position among journals, as representing to the people that 
 personal side of Parliamentary life, the familiar aspect and 
 the vie intime of the House of Commons, not to be found 
 elsewhere. Xo doubt, here and there some offence was 
 taken ; and wives would at times protest against the caricatures 
 of husbands' figures, clothes, or faces ; but as a rule the 
 "truthful falsehood" was appreciated by Mr. Furniss's victims 
 —many of whom would ask to be included in his pictures— 
 and few frequenters of the Lobby were more popular than he. 
 
 " Mr. Gladstone's collars " are a by-word in the land ; and 
 Mr. Furniss made them. It is generally recognised that Mr. 
 Gladstone wore, no such collars. Nevertheless, his favourite 
 sitting attitude in the House was one very low down, his chni 
 buried in his chest ; and the more tired or depressed he was 
 —the more weary or dejected at the course of the debate— 
 the more his head would sink within his collar, and the more 
 the linen rose. This fact gave :\Ir. Furniss the idea, in the
 
 552 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 course of a few sessions, of his drawing of - Mr. Gladstone's 
 Choler Getting Up ; " and thereon was based his popular fic- 
 tion Similarly, the representation of Lord Randolph Churchill 
 as a small bov of irrepressible " cheek " was at first intended 
 to typify the' noble lord's irrepressible unimportance m the 
 
 Chamber (that was 
 /^^nT ^'^ 2-if^ ^ipZ before he had risen 
 
 from the Fourth 
 Party leadership to 
 the Chancellorship of 
 the Exchequer) ; 
 
 /''^ ' ^^ML.^^'^^^^i V ^vhile the creation 
 r ^m ^\\^ jj^ of the complacent, 
 ^ /M^ y^^. many-chinned de- 
 
 scendant of the Plan- 
 tagenets in " The 
 House of Harcourts " 
 — a page imagined 
 and drawn in greatest 
 haste straight on to 
 the wood-block, to 
 fill up — was received 
 with uproarious de- 
 light by the public 
 as a true piece of 
 satirical humour. 
 But of all his "types" 
 the funniest, as well 
 as the easiest, was 
 the ungainly but side- 
 splitting caricature of 
 Sir Richard Temple 
 his fame throughout 
 in the best of good 
 not when Harry 
 Furniss endowed him with an extra chin, but when he did 
 not credit him with the full complement of hair. 
 
 To obtain his portraits Mr. Furniss would stalk his quarries 
 
 
 A HURRIED NOTE. 
 {By Harry Furniss.) 
 
 —which helped not a little to spread 
 the land. All these men took the fun 
 part, Sir William Harcourt only protesting
 
 An Artist of Resource. 553 
 
 unawares : for self-consciousness in a sitter kills all character. 
 A favourite ruse was for him to tell Mr. A. that he wanted to 
 sketch Mr. B., and that his work would be greatly facilitated 
 if the hon. member would keep the other in conversation. 
 Mr. A. would enter gleefully into the joke, and then Harry 
 Furniss would sketch Mr. A ! If need be, he would 
 make his sketch, unseen and unseeing, upon a piece of card- 
 board or in a sketch-book, in the side-pocket of his overcoat. 
 In this way detail, mannerism, gesture, pose — character, in fact, 
 would be secured, and next week's Punch might contain the 
 portrait — sometimes severe, generally humorous, and always 
 well-observed. A rapid worker, too, is Furniss — incompar- 
 ably the quickest of his colleagues — who could produce 
 an3^thing from a thumbnail sketch to a full-page drawing, 
 portraits and all, in an hour or so, although he would prefer, 
 of course, to have fair time to arrange his composition, 
 to pencil it in, and then work it up carefully from the living 
 model. On the occasion when Lord Randolph Churchill's 
 hunting adventures in South Africa kept London amused, Mr. 
 Furniss, who was in the country and about to start for town 
 by rail, saw an account of the exploit in the morning paper. 
 He wired to Mr. Burnand : " See Churchill's lion-hunt, page 
 
 — 'Times.' Splendid opportunit}'. Reply Junction." 
 
 At ten-thirty he found the answer awaiting him at the junc- 
 tion : " Good. Let engravers have it to-day." He set to work 
 at once in the train. Having to change several times, he found 
 the junctions of great use for drawing in the faces ; and by 
 half-past four the finished page was in Mr. Swain's possession. 
 Indefatigable and unconventional, as much a journalist 
 as an artist, gifted with a rapid intelligence and a subacid 
 humour, Mr. Furniss, in his work on Punch, has been ex- 
 tremely varied, and by the strength of his personalit}- he 
 imparted to the Parliamentary side of the paper a touch of 
 his own convictions. It was obvious from his treatment of 
 the Irish that he was a strong Unionist, and that his sym- 
 pathy with the Irish party was neither very deep nor very 
 cordial. This was emphasised by some of the best caricatures 
 he ever produced. They were bitterly resented ; but probably
 
 554 
 
 The History of "Punch.'" 
 
 more ill-feeling was created by the ludicrous picture he sub- 
 sequently drew of the patriots as they returned, sea-sick, 
 moist, and dejected, to Dublin from the " London Con- 
 ference," entitled " A Sketch at Kingstown." On the top of 
 this came the irritation caused bv his laus^hable but merciless 
 mimicry, in his famous entertainment of *' The Humours of 
 Parliament," of the imaginary Member for Ball3'hooly ; but 
 it was the caricatures of Mr. Swift MacNeill, M.P., that 
 brought matters to a head. Mr. MacXeill had pre^^ously 
 
 appreciated the sketches, and 
 begged certain of them. But 
 at last, on the occasion of 
 an exuberant and unflatter- 
 ing, but still not an ill- 
 humoured, portrait, supported 
 by a solid contingent of his 
 Party, he sought the artist 
 out and, reproaching him 
 in excited and unmeasured 
 terms, he committed a 
 "technical assault" upon him. 
 Mr. Furniss was not to be 
 induced to retaliate, even 
 when Dr. Tanner, M.P., and 
 others who surrounded him 
 addressed him in words more violent and offensive than 
 Mr. MacXeill's, and threatened him with corporal punish- 
 ment. As it appeared to the draughtsman that it was all 
 a pre-arranged affair, he remained passive, lest a develop- 
 ment of the situation should lead — as it was probabh' in- 
 tended that it should lead — to his exclusion from the Lobby. 
 Punch himself, however, snapped his fingers at this argu- 
 mentuin haculinum, and Mr. Furniss, with rare good taste, 
 revenged himself by a full-page drawing (21st September, 
 1893) of ''-"^ House of Apollo-ticians," in which every mem- 
 ber has been idealised to a point of extraordinary personal 
 beauty, while the artist himself appears in the corner as a 
 malignant ape of hideous aspect. This was balm, no doubt, 
 
 TWO FRIENDS. 
 (^By Harry Ftcmiss.)
 
 " Puzzle-heads." — " Lika Joko." 555 
 
 to the gentleman who had been so incensed at being "cari- 
 catured, now as a potato, now as a gorilla ; " while the 
 situation was cleverly summed up thus : — 
 
 " O, Mr. MacNeill was quite happy until a 
 Draughtsman in Punch made him like a gorilla — 
 At the Zoo the gorilla quite happy did feel 
 Till the draughtsman in Punch made him like the MacNeill." 
 
 Meanwhile, several series of importance had come from 
 his pencil. His ''Puzzle-heads" are marvels of ingenuity, 
 in each of which a portrait- of a celebrity is built up of 
 personal attributes, characteristics, or incidents in the career 
 of the person represented ; his Lika Joko " Japanneries " 
 caught with amazing truth the spirit of Japanese draughts- 
 manship — far more completely than either Bennett or Brunton 
 ever succeeded in achieving ; and his " Interiors and Ex- 
 teriors " reflect social and public life with exuberant, almost 
 with extravagant, humour. 
 
 But the end of his connection with Punch was at hand. 
 He had joined in October, 1880. He had been called to 
 the Table four years later, and on the 21st February, 1894, 
 he ate his last dinner at it, and resigned in the following 
 month. Meanwhile, like Charles Keene, he was never one 
 of the salaried Staff, but to the end was paid by the square 
 inch. This permitted him to do as much work as he chose 
 for other papers ; but it made him feel, at the same time, 
 that he was not flesh of their flesh, while he suspected him- 
 self of getting into a cast-iron groove from which he sought 
 to free himself. So, after a minor "misunderstanding" had 
 been put right, Mr. Furniss quitted his old friend Punch, 
 and forthwith set about starting a monthly magazine of 
 his own. This enterprise, in the course of evolution, was 
 considerably modified; and for a time the weekly "Lika 
 Joko " soon emerged into open rivalry with the paper which 
 for nearlv fourteen years had made the name of Furniss as 
 celebrated throughout all English-speaking lands as that of 
 any of his colleagues. 
 
 And such is the Passing of Furniss, whose extraordinary
 
 556 
 
 The History of " PuNcny 
 
 sketching, there is 
 recognised political 
 
 powers of observation (he was the first, by the way, to detect 
 and represe^it truthfully Mr. Gladstone's loss of a digit) and of 
 catching a likeness in its essential lines, and whose unbounded 
 and buoyant good-humour early justified Mr. Burnand's 
 selection." Though he so soon drifted into Parliamentary 
 
 no class of work, except the officially- 
 " cartoons," which he did not attempt; 
 and he romped through Punch's 
 pages with unlimited invention 
 and inexhaustible resource — with 
 comedy and farce, with drama 
 and tragedy, and sometimes with 
 work startling in its truth and 
 touching in its pathos. 
 
 The men who immediately 
 followed Mr. Harry Furniss did 
 not come to stay. In December, 
 1880, a sketch of "Cherry Un- 
 ripe " — a clever parody on Sir 
 John Millais' famous picture — was 
 contributed by Mr. Stowers, who 
 then rested on his laurels. Mr. 
 Finch Mason contributed three 
 sporting cuts in 1881, three in 
 1882, and one in the following year, and then ]\Ir. Charles 
 J. Lillie appeared on the scene. Mr. Lillie's principal victories 
 have been won in the field of poster-designing, his favourite 
 achievement being the design of a voung lady in bathing 
 costume who, being wrecked, succeeded by the aid of Some- 
 body's Soap, with the cleverness of her sex, in " washing 
 herself ashore." At the time when Mr. Herkomer was design- 
 ing his famous poster for the " Magazine of Art," 'Six. Lillie sub- 
 mitted to Piuich a set of humorous sketches nominally adapted 
 to similar advertisements of wines. Thus, " Port : Old and 
 Crusty," was of course a typical Colonel Chutnee, a fire-eating 
 Anglo-Indian ; " Sherry : Pale and Dry," was an ascetic philo- 
 sopher ; " Claret : Very Light and Delicate," was a maiden 
 
 "A HAPPY RELEASE." A RE- 
 JECTED SKETCH. 
 (Drawn by C. J. Lillie.)
 
 Mr. Lillie, Mr. G. A. Storey, Mr. Alfred Bryan. 557 
 
 dainty and graceful ; and so forth. Some of these were pub- 
 hshed in the early summer of 188 1 ; but that of " Champagne" 
 (here reproduced) was not used. Shortly afterwards the clever 
 draughtsman sought work and adventure in Europe, Africa, 
 and America, and on his return devoted himself to story- 
 writing, confining his pencil to the illustration of his own 
 articles. Like Mr. Sambourne and others of Mr. Punch's 
 artistic contributors, Mr. Lillie was trained as an engineer. 
 
 As alread}' recounted, a new idea was carried into effect 
 in PnncJis Almanac for 1882 : drawings were sought from 
 certain members of the Royal Academy who were supposed 
 to be afflicted with the vis comica in any pronounced degree. 
 Of these, only Mr. G. A. Storey made his debut in Punch 
 on this occasion ; but his drawing of " Little Snowdrop " — a 
 fancy character-portrait of a Dutch lad}' — pretty as it was, 
 displayed but a ver}' mild sort of humour. In the following 
 February Mr. Alfred Bryan began his series of " Sketches 
 by Boz," in which public men of the day were caricatured 
 as personages in Dickens' novels. Thus, the Duke of Cam- 
 bridge was most happily identified with "Joe Bagstock, 
 Sir ! ", Sir John Holker was the Fat Boy, and Mr. Brad- 
 laugh appeared as Rogue Riderhood "taking his Davy." 
 These clever sketches, to the number of twenty-seven, were 
 spread over that year and the next, when, to the regret 
 of both Editor and artist, the connection was unavoidably 
 severed.
 
 558 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 PUNCH'S ARTISTS : 1 882-95. 
 
 Mr. William Padgett— Mr. E. M. Cox— Mr. J. P. Mellor— Sir F. Leighton, 
 Bart., P.R.A.— Mr. G. H. Jalland— Monsieur Darre— Mr. E. T. Reed— His 
 Original Humour — "Contrasts" and "Prehistoric Peeps" — Approved by 
 Sports Committees and School Classes — Mr. Maud — A Useful Drain — Mr. 
 Bernard Partridge— Fine Qualities of his Art — Mr. Everard Hopkins — Mr. 
 Reginald Cleaver — Mr. W. J. Hodgson — Excites the Countryside— Miss 
 Sambourne — Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C., M.P. — Mr. Arthur Hopkins — Mr. 
 J. F. Sullivan— Mr. J. A. Shepherd— Mr. A. S. Boyd— Mr. Phil May— A 
 Test of Drunkenness — Mr. Stafford — • Caran d'Ache" — Conclusion. 
 
 At the same time as the single sketch signed with a swan 
 (by Mr. Thompson), Mr. WiHiam Padgett, the excellent painter 
 of poetical landscape, made his unique appearance. He had 
 been arranging the mock-jesthetic costumes for Mr. Burnand 
 at the Prince of Wales's Theatre, when " The Colonel " was 
 about to deal a crushing blow at the absurdities of the " artistic 
 craze." Mr. Padgett had painted the large picture called 
 " Ladye Myne " — a burlesque of the " greenery-yallery " type 
 then in fashion at the Grosvenor Gallery ; and the departure 
 of the apostle of the movement from these shores for the 
 United States inspired the painter with the words and the 
 drawing of the mourning " Ariadne," which were shown to 
 the Editor of Punch and forthwith inserted. The only 
 other stranger of 1882 was Mr. Pigott, with a single sketch 
 entitled " Cultcha." 
 
 The six years that followed were almost a close time for out- 
 siders. The only arrival of 1883 was 'Sir. Everard Morant Cox, 
 an artist of dainty imagination and graceful pencil, whose seven 
 charming little cuts appeared at intervals up to July, 1890. 
 The next was Mr. John Page Mellor, barrister-at-law (ap- 
 pointed in 1894 Solicitor to the Treasury), who contributed 
 three drawings from 1886 to 1888 — "Sub Punch and Judice "
 
 S/n Frederic Leighton.—Mr. G. H. Jalland. 559 
 
 (P- Z^':>i ^'ol- XCI.), which was partly re-drawn ; a skit on the 
 proposed Wheel and Van Tax (p. 205, Vol. XCIV.) ; and the 
 "Judges going to Greenwich," signed with mystic Roman 
 numerals. In the same year Mr. Harper Pennington, the 
 American artist, made a couple of drawings of the opera 
 of "The Huguenots," followed by a sketch of Mr. Whistler 
 and another. 
 
 Sir Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy, 
 once paid homage to Punch by the contribution of a single 
 drawing — a portrait of Miss Dorothy Dene — which illustrated 
 an article entitled "The Schoolmaster Abroad," and was 
 published on May 29th, 1886 (Vol. XC). It is one of the 
 few tint blocks that have appeared in the paper, and is, 
 strictly speaking, not a woodcut at all, but a wood-engraving. 
 
 Mr. G. H. Jalland began his genuinely comic hunting 
 sketches in 1888. Although an amateur, Mr. Jalland is often 
 extremely happy in his drawings (which now and again are 
 excellently drawn), and his jokes are usually conceived in 
 a richlv comic vein. A great manv — nearlv a hundred — of 
 his subjects were published during 1889, and he is still an 
 occasional contributor to the fun of the week. We would 
 not willingly lose the artist who gave us the sketch of 
 a Frenchman bawling during a hunt : " Stop ze chasse ! 
 Stop ze fox ! ! ! I tomble — I falloff ! " The sportsman's 
 mantle, which fell from Leech's shoulders on to Miss 
 Bowers', and then on to Mr. Corbould's, descended at last 
 on to those of Mr. Jalland, who wore it almost exclusively 
 for a time, and, from the humorist's point of view, wore it 
 easily and well. 
 
 Monsieur G. Darre, who had worked in Paris on the 
 "Charivari" for a couple of years, and for a short time on 
 the "Journal Amusant," " Le Grelot," " Le Carillon," and 
 others, besides making a series of illustrations for a monu- 
 mental " Histoire de France," came to London in 1883. Five 
 years later, at the suggestion of ]\Ir. Swain — who had 
 already cut some of his work for other periodicals— he sent in 
 his first sketch to PuncJu This was a drawing of "Joseph's 
 Sweetheart," at the Vaudeville, showing great mastery over
 
 S6o 
 
 The History of "Punch" 
 
 pen-and-ink. It was followed during this }-ear and the next 
 with sketches of varied importance, theatrical and political, 
 in which France and General Boulanger played chief part, 
 and in which portraits were always well rendered ; but when 
 the thirteenth had been deli^-ered — (alas ! the fatal number) 
 
 — the arrival of ls\x. Bernard Part- 
 ridge convinced him that there 
 would no longer be room for him. 
 After contributing for a time to 
 other illustrated papers, the artist 
 made himself proudly independent 
 of black-and-white by becoming a 
 successful designer of show-cards 
 in water-colour for commercial 
 houses. He may claim to have 
 introduced, in a small way, a more 
 dashing style into Punch than 
 had hitherto been seen there ; 
 but though his drawings, especi- 
 ally those on his native politics, 
 were undeniably clever and ^•ery 
 true artistic quality and Punch's 
 
 E. T. REED. 
 {Drawn by Himself.) 
 
 M." were sent in, in 1889, 
 
 of Retford, Notts. Their 
 
 excellence of the horse- 
 
 them were accepted, and 
 
 effective, they lacked 
 essential spirit. 
 
 Some sketches signed " C. A. 
 by Mr. C. A. Marshall, solicitor 
 chief merit appeared to be the 
 drawing; but only a couple of 
 these were published in the course of the year 
 
 The great arrival of the year was Mr. E. T. Reed, 
 M'ho was to bring a new form of humour into Punch — or, 
 rather, to bring back the old, rollicking, genuine low-comedy 
 class of fun, more generous and mirth-provoking than the 
 higher comedy of the day, that aims but to induce a smile. 
 
 His appearance in Punch (on the 8th of June, 1889) 
 was due to the casual remark of Mr. Linle}- Sambourne to 
 Mr. Blake Wirgman that the Editor was looking round for 
 some new man who could do comic work. Mr. Wir^nan 
 suggested their common friend, Mr. Reed, whom, however,
 
 Mr. E. T. Reed. 561 
 
 INIr. Samboiirne only knew as a painter-student, and the latter 
 promised to send some of his sketches to Mr. Burnand to 
 look at. The upshot was a request for a drawing represent- 
 ing "The Parnell Commissioners enjoying themselves up the 
 River" during a pause in the trial of Parnell v. the ''Times." 
 Other drawings, that attracted general attention, followed in 
 rapid succession. Who that has seen it can forget the 
 "Fancy Portrait" (by induction) "of my Laundress" — a 
 brawny-armed woman standing over his shirts, which she 
 belabours with a spike-studded club ? or the " Automatic 
 Policeman " at a crowded crossing, which, when a penny is 
 dropped into the slot, puts up its arm and stops the traffic ? 
 or the " Restored Skeleton of a Bic^xlist," and other 
 " happy thoughts " of that period ? It was ob^•ious that the 
 draughtsman was not a practised artist, although a skilful 
 amateur ; but those who detected the artistic lack of training 
 forgave it heartilv for the genuine fun and originalit)- of a 
 fresh and delightful kind. Since that time }.Ir. Reed rapidly 
 developed his undoubted powers, which, for a young man 
 who did not begin to draw until he was twenty-three years 
 of age, showed themselves at once to be remarkable. 
 
 Then followed a clever series of "Contrasts," such as 
 the professional fasting man fortune - making at the Aqua- 
 rium, and a Balaclava hero left to starve by a grateful 
 country — thus repeating unconsciously Cruikshank's famous 
 plate of " Born a Genius : Born a Dwarf," wherein the 
 tragedy of Benjamin Robert Haydon and the triumph 
 of Tom Thumb, both proceeding in the Egyptian Hall, 
 were dramatically depicted. Another, and still more remark- 
 able, contrast of Mr. Reed's was that in which the terrible 
 tricoteuses of the French Revolution, knitting with quite tragic 
 joviality before the guillotine, are compared with the modern 
 Society ladies in court enjoying a criminal's sensational trial, 
 so that the spectator hardly knows which are the more 
 repellent. It may be stated, as a matter of curiosity, that— 
 except for the point of contrast, which, after all, is a principal 
 feature of the design— Doyle anticipated Mr. Reed's protest by 
 showing, in 1849, a "Scene in Court during an interesting 
 K K
 
 562 The History of "Punch!' 
 
 Trial," when the crime of Manning and his wife was en- 
 grossing the attention of all England and proving a "great 
 attraction " to dames du monde. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Burnand raised his young recruit to the rank 
 of Staff-officer to fill the vacancy which had just occurred— 
 a premature promotion, the wiseacres said. Mr. Reed 
 then produced his forensic drawings, often basing them on 
 sketches supplied by Sir Frank Lockwood, Q.C. ; yet his 
 work fluctuated so much in quantity that it was more than 
 once rumoured that he and Punch had parted company. 
 But in due course his triumph came when, in the Christmas 
 number of 1893, he began "Prehistoric Peeps" — including 
 "The First Hansom," "Primeval Billiards," and "A Quiet 
 Game of Whist in Primeval Times." These popular fancies 
 were no sudden inspiration ; thev were developed gradually. 
 Following a natural humorous bent for dealing with sham 
 antiquities in Punch, Mr. Reed had started during the pre- 
 vious year a series of " exhibits " in the Imperial Institute 
 of the Future, consisting of comic restorations of common 
 objects of to-day — the ridiculous speculations of the future 
 archceologist. There was a much -patched and battered restora- 
 tion of a four-wheeled cab ; then a comic policeman ; and 
 the draughtsman was proceeding with a hansom when he 
 experienced a difficulty in getting freshness into the treat- 
 ment. So he determined to become a Cuvier on his own 
 account, and, by going back to the beginning, to show the 
 real original hansom, as it might have been, in prehistoric 
 times. The artist was intensely amused with the idea, 
 and finishing his three drawings — the other two suggesting 
 themselves — delivered them just in time for the Almanac. 
 The result was, in its way, electrical. Within a week 
 everybod}' was laughing at them and talking about them. 
 In the " Dail}' News " a leading-article was devoted to 
 arguing, with admirable mock-gra^■ity, that the artist's object 
 in these drawings — especially in that of the Prehistoric 
 Parliament, in which all our legislators are clad in primeval 
 fashion, while the Speaker keeps order with the aid of an 
 enormous tomahawk — was, of course, to prove the theory
 
 "Prehistoric Peeps." 563 
 
 that similarity of face and figure accompanies similarity 
 of pursuit throughout the generations. At Cambridge, in 
 the May Week, the tableaux viva?iis of the " Footlights 
 Society " included exact reproductions of the " Primeval 
 Billiards" and " Xo Bathing To-day!" — skins, expressions, 
 mastodons and all ; while at ]\Iolesey Invitation Regatta 
 (August, 1894) the "Prehistoric Coaching for the Boat 
 Race" was carried out to the life in mid-river, with Gaul 
 and Briton, woad-stained skins, raft, and fight, with the 
 fearsome palceontological intruders, complete to the last 
 detail — and applications were quickly made to the Punch Pro- 
 prietors for permission to reproduce the scenes on magic- 
 lantern slides for the use of schools ! This, perhaps, is to be 
 explained by the accuracy of many of the prehistoric beasts. 
 Even at the London Institution a scientific lecturer has borne 
 witness to the life-likeness of Mr. Reed's stcgo&aurus imglutis, 
 and especially of the triccratops and the sprighth' ptcrodactyle. 
 Little wonder Sir William Amiew broke through the rule of 
 "no speeches" at the Wednesdav Dinner, and proposed the 
 health of the young artist who had made for the paper so 
 striking a success. When Mr. Harry Furniss retired, ]Mr. Reed 
 was appointed his successor as Parliamentary draughtsman, 
 and soon showed his independence of humour in his new post. 
 
 After Mr. Whistler had contributed his butterfly (p. 293, 
 Vol. XCVIII.) — the sign-manual in the use of which he has 
 for some years found so much harmless, if rather childish, 
 pleasure — Mr. Maud, at that time a Royal Academy student, 
 began his sporting sketches. The first drawing (published on 
 p. 249, Vol. C, though it had been sent in six months 
 before) was called " A Check." A country lout is sitting on 
 a fence-rail shouting, and the hunt comes up. " Seen the 
 fox, my boy?" asks the huntsman. "No, I ain't!" replies 
 the lad. " Then what are you hollarin' for ? " " Because," 
 answers the scarecrow, "because I'm paid for it." This 
 picture was a valuable introduction, procured through a 
 friend who forwarded his drawing, for it brought him an 
 invitation to illustrate " Romford's Hounds " and " Hawbuck 
 K K 2
 
 564 
 
 The History of ''Punch." 
 
 Grange," as well as an established, though intermittent, con- 
 nection with Punch. With few exceptions, Mr. ISIaud's 
 jokes are the result of personal experience, for he looks to 
 contretemps in the field for his humorous subjects. Through 
 falling with his horse into a big drain in the Belvoir country 
 
 — a precious accident 
 for him — he collected 
 sufficient matter to 
 produce three jokes 
 which duly saw the 
 light. But the collec- 
 tion of such material is 
 " damned hard riding," 
 and each hunting sea- 
 son has only brought 
 forth about ten such 
 productions. Since 
 that time Mr. Maud 
 has turned his atten- 
 tion to sources of 
 humour other than the 
 hunting-field ; and as 
 in 1893 he carried off 
 the Landseer scholar- 
 ship and two silver 
 medals for painting 
 from the life, it is possible that he may in the near future 
 be tempted far from the joyous art of comic black-and- 
 white. 
 
 Mr. Bernard Partridge made his first drawing for Punch in 
 1 89 1, through the instrumentality of Mr. du Maurier, one of 
 his greatest admirers. It was a drawing of a bishop in a 
 distressing and undignified pose, and, though small in size, it 
 proved at once to readers of Punch the justice of the extra- 
 ordinary reputation the voung artist had gained elsewhere. 
 It was not only that his drawing and proportion are always 
 entirely right — that, perhaps, is to be expected in the son of 
 the late teacher of anatomv at the Roval Academv Schools — 
 
 J. BERNARD PARTRIDGE. 
 (Draiun by Himself.)
 
 Mr. B. Partridge, Mr. E. Hopkins, Mr. Hodgsox. 565 
 
 but that his handhng is so graceful and dainty, his effects of 
 light and shade so masterly, his portraiture so true, and his 
 power of representing expression, as shown both in face 
 and figure, so absolute. Mr. du Maurier saw in him his 
 own successor for the time when he may be called upon to 
 lay the pencil down ; and the public recognised in him an 
 appreciator of beauty to a degree hardly excelled b)- Mr. 
 du Maurier himself. Being, moreover, as familiar with the 
 expression of the foreigner as with that of the East-Ender, 
 or the resident of " Buckley Square," he was a recruit after 
 Mr. Punch's own heart and interest. 
 
 It is because Mr. Partridge's love for the stage is stronger 
 than for the pencil that the invitation to contribute to Punch, 
 and, in 1892, his promotion to the regular Staff, did not 
 arouse in him any great enthusiasm at the time. Soon, how- 
 ever, he warmed up to his work, and his illustrations to Mr. 
 Anstey's inimitable "Voces Populi," "The Man from Blank- 
 ley's," and other of that writer's serials, made their mark 
 at once, supported as they were by the "socials," signed 
 now with his cipher, now with his quaint " Perdix fecit." 
 
 Concurrently with Mr. Partridge (1891), :Mr. Everard 
 Hopkins made his appearance with one of two drawings 
 sent in. The accepted one was an admirable travest}' ot 
 the denouement of Ibsen's "Doll's House," representing a 
 buxom middle-aged virago leaving the house of her diminutive 
 hen-pecked husband, whose " birdie " she dechnes any longer 
 to be. Numerous drawings of a graceful kind have since 
 come from him, until he is in the way of being regarded as 
 a recognised outside contributor. 
 
 Then followed Mr. Reginald Cleaver, whose work, some- 
 what hard, but of great beauty in its own line, has been 
 devoted to "social" subjects; and on January ist, 1892, Mr. 
 W. J. Hodgson sent in a picture that was destined to be the 
 first of a long series. He is essentially a sporting man— a 
 vital necessity for Punch— ?a\^ having been brought \\^ in 
 the thick of the sporting world, has immortalised in lus 
 pages many a hunting joke and scrap of "horsey" humour. 
 His subjects are usually actualities, and more than once has
 
 566 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 a whole country-side been startled by the appearance in 
 Punch of an incident that had just formed matter for gleeful 
 conversation after a day's sport. Such was the amusing 
 otter-hunt story that appeared in July, 1894, ^^ which, 
 under the title of '' The Course of True Love, etc.," Miss Di, 
 a six-foot damsel, asks her five-foot-three curate-lover to 
 pick her up and carry her across the watercourse, "as it 
 is rather deep, don't you know ; " and the Wiltshire village 
 where it occurred and the chief actors in the little comedy 
 became at once the talk of the county, and the water itself 
 is pointed out as the scene of the incident. Mr, Hodgson, 
 it ma}' be noted, was introduced to Punch through Sir 
 Frank Lockwood, who sent to the Editor a volume which 
 the draughtsman had illustrated. 
 
 Miss Maud Sambourne, when no more than eighteen 
 years of age, also contributed her first drawing in the spring 
 of 1892 — a charming little figure of a girl, as daint}' as a 
 sketch by Mr. Abbey, and as different from her father's work 
 as well could be imagined. Similar little drawings from her 
 graceful pencil have appeared from time to time, the prettiest, 
 perhaps, being *'A Fair Unknown," on June 2nd, 1894. 
 
 On November 12th, 1892 (p. 221, Vol. CIII.), appears 
 an elaborate page of verses, explanatory notes, and four 
 cuts illustrative of ''The Vanishing Rupee" — a picture 
 greatly appreciated in India. The originator of this satirical 
 page was Mr. J. H. Roberts, an architect who had turned 
 his back on his profession and had cast in his lot with 
 illustrated journalism ; and the manner in which he hit off 
 the standing grievance of Anglo-India betrayed a touching 
 personal interest in this painful fiscal question. 
 
 Mr. Arthur A. Sykes, more closely identified with Punch 
 as a verse and prose writer than as a draughtsman, began 
 the first of his sketches in November, 1893 > ^"^^ o" the 
 1 8th of the same month Sir Frank Lockwood, O.Q^., who 
 had hitherto been content to see his artistic effervescence 
 re -drawn by Mr. E. T. Reed, appeared in his own right with 
 a comic scribble representing a barrister afflicted with a bad 
 cold energetically addressing the court. It was entitled :
 
 Mr. J. F. Sullivan, Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Boyd. 567 
 
 " Cold, but In-vig-orating " — a pictorial pun worth}- of Hood 
 or Hine. This was the first of a series. 
 
 About this time the distinguished draughtsman, ]\Ir. 
 Arthur Hopkins, who has rarely been surpassed in render- 
 ing the simple grace of pretty English girlhood, evolved a 
 joke while shopping with his wife, and straightway illustrated 
 it and sent it on to Punch. It appeared the next week, and 
 was quickh- followed b}- another on the ist of April. Since 
 then the artist has been seen no more in Punch's pages, 
 although, jokes serving, he is still a persona grata in White- 
 friars. 'Six. J. F. Sullivan — the immortal depictor of the 
 humours and amenities of ''The British Workman," and for 
 many years the incarnation of ''Fun" — struck up a belated 
 connection with Punch, also in November, 1893. ^^is drawings 
 ran continuoush- during that and the next two months to the 
 number of a dozen or so, and then, with the exception of an 
 " old stock " sketch or two, they incontinently ceased. 
 
 The Almanac for 1894 witnessed the debut of Mr. J. 
 A. Shepherd, who, on the strength of his comic "Zig-Zags 
 at the Zoo," was invited by Mr. Burnand to send in a 
 page. His comic animals, drawn with singular precision and 
 skill, and full of character, seemed to hit the popular 
 taste, and, save for a period when ill-health interrupted, 
 Mr. Shepherd has continued his contributions. He was 
 a pupil of Six. Alfred Bryan, and for a couple of years was 
 on the staff of " Moonshine." Another recruit of 1894 ^^'^s 
 Six. A. S. Boyd, one of the most brilliant of the "Daily 
 Graphic " staff, and still affectionately remembered as 
 "Twym" of the "Bailie" and " Quiz " of Glasgow. His first 
 contribution (April 7th) was a sketch of a lady in an 
 omnibus, whose outrageously large sleeves extinguished her 
 neighbours as effectually as the crinoline of her grandmother 
 (according to John Leech) had cancelled her grandfather. 
 Since that time Six. Boyd has been seen fitfull}- in Punch, 
 and always with drawings executed with great care and with 
 singular appreciation of the value of his blacks. 
 
 Then came JNIr. Phil May. Punch was long in disco^•ering 
 him, but he found him at last. Indeed, he could not afford
 
 568 
 
 The History of "Punch." 
 
 to do without him, for Mr. May, though barely more than 
 thirty years of age, was ah'eady in the foremost rank of 
 humorous draughtsmen of the day, and few — even of Mr. 
 Punch's own Staff^were better known and more popular 
 
 PHIL MAY. 
 (Drawn by Himself.) 
 
 than the young artist who had burst upon the town not 
 long before. He had gone through a hard life as a 
 boy. He had turned his back upon architecture, as 
 Charles Keene, Mr. Moyr Smith, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Bernard 
 Partridge, and other contributors to Punch had done before 
 him, and had joined a strolling company, with whom he 
 strolled and acted for four years, drawing caricatures of his 
 fellow-actors for the shop-windows. He was only fourteen
 
 Mr. Phil May as a Humorist. 569 
 
 when he began sketching for a Yorkshire paper, and four \-ears 
 later he came to town and, after an interval of the direst 
 want, soon made his mark. At that time he had e\idently 
 been looking at Mr. Sambourne's drawings, but .a three years' 
 visit to Australia, aided by the bitter experience of Melbourne 
 newspaper printing presses, simplified his style to the point 
 we now see it — in wliich elimination of all unnecessarv lines 
 seems carried to its furthermost limit. Indeed, liis "economy 
 of means" borders on parsimony. Gifted witli a ptnverful 
 personality, with the keenest sense of humour, and with 
 strong human sympathies that lean much more to the side 
 of the poor than of the well-to-do, and, above all, with a 
 brilliant power of draughtsmanship, he was recognised as a 
 master as soon as he asserted himself — an original master 
 with many disciples and more imitators. He cannot be 
 called a caricaturist, for in his work there lacks that fierce 
 quality of critical conception— above all, that subject-matter 
 that makes one think, that sardonic appeal to head and 
 heart at once, which make up the sum of true carica- 
 ture. If caricature is drollery, and not humour, as Carlyle 
 says it is, Mr. May is above all things a humorist, and not 
 at all a droll. He is neither a politician nor a reformer, nor 
 even, if properly understood, a satirist. His aim is to show 
 men and things as they really are, seen through a curtain 
 of fun and raillery — not as they might or ought to be. Yet 
 the essence of his work is inexorable truth, and his version 
 of life is depicted to a delighted public with tlie unerring 
 pencil of a laughing philosopher. And, moreover, his greatest 
 quality is the astounding excellence of his draughtsmanship, 
 which, so far from being germane to caricature, is not onl)- 
 unnecessary to it, but sometimes even a hindrance. 
 
 And so Mr. May began with his "social" cuts for Punch, 
 selecting "low life" for the most part, as Mr. du Maurier 
 chose high life, and making for every picture as careful a 
 study from Nature as ever Charles Keene did — and probably as 
 many of them. Furthermore, he prefers to seek out his jokes 
 for himself. When he was in New York and found that the 
 professional joke-purveyor was untrustworthy, he sauntered
 
 570 
 
 The History of "Punch.' 
 
 " Lady Sorlsbury " isn't a 
 
 into a police court in the hope of finding character there, and 
 perhaps humour. A woman was up before the magistrate 
 on a charge of drunkenness — a charge which the lady denied. 
 " How do 3"0U know she was drunk ? " asked the magistrate. 
 " She walked into a baker's shop," replied the policeman, " and 
 wanted to buy a bonnet." The evidence was accepted as 
 conclusive ; and 'Sh. ]May sketched the prisoner there and 
 then, and introduced her into his first drawing for Piincli s 
 page as the gutter-woman who, looking over an illustrated 
 paper, confides to a friend that the portrait it contains of 
 
 bit like what she really is in 
 private life. Mr. May was in 
 due course drawn into Punch's 
 net, and eating his first Dinner 
 in February, 1895, ^^^ cut 
 his initials on the Table be- 
 tween those of Thackeray and 
 Mr. du Maurier. The accom- 
 panying sketch was the elo- 
 quent announcement I received 
 of his promotion. 
 
 In the Almanac of 1894 two 
 artists new to Punch made 
 their appearance — the first, 
 Mr. Stafford, the quondam cartoonist of " Fuimy Folks ; " 
 and the other, the world-famous humorist " Caran d'Ache " 
 (M. Emmanuel Poiree), with a satire on the female craze of 
 the da}' in respect to 'SI. Paderewski and his flowing locks. 
 In November of the same year Mr. Fred Pegram, who had 
 for three years been one of the "Judy" artists, made his 
 clever appearance in Punch, since then several times re- 
 peated ; and with j\Ir. W. F. Thomas — the well-known 
 successor of Baxter as the delineator of Ally Sloper and his 
 low but amusing circle — who appeared twice in 1S95, I close 
 my list. 
 
 It will thus be seen that with the exception of a very 
 few among the earlier comic draughtsmen, and a half-a- 
 dozen others of our own day. Punch has at one time or 
 
 ■ 1 JOINED THE PUNCH TABLE LAST WEEK, 
 
 AND CARVED MY NAME ON THE 
 
 ROLL OF FAME.'
 
 s; 
 
 s 
 
 u 
 
 i. 
 
 :2: 
 
 b 
 
 ::d 
 
 
 
 t, 
 
 
 n 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 (— 1 
 
 s^ 
 
 o 
 
 -a^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 l-M 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 ■si 
 
 7) 
 
 1 
 
 
 "Cr 
 
 llj 

 
 572 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 another engaged the pencils of all the chief English graphic 
 humorists of his time, and has even persuaded notable artists 
 of more serious turn to try their hand at comic work. 
 
 In its artistic aspect, at least, Punch is more than a comic 
 journal : it is, and has been for more than half a century, 
 a school of wood-drawing, of pen and pencil draughtsman- 
 ship, and of wood-cutting of the first rank ; it is a school 
 of art in itselt. The effect of its art-teaching has been 
 widely felt, and on this ground alone its doings must 
 command interest and justify a close examination into its 
 rise and progress. So far, too, as one can foretell, its 
 future is safe. Young men are arising who are capable of 
 carrying on its traditions and of bearing its banner bravely 
 and merrily aloft ; and it may safely be assumed that, just 
 as the Royal Academy sooner or later absorbs the best 
 Outsiders to adorn its circle and keep its vigour green, 
 so Punch will never lack the ablest men to don his cap 
 and motley and shake his jingling bells. 
 
 I IN' ALE : A PROBATIONARY DRAWING (UNUSED). 
 {By Lijihy Samboitrne^
 
 573 
 
 W.N 
 
 APPENDIX I. 
 
 SIGNATURES OF PUNCH'S ARTISTS 
 
 1 
 
 ^0 
 
 /e 
 
 In 
 
 HGH 
 
 n- s 
 
 3=- 
 
 '^^ 
 
 3- ( 
 
 5- 
 
 X 
 
 L 
 
 J// 
 HH 
 
 
 m 
 
 (R 
 
 
 -12 
 
 
 m 
 
 f 
 
 zS. 
 
 ■^^ E.G- 
 
 J>At 45.; t 
 
 
 D BR 
 
 ® W 
 
 |£.J.E es. Ji 
 
 66. Y^ 
 
 t^ 
 
 42. 
 
 43- 
 
 (/£■ 
 
 .(& 
 
 6g. 
 
 HGH 
 R 
 
 57- 
 
 58. 

 
 574 
 
 73 
 
 74 
 
 ys. 
 
 77- ( 
 
 
 Q^2J^ 
 
 
 LIST OF ARTISTS WHOSE SIGNATURES ARE HERE GIVEN. 
 
 1. William Newman. 
 
 2. A. S. Henning. 
 
 3. H. G. HiNE. 
 
 4. Kenny Meadows. 
 
 5. Alfred "Crowquill." 
 6; John Leech. 
 
 7. Gavarni. 
 
 8. W. M. Thackeray. 
 
 9. SirJohn GilberTjR.A. 
 
 10. Habl6t K. Browne 
 
 ("Phiz"). 
 
 11. H. Heath. 
 
 12. R. J. Hamerton. 
 
 13. W. Brown. 
 
 14. Richard Doyle. 
 
 15. Henry Doyle, C.B. 
 
 16. A. Watts Phillips. 
 
 17. E. J. Burton. 
 
 18. W. McConnell. 
 
 19. Sir John Tenniel. 
 
 20. Capt. H. R. Howard. 
 
 21. C. H. Bradley. 
 
 22. Rev. Edwd. Bradley 
 
 (" CUTHBERT BEDE "). 
 
 23. T. Harrington Wil- 
 
 son. 
 
 24. Rev.W. F. Callaway. 
 
 25. Halliday. 
 
 26. G, W. Terry. 
 
 27. Frank Bellew. 
 
 28. Charles Keene. 
 
 29. Julian Portch. 
 
 30. G. R. Haydon. 
 
 31. George du Maurier. 
 
 32. Gordon Thompson. 
 
 33. H. Stacy Marks, R. A. 
 
 34. 
 35- 
 36. 
 37- 
 
 38. 
 
 39- 
 40, 
 41. 
 
 42. 
 
 43- 
 44- 
 
 45- 
 46. 
 
 47- 
 48. 
 49. 
 50- 
 
 51- 
 
 52. 
 S3- 
 54- 
 55- 
 56. 
 57- 
 58. 
 59- 
 60. 
 61. 
 62. 
 
 63- 
 64. 
 
 Paul Gray. 66. 
 
 E. J. Burton. 67. 
 
 Fritz Eltze. 68. 
 Sir John E. Millais, 
 
 Bart., R.A. 69. 
 
 Fred Barnard. 70- 
 
 R. T. Pritchett. 71. 
 
 A. R. Fairfield. 72. 
 
 Colonel Seccombe. 73. 
 
 Dever. 74. 
 
 W. S. Gilbert. 75. 
 
 Ernest Griset. 76. 
 
 Alfred Thompson. 77. 
 
 J. Priestm.\n Atkin- 78. 
 
 SON. 79. 
 
 Charles H. Bennett. 80. 
 
 T. W. Woods. 81? 
 
 G.BouverieGoddard. 82. 
 
 MissGeorginaBowers 83. 
 
 (Mrs. Bowers-Ed- 84. 
 
 wards). 85. 
 
 W.\LTER Crane. 86. 
 
 O. Harling. 87. 
 
 H. R. Robinson. 88. 
 
 Frederic Shields. 89. 
 
 E. J. Ellis. 90. 
 
 LiNLEY SAMBOURNE. 91. 
 
 L. Strasvnski. 92. 
 
 F. Wilfrid Lawson. 93. 
 A. Chasemore. 94. 
 Walter Browne. 95. 
 Briton Riviere, R..\. 96. 
 J. MoYR Smith. 
 
 Wallis Mackay. 97. 
 
 J. Sands. 98. 
 
 Miss J. Romer. 99. 
 
 R. Caldecott. 
 a. c. corbould. 
 Major-General H. G. 
 
 ROBLEY. 
 
 W. Ralston. 
 
 F. Woods. 
 
 J. CURREN. 
 
 L. G. F.\wKES. 
 Colonel Bennitt. 
 T. Walters. 
 W. J. Hodgson. 
 Miss Eraser. 
 MontaguBlatchford 
 W. G. Smith. 
 W. G. Holt. 
 E. J. Wheeler. 
 Harry Furniss. 
 C. J. Lillie. 
 
 G. A. Storey, A.R.A. 
 Willi.^m Padgett. 
 Thompson. 
 
 E. Morant Cox. 
 Harper Pennington, 
 g. h. jalland. 
 George Darr^. 
 J. P. Mellor. 
 C. A. Marshall. 
 E. T. Reed. 
 Everard Hopkins. 
 W. J. Hodgson. 
 J.Bernard Partridge 
 Sir Frank Lockwood, 
 
 Q.C. 
 J. A. Shepherd. 
 A. .\. Sykes. 
 J. F. Sullivan.
 
 575 
 
 APPENDIX II. 
 
 TEXT OF AGREEMENT CONSTITUTING PUNCH. 
 
 JlvftCreS of Jlgreemetlt indented made and entered into this fourteenth— day 
 of July — in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty one 
 Between Henry Mayhew of Number 3 Clements Inn in the County of Middlesex 
 Gentleman Mark Lemon of Number 12 Newcastle Street Strand in the said 
 County of Middlesex Gentleman and Joseph Stirling Coyne of Number 14 
 Fludyer Street in the City of Westminster Gentleman of tlu- fust part Ebenezer 
 Landells of Number 32 13idborough Street in tiie Parish of Saint i'ancras in the 
 County of Middlesex Engraver of the second part and Joseph Last of Crane 
 Court in the City of London Printer of the third part. 
 
 It tS .SgiTfir between the persons parties hereto each so far as the stipula- 
 tions hereinafter contained are to be performed by or are applicable to him 
 respectively. 
 
 First. jrtiat there shall be published a periodical Work to consist of humorous and 
 
 political Articles and embellished with Cuts and Caricatures to be called '' Punch 
 OR THE London Charivari " the same to be published in weekly numbers on 
 every Saturday after the date of these presents every such number to be contained 
 in and fill one sheet of double demy of Sixteen pages each page to contain two 
 Columns except the pages containing advertisements eacli of w hicli are to contain 
 three Columns and that the average size of the Type shall be brevier solid. 
 
 Second. Cflflt the persons parties hereto of the first part shall be the Editors of the 
 
 said work. That the said Ebenezer Landells shall be the h'.ngraver to the same 
 work and that the said Joseph Last shall be tin- Printer llR-rei)f. 
 
 Third. Cfjat the said Editors shall supply the said Ebenezer Landells (by delivering 
 
 the same at Number 12 Newcastle Street Strand the present Oftice of the Editors 
 of the said work or other the Office for the time being of the said lulitors) with 
 written suggestions for subjects for the Cuts for illustration and embellishment of 
 the said work such suggestion for the Cut or Cuts on page 9 of each number 
 (and which page is to be filled with one or more Cut or Cuts and letterpress in 
 explanation thereof) to be furnished at least on the fourteenth day — preceedingy/f] 
 the day on which the number in which they are to be contained is to be published 
 and such suggestions for other Cuts to be furnished one half on the Eighth day 
 and the other half on the Seventh day jueceeding the day on which the number 
 in which they are to be contained is to be jiublished such Fourtee)ith and Seventh 
 days to be reckoned exclusive of such last mentioned day. 
 
 Fourth. 3r.f)at provided the said Editors shall supply the said Ebenezer Landells witii 
 such written suggestions as aforesaid he shall as such I'ln.^raver a:> aforesaid 
 deliver the blocks in which such Cuts shall be Engraved to the said Joseph Last 
 as such Printer as aforesaid (such delivery to be at the Printing Office for tin- 
 time being of the said Joseph Last) at latest by Eight o'clock in tlie Evening 
 of the Tuesday next preceeding the day on which the number in which they are 
 to be contained is to be published. 
 
 Fifth. Cl&at the said Editors shall supply the said Joseph Last (by delivering the 
 
 same at his Printing Office for the time being) with the matter (exclusive of Cuts) 
 necessary for each number of such work in the proportions following— namely half 
 at latest by the Monday preceeding the day on which the number to contain such 
 matter is to be publislied One quarter more at latest by the Tuesday at noon 
 preceeding such last mentioned day and the remaining one quarter at latest by 
 Six o'clock in the Evening of the last mentioned Tuesday. 
 
 Sixth. {T^at if the said Cuts and Matter shall be so supplied to the said Joseph Last 
 
 as aforesaid he shall print and deliver at the publishing Office for the time being 
 of the said work and at latest by Five O'clock in the Afternoon of the Wednesday 
 preceeding the day on which the number to contain such Cuts and Matter is to
 
 576 The History of ''Punch.'" 
 
 be published so many such numbers of the said Work as shall be required for 
 Country Circulation And sliall also print and deliver at the said Publishing Office 
 and at latest by Eight O'clock in the Morning of the Thursday preceeding the last 
 mentioned day so many such numbers as shall be required (not exceeding Two 
 hundred quires) for Town circulation and shall also print and deliver at the said 
 publishing Office after the last mentioned Thursday when and as they may be 
 reasonably required so many more such numbers as may be required. 
 
 Seventh. ilJjat the publisher for the time being of the said work shall be the person by 
 whom all Sales of the same Work shall be made and who shall receive all monies 
 in respect of such Sales but all such Sales shall be made on account of the persons 
 parties hereto proprietors of the said Work and all accounts against debtors shall 
 be sent in and delivered to them as being indebted to the said proprietors. 
 
 Eighth. C^at the said several persons parties hereto shall be entitled to the profits 
 arising from the said work as hereinafter mentioned in that behalf but before any 
 sum of money or any other thing shall be adjudged profits or in the nature of 
 profits the said persons parties hereto of the first part shall as such Editors as 
 aforesaid be entitled to receive out of the assetts in respect of the said Work on 
 everv Saturday next after the date of these presents the sum of Twenty pounds 
 and the said Etaenezer Landells and Joseph Last shall be entitled to receive out 
 of the same assets on every Saturday next after the date of these presents the 
 amount of their respective Bills (duly audited and allowed as hereinafter 
 mentioned) in respect of the Engraving for and printing of the said Work 
 respective!) — The said Editors to be entitled to the said Weekly sums in equal 
 shares and proportions. 
 
 Ninth. Cf)at all claims and demands in respect of the said Work (including those of 
 
 the said Ebenezer Landells and Joseph Last for Engravings for and printing of 
 the said Work) shall be sent in to and delivered at the said Editors Office on 
 every Saturday Evening by Eight O'clock at the latest that on every Saturday 
 Evening after the date of these Presents at Eight o'Clock a Meeting shall be held 
 of the several persons parties hereto at No. 12 Newcastle Street Strand or other 
 the Office for the time being of the Editors of the said Work- at every of w hich 
 Meeting shall be present at least one of the said Editors and one other of them 
 the said Ebenezer Landells and Joseph Last and at every such meeting all 
 claims and demands on and in respect of the same Work shall be audited and 
 allowed by the parties present at svich Meeting and the publisher of the said 
 W'ork and all other persons shall attend at such Meeting and bring all monies 
 which may since the last Meeting have been received in respect of the sale of the 
 same Work or otherwise on Account thereof and pay the same over to the parties 
 constituting sucli Meeting and such parties shall out of such monies in the first 
 place pay all expences of Advertising, Cost of paper, salary to the publisher Rent 
 of any premises necessary for conducting the said Work and all other incidental 
 outgoings and expences whatsoever which shall have been incurred in respect of 
 the said Work and which shall have been duly audited and allowed as aforesaid 
 (other than those which shall be payable to the parties hereto as such Editors 
 Engraver or printer as aforesaid) and then in the next place in paying to the 
 several persons parties hereto all their claims and demands in respect of the same 
 Work as such Editors Engraver and printer as aforesaid. 
 
 Tenth. Cf)elt in case the last mentioned monies shall not be sufficient to pay and 
 
 satisfy the outgoings and expenses concerning the same Work (other than those 
 whicli shall be payable to the parties hereto as such Editors Engraver and printer 
 as aforesaid) then the deficiency shall be made good out of any monies which [may] 
 be received on any subsequent Saturday or (if received) by monies raised from the 
 sale of any of the assetts in respect of the said \\'ork so that at no time shall any 
 of the several persons parties hereto receive any money as such Editors Engraver 
 or printer as aforesaid until all other claims and demands on and in respect of 
 the said Work shall be fully paid and satisfied and in case the assets in respect 
 of the said \\'ork shall not be sufficient to pay and satisfy the outgoings and 
 expenses concerning the same Work (other than those which shall be payable to 
 the parties hereto as such Editors Engraver and printer as aforesaid) then the 
 deficiency shall be borne paid and defrayed by the said Henry Mayhew Mark 
 Lemon Joseph Stirling Coyne Ebenezer Landells and Joseph Last in equal 
 proportions and in case the assets in respect of the said Work shall not be 
 sufficient or no more than sufficient to pay and satisfy the claims and demands 
 concerning the same Work other than those which shall be payable to the parties 
 hereto as such Editors Engraver and printer as aforesaid then the said parties 
 hereto shall not have any claim the one against the other in respect of any such.
 
 Text of Agreement Constttuting "Punch." 577 
 
 claim or demand and in case tlie said assetts shall be more than sufficient to pay 
 and satisfy the claims and demands concerning the said Work other than tliose 
 which shall be payable to the said parties hereto as such Editors Engraver and 
 printer as aforesaid but not sufficient to pay the entirety of the claims and 
 demands of such Editors Engraver and printer then such Editors Engraver and 
 printer shall be entitled to such surplus assetts by an equal pound rate according 
 to the amount due to the said Editors at the rate of Twenty pound per W.-.-k a'^ 
 aforesaid and the amount of the respective Rills of the said Ebenezer Landells 
 and Joseph Last as such engraver and Printer as aforesaid. 
 
 Eleventh. ^\\Cl\ after all claims and demands in res]>cct of the said Work (including 
 those of the said E-ditors luigravcr and ])rinter as afon-said) shall be full\- 
 satisfied the said Henry Mayhew Mark Lemon Joseph Stirling Coyne 
 Ebenezer Landells and Joseph Last shall be entitled in ecjual proportions to the 
 net gains and profits arising from the said Work to and for their own use and 
 benefit absolutely such division of profits to take place as far as niay be on the 
 
 Saturday in which they shall be declared And all the assetts in respect of the 
 
 said Work after answering all claims and demands against the same shall belong 
 to the List mentioned persons in equal shares and proportions to and for their 
 own use and benefit absolutely. 
 
 Twelfth. JTfjilt the copyright of the said work including the wood and other cuts 
 therein and the designs therefore shall belong to the parties hereto and so also 
 shall all perquisites such as Books or other articles sent for review Tickets for 
 Theatres Exhibitions and other places and all other things and matters incident 
 to the said A\'ork. 
 
 Thirteenth. JTfiat in case the said Editors shall make default in supplying the said 
 Ebenezer Landells with written suggestions in in breach of the clause herein- 
 before contained numbered 3 then for every such default they shall pay unto the 
 said Ebenezer Landells the sum of One pound ten shillings .And in case the faid 
 Ebenezer Landells shall make default in delivering to the said Joseph Last the 
 blocks in breach of the clause hereinbefore contained numbered 4 then for every 
 such default he shall pay unto the said Joseph Last the sum of One jjound ten 
 shillings .And in case the said Editors shall make default in supplying the said 
 Joseph Last with matter in breach of the clause hereinbefore contained numbered 
 5 then for every such default they shall pay unto the said Joseph Last the sum of 
 One pound ten shillings And in case the said Joseph Last shall make default in 
 printing and delivering the numbers of the said work in breach of the clause 
 hereinbefore contained numbered 6 then for any such default he shall pay unto 
 the said E^ditors the sum of Eifteen shillings and unto the said Ebenezer Landells 
 Fifteen shillings such payments to be respectively paid as liquidated damages and 
 on the Saturday next after the defaults respectively shall have been made and 
 may from time to time be deducted out of any monies which may be payable to 
 the part V making such default under any stipulation herein contained. 
 
 Fourteenth. i^fjat a proper Book of account shall be kept by the said publisher whose 
 duty it shall be without delay to enter therein all such just and proper entries as 
 a publisher ought to enter and proper entries shall be made in the same Book of 
 all receipts and payments and all accounts matters and things in respect of the 
 said Work and be' kept with all vouchers and writings which may relate to the 
 same work in the publi'^her's Office for the time being of the said work and not 
 elsewhere for the inspection and perusal of each of the jjarties hereto his e.vecutors 
 and administrators and whereto each of them may at all times resort and take 
 copies thereof or extracts therefrom at their free will and pleasure and that the 
 same Book shall at each of the aforesaid ^^'eekly meetings be laid by the said 
 publisher before the persons parties hereto attending the hereinbefore mentioned 
 weekly meetings respectively which person shall at each such Meeting then and 
 there make ujj" state and balance the said Book and sign the same when so made 
 up stated and balanced and the same shall within one week afterwards be signed 
 by such of the parties hereto as may not have attended the weekly meeting in 
 which such Book shall have been lastly staled and balanced and after such 
 signature each of them shall be bound and concluded therein unless some manifest 
 error to the amount of Five pounds or upwards shall be found therein and 
 signified by either of the parties to the other within six calendar months next 
 after the taking of such accounts respectively in which case the error shall be 
 rectified but no other par of the said account shall be impeached or disturbed. 
 
 Fifteenth. Cfiat the getting up of the work shall be executed in all respects in the best 
 possible manner by all the parties hereto and each party shall be just and true to 
 each other in all matters and things relating to the said Work. 
 
 L I.
 
 578 The History of "Punch.' 
 
 Sixteenth. Cfiat the whole conduct of the said work as well with regard to the Editing 
 printing designing engraving and publishing thereof as every other matter and 
 thino- connected therewith or incidental thereto and the expenses thereof respec- 
 tively shall in case there be any difference about the same be decided by a 
 majority of the votes of the several parties hereto the said Ebenezer Landells 
 beinCT entitled to one vote the said Joseph Last to one other vote and the parties 
 hereto of the first part or any two of them to one other vote the vote of the last 
 mentioned parties or any two of them being to be taken for the purpose of such 
 voting but as one person only. 
 
 Seventeenth. Cflflt any person may retire from this Agreement and from all concern in 
 the said Work on leaving at the Publisher's Office for the time being of the said 
 Work Twenty one days notice in writing of his intention so to do such Notice 
 expiring on a Saturday. 
 
 Eighteenth. JCt)at upon the retirement of any such person as aforesaid the assetts 
 belono-ino to the said work (including debts) shall at the joint expence of the 
 persons parties hereto be valued by three indifferent and competent persons in 
 the publishing business who shall take upon themselves the office of such 
 valuation one to be chosen by the said Editors another by the said Ebenezer 
 Landells and the third by the said Joseph Last within one week after such 
 retirement and in case any or either of the said parties shall for any cause what- 
 ever not nominate such valuor on his or their behalf within the said week then a 
 valuer may be nominated by tlie valuer or valuers chosen by the party or parties 
 who mav be willing to proceed with the said valuation and such valuor so 
 nominated as last aforesaid may with the valuer so previously nominated (in case 
 only one of such parties shall have nominated a valuer) nominate a third valuer 
 to carry into effect the aforesaid valuation And in case such lliird valuer shall not 
 from any cause be nominated within one week after two valuers shall have been 
 nominated then such third valuer mav be nominated by tlie Clerk of nisi prius of 
 the Court of Queens Bench for the time being on the application of any party 
 hereto who shall first make application to him for that purpose .And in case of 
 the death of any of the said valuers another or otlier may be chosen in manner 
 hereinbefore set forth And after such valuation shall be made known it shall be 
 lawful for the persons parties hereto (other than the person so retiring as aforesaid) 
 to purchase the whole (but not a part of) the share and interest of the Party so 
 retiring in the net assetts belonging to the said work and the parties so purchasing 
 as aforesaid shall enter into a Bond in a sufficient penalty with two good and 
 sufficient sureties for securing to the party so retiring the payment of the amount 
 of such his share and interest ascertained by such valuation as aforesaid at the 
 respective periods of three six nine and twelve calandar months next after such 
 retirement with interest at the rate of five pounds per cent, per annum from the 
 time of such retirement payable quarterly in the meantime That in case of the 
 death of either of the said persons parties hereto a valuation shall be made of the 
 assetts belonging to the said Work (including debts) in the manner hereinbefore 
 stipulated the executors or administrators of the deceased partner being substituted 
 for such deceased party and the surviving parties shall have the o]-)tion of 
 purchasing the share of the party so dying of and in the said assetts u]3on the 
 same terms as are hereinbefore mentioned in case such party had retired as 
 hereinbe(ore provided That in case either person shall become Lunatic or 
 Imbecile or from any cause prevented from attending to the business of the said 
 Work as hereinbefore provided for the period of two entire calendar months he 
 shall to all intents and purposes be considered to have retired from this .Agree- 
 ment and from all concern in the said \\'ork as fully and effectually as if he had 
 given notice under the clause hereinbefore contained in that behalf and a 
 valuation shall be made of the assetts in respect of the said Work (including 
 debts) in the manner hereinbefore stipulated the friends acting on behalf of the 
 Lunatic or imbecile person being substituted for such Lunatic or imbecile person. 
 That if in any of the cases aforesaid the parties in whom shall be the right of 
 purchasing the share and interest of the party so retiring dying becoming Lunatic 
 or imbecile or prevented from attending to the business of the said Work as 
 aforesaid shall decline to elect to exercise such right (and they shall be deemed to 
 have so declined unless the contrary be made known by notice in writing under 
 the hands of. the parties entitled to such right and left at the said publishing 
 Office for the time being within seven days after such right shall have accrued) 
 then the assetts belonging to the said Work including debts shall be sold by 
 public auction and the net produce of the said assetts after discharging all claims 
 and demands in respect of the same work shall be equally divided between the
 
 Text of Agreement Constituting '' Punch." 579 
 
 said Henry Mayhew Mark Lemon Joseph Stirling Coyne Ebenezer Landells 
 and Joseph Last or (as the case may be) the survivor of them and the executors 
 or administrators of him or them who may be deceased. 
 
 Nineteenth. Cfiat in case the said Work shall be discontinued and the parties hereto 
 cannot agree upon any other mode of winding up the affairs of the said Work 
 then the assetts belonging to the same Work including debts shall be sold by 
 public auction and the net produce of the said assetts after discharging all claims 
 and demands in respect of the same work shall be equally divided between iIm- 
 said Henry Mayhew Mark Lemon Joseph Stirling Co3me Ebenezer Landells 
 and Joseph Last or (as the case may require) the survivors of them and the 
 executors or administrators of such as may be dead. 
 
 Twentieth. C^f)at in case any dispute or question shall arise between the parties hereto 
 their executors or administrators or any of them concerning any stipulation herein 
 contained or otherwise concerning the said Work (which cannot be decided 
 under the clause herein contained Numbered i6) then the grounds of every such 
 dispute or question shall upon the request of any one or more of the parties in 
 difference and within three days after such request be reduced into writing and 
 signed by the parties in difference or by the parties complaining and shall be 
 referred to the arbitration of two indifferent persons one to be named by the 
 person or persons who shall take one side of the matter in difference and the 
 other to be named by the person or persons who shall take the other side of the 
 matter in difference And that in case the person or persons who shall take either 
 side of the said difference shall refuse to name a referee within seven days after 
 notice in writing for that purpose to be left at the said Publishers Office for the 
 time being then the grounds of every such dispute or question shall be reduced 
 into writing and signed by the person or persons who shall take the other side of 
 the difference and to be referred to the arbitration of two indifferent persons to 
 be named by the person or persons who shall sign the said last mentioned 
 writing And in case the two referees to be named by both or one of the said 
 parties as aforesaid cannot agree on an award then to the Umpirage and 
 arbitration of such one person as the referees shall appoint by any writing under 
 their hands such Umpire to be appointed by the said referees before proceeding 
 in the matter of the said reference and if from any cause such Umpire shall not 
 be appointed bv the said referees within three days after their appointment then 
 the same shall be appointed by the Clerk of Nisi Prius of the said Court of 
 Queens Bench upon the application of either party in difference who shall first 
 make application to him for that purpose And that such person or persons who 
 shall be a party or parties to such reference on the one part shall enter into a 
 bond of reference with the person or persons who shall be a party or parties to 
 the said reference on the other part and in the usual form to stand to obey and 
 keep the same Award or determination when made without any further suit or 
 trouble whatsoever And that the Award or determination which shall be made by 
 the said two referees or their Umpire concerning the Premises referred to them or 
 him or any part thereof shall be final and conclusive on the said parties their 
 respective executors and administrators So that such referees shall make their 
 Award in writing within seven days next after such reference to them and so as 
 such Umpire shall make his determination in writing under his hand within 
 seven days next after the matter shall be referred to him And that every Bond of 
 reference shall be made a rule of Her Majestys Court of Queens Bench at 
 Westminster on the application of either of the said parties to the same reference 
 his or her executors or administrators and that the reference shall not be defeated 
 or affected by the decease of all or any of the parties thereto ponding the same 
 and that no Suit at Law or Bill in Equity shall be brought commenced sued or 
 prosecuted against the said referees or their Umpire touching or concerning their 
 Award or determination. 
 
 Twenty-first. Cf)at no suit at Law or in Equity upon or by .virtue of these Presents or 
 any Clause or Article herein contained or otherwise concerning the said Work 
 shall be commenced preferred or instituted by either of the said parties hereto 
 his heirs executors or administrators against the other of them his heirs executors 
 or administrators before the party or parties his or their heirs executors or 
 administrators who is or are to be a party or parties defendant or defendants in 
 such suit or suits shall have refused or declined to refer the matters in difference 
 to arbitration pursuant to the stipulation hereinbefore contained or the referees or 
 their Umpire shall have declined or omitted to make any Awaril or determination 
 within the respective times hereby appointed for that i)urpose And tliat when 
 such difference shall arise between any two or more of the parties hereto each of 
 
 L L 2
 
 58o The History of ''Punch." 
 
 the other parties hereto shall have notice thereof by writing to be left at the said 
 Publishers Office for the time being to the intent that the said parties respectively 
 may have the option of taking a part in the matters in difference on either side 
 and that the party or parties who shall refuse or decline to become a party to 
 such reference shall be bound and concluded by all the parties hereto and by the 
 Award and determination of the Arbitrators or their Umpire in the same manner 
 to all intents and purposes as if he or they had been a party or parties to the 
 matters in difference concerning which such Award or determination shall be 
 made and had joined in referring the same. 
 
 Twenty-second. CtJilt this Agreement shall be deposited for safe Custody on behalf of 
 all parties with Alfred Mayhew of No. 26 Carey Street Lincolns Inn Attorney at 
 Law to be produced by him to and for the benefit of the said parties respectively 
 and their respective heirs executors and administrators when and as often as 
 occasion shall require and the said parties respectively or their respective heirs 
 executors and administrators shall be at libertv as often as they shall think proper 
 at their own Costs to obtain from the said Alfred Mayhew Copies or Extracts of 
 or from the same Agreement. 
 
 Twenty-third. Cfiat the expenses of and incidental to this Agreement shall be paid on 
 the execution thereof by the said Joseph Last who shall be repaid out of the first 
 proceeds of the sale of the said Work .3s tottllfSS the hands and seals of the 
 parties. '' 
 
 HENRY MAYHEW 
 
 Signed sealed and delivered by all the above 
 
 . . . , MARK LEMON 
 
 named parties m the presence of 
 
 o 
 . .__ . o 
 
 Wm. Eldridge JOSEPH STIRLING COYNE fj 
 
 Clerk to Messrs. Mayhew & Co. ^^^^.^r„^ r a mt^,.t t c (^ 
 
 o 
 
 EBENEZER LANDELLS 
 
 26 Carey St. Lincolns Inn 
 
 JOSEPH LAST
 
 (from the first sketch hy chakles keene.) 
 
 The Heavy Figures indicate the main rejerences in the Text. 
 
 of 
 
 to 
 
 A Beckett, Mr. Arthur W., 6i, 67, 74; politics, 
 80 ; Parish Councils Bill cartoon, 169 ; con- 
 tributions, etc., 374, 375 
 
 X Beckett, Gilbert Abbott, and the origin of 
 Punch, 14, 17 ; the first number, 26, 61, 
 67 ; at the Dinners, 75, 76 ; the Jews, 103; 
 suggestions for cartoons, 171, 180 ; attack 
 on Bunn, 226, 228 ; attacked in the " Pup- 
 pet-Show, " 239 ; his only artistic contribu- 
 tion to Punch, 251 ; number of contribu- 
 tions, 259, 260, 276, 277 ; as a magistrate, 
 278, 279 ; biographical summary, 272-280; 
 his sons as children, 435 ; et passim 
 
 A Beckett, Gilbert Arthur, and "Dropping 
 the Pilot," and " The Hidden Hand," 180, 
 383, 381-384 
 
 A Beckett, Hon. T. T. , and the origin 
 Punch, 12, 272, 274 
 
 Aberdeen, Lord, loi, in, 119, 147 
 
 Accounts relating to transfer of Punch 
 Bradbury & Evans, 34-36 
 
 Acrostics, Double, 493, 494 
 
 Advertising on umbrellas and house-fronts, 125 
 
 "Advice to persons about to marry," 141, 186 
 
 "Advice to Vocalists," 161 
 
 .iEstheticism and Mr. Du Maurier, 506 
 
 Agnew, Mr. John Henry, 38, 61 
 
 Agnew, Mr. Philip, 38 
 
 Agnew, Mr. Thomas, 38, 61 
 
 Agnew, Sir William, 38, 61, 87 
 
 Agreement constituting Punch (APPENDIX 
 
 n.), 25, 36, 575-580 
 
 Ainger, Canon, 147 
 
 Ainsworth, Harrison, 220 
 
 " Airs Resumptive," 405 
 
 Albany, Duke of, Death of, 183 
 
 Albert, Prince, loi, 199; attitude of Punch 
 
 towards him, 215-217 
 "Albion," The, and the dinner to Mr. 
 
 Bumand, 88 
 Ale.xander HI. as the New Pharaoh, 105 ; 
 
 and Lord Augustus Loftus, 194 
 
 93. 
 
 Allen, Joseph, 26 ; and the Punch Club, 
 282, 452 
 
 "Almanac," The, 31 ; its reputed originators, 
 32. 33 ; great success, variations in produc- 
 tion, and "influenza year," 40; piratical 
 imitations, 41 ; a drawing of Sir John 
 Gilbert s, 451 ; 562, 567 ; ct passim 
 
 " Almanac Dmner," 87 
 
 Amateur Humorists, 147-149 
 
 America, War of Secession, 80, in, 120, 
 177 ; humour, 163 ; opinion oi Punch, 370 ; 
 Mr. du Mdurier's portrayal of American 
 girls, 511, 512 
 
 Andersen, Hans Christian, 265 
 
 Andover Workhouse Scandals, 278 and note 
 
 " Animal Types," Sir John Tenniel's, 176, 177 
 
 Anstey (Guthrie), Mr. F., 67; politics, 80; 
 396-401 
 
 " Answers to Correspondents," 31 
 
 "Anti-Graham Envelope," and "Wafers," 
 52, 114-117 
 
 " Anti-Punch," The, 240 
 
 Appendices, Signatures of Punch's artists, 
 573. '^74 ; tct of agreement constituting 
 Punch. 575-580 
 
 Argyll, Duke of, and "The Old Crusaders," 
 182 
 
 Armitage, Mr. Arthur, 406 
 
 Armstrong, T., 16 
 
 .\rnold-Forster, Mr., 145 
 
 "Arrow," The, 157, 240, 500 
 
 " 'Arry Papers," 378-380 and note 
 
 .Art, Punch's attitude towards, 126, 127, 
 222 ; past and present in Punch, 409, 
 
 Art Union, The, Satire on, 52 
 
 Artists on Punch, Number of, 410 ; signature? 
 of (Appendix L), 573, 574 
 
 " Ascot Cup Day," Thackeray's, 314 
 
 Ashby-Sterry, Mr., 361, 372, 386, 387, 499 
 
 Ashley, 444 
 
 Asquith, Mr., 205 
 
 " Athenifum," a criticism on Punch, 243 
 
 221, 
 410
 
 582 
 
 The History of ''Punch:' 
 
 Atkinson, Mr. J. Priestman, Contributions of, , 
 
 368, 371, 372, 410, 524, 525 
 "Atonement Dinner," Thackeray's, 87, 88 
 Attacks on Piuich, 227-232, 237-241 
 " Author's Miseries," 315 
 " Awful State of Ireland," Hood's, 336 
 
 "B. W.," 501 
 
 Bacon, Mrs., and the i\X\e.oi Punch, 24 
 
 Bailey, the sculptor, and Jerrold's bust, 87 
 
 " Bang went Saxpence," 140, 141, 186 
 
 Bank of England, and error of Punch s, 245 
 
 Banting, Mr., 157 
 
 Barham, R. ("Tom Ingoldsby"), and the 
 
 Punch Dinners, 86 
 Baring, Sir Francis, 233 
 Barnard, Mr. Fred, 156, 518, 519 
 Barry, Michael John, and the " Peccavi '" 
 
 despatch, 361 
 Bather joke. The, 162 
 Bayley, F. W. N., 17, 19 
 Baylis, Henry, 19, 24 ; and the Punch Club, 
 
 93. 97 
 
 Beaconsfield, Lord, see Disraeli, Mr. 
 
 " Beard movement," 423 
 
 Beardsley, Mr. Aubrey, 222 
 
 " Bede, Cuthbert," sc'e Bradley, Rev. Edward 
 
 Bedford, Mr. Deputy, 317, 385, 386 
 
 Bedford Yio\.€i, Punch Dinnerat, 64, 65,86, 87 
 
 Beetle, Sergeant-at-Arms as a, 145, 146 
 
 Bellew, Frank, 500, 501 
 
 Benefit performances, 132-135 
 
 " Bengal Tiger, The, " 208 
 
 Bennett, Charles H., 61, 66 ; letter from his 
 fellow-diners, 76, 77, 527 ; benefit per- 
 formance for his widow, 132, 134, 528 ; 
 180, 455, 525-528 
 
 Bennett, J., 498 
 
 Bennitt, Mr., 542 
 
 Bennitt, Colonel Ward, 547, 548 
 
 Betham-Edwards, Miss M., 371, 372 
 
 Bethell, Mr. (afterwards Lord 'Westbury), 
 and Punch's applications for injunctions, 
 
 151. 152 
 
 " Bibs' Baby, Mrs.," 295 
 
 " Bicycle made for Two, A," 471 
 
 " Bilhe Barlow, " 360 
 
 " Bird's-eye Views of English Society," 455 
 
 Bismarck, Prince, Resignation of, 179, 180 ; 
 and the Emperor William H., 193 ; a 
 " junior cartoon " by Mr. Sambourne, 535 
 
 Black, Mr. William, on Keene, 489 
 
 "Black Maria" joke. A, 143, 144 
 
 Blackwood, Mr., 330 
 
 Blanchard, Laman, 259, 260, 337, 338 
 
 Blanchard, Sidney, and "Mr. Punch, His 
 Origin and Career, " 12 ; and the " London 
 Charivari," 15; proposal for a "comic 
 Punch," 14 note 
 
 Blatchford, Mr. Montagu, 88 ; 548 
 
 Blocks for Punch illustrations, 249-251 
 
 Bloomerism, 424 
 
 Board School, Hugh Middleton, 125 
 
 " Book of Beauty," 467, 479 
 
 Borrow, George, and Thackeray, 318 
 
 " Bow Street Ballads," 320 
 
 Bowers, Miss Georgina, 166, 529, 530 
 
 Boyd, Mr. A. S.. 167 
 
 Bradbury, William, 36, 49, 61 
 
 Bradbury, William Hardwick, 38 
 
 Bradbury, Mr. W. Lawrence, 38 
 
 Bradbury, Agnew & Co., 38 
 
 Bradbury & Evans, 31, 32 ; and negotiations 
 
 for the purchase oi Punch, 33-35 
 Bradbury, Evans & Co., 38 
 Bradley, C. H. , 477 
 Bradley, Rev. Edward, and ' ' Verdant 
 
 Green," 129, 492, 355, 372 ; 491-495 
 Brewtnall, Mr. E. F., 543 
 Brezzi, Mrs., and the Title o{ Punch, 24 
 " Briefless, Mr.," 275 
 " Briefless, Junior," 375 
 " Briggs, Mr., or Housekeeping t/e/-J?<r.f Horse 
 
 keeping," 131, 425 
 Bright, John, loi, in ; and the New Reform 
 Bill, 118 ; " Hercules," 121 ; with an eye- 
 glass, 204 ; obituary notice, 377 
 Brine, his portrait of Punch, 8 ; and the first 
 
 SX^Sifioi Punch, 19; cartoons, 171,412 
 "Britannia," 208, 473, 535 
 " British Lion," 70 and note, 176, 177, 208, 
 
 470 
 Bromley, Valentine, 548 
 Brooks, Reginald Shirley, 67, 387 
 Brooks, Shirley, and the origin of Punch, 
 II ; misconception as to the first editor- 
 ship of Punch, 25 note ; portrait, 60, 80 ; 
 politics, 99 ; his lectures, 129 ; the " Man 
 in the Moon," 154, 238, 357; old jokes, 
 163 ; a Cawnpore cartoon, 177 ; verses on 
 Abraham Lincoln, 177, 178 ; verses on 
 the death of the Prince Consort, 217 ; 
 "Our Flight with Punch," 238, 357; 
 friendship with Angus Reach, 357 ; as 
 Editor, 359, 360 ; work and characteristics, 
 356-360 
 Brough, Robert, 265, 360 
 Brough, William, 265, 288, 360 
 Brougham, Lord, loi, 153 ; opinion oi 
 Punch's portraits of him, 200; as "Mrs. 
 Caudle." and as a clown, 202 
 Brown, W\, 454 
 " Brown, Mrs.'," 489 
 " Brown, Jones and Robinson," 455 
 " Brown's Letters, Mr.," 321 
 Browne, Charles F., 180. 317, 369, 370 
 Browne ("Phiz"), Hablot Knight, and the 
 origin of Punch, 19 ; his design for the 
 cover, 41, 42, 451; " Valentines," 49, 50; 
 " Mokeanna, " 365, 427, 446, 461, 452 
 Browne, Mr. Walter, 539 
 Brunton, W., 232, 502 
 Bryan, Mr. Alfred, 557, 567 
 Bryant, W., first publisher of Punch, 19, 27 
 Buccleuch, Duke of, 233 
 Buckingham, James Silk, Punch s attack on, 
 
 223-225 
 Bulgarian atrocities, 165 
 Bull, W. P., 337 
 Bull-fights, 429 
 " Bull Frog " cartoon, 449 
 Bunn, Alfred, Punch's attack on, 225-227 ; 
 
 his "Word with Punch," 131, 227-232 
 Burnand, Miss, 392 
 
 Burnand, Mr. F. C, 40 ; portrait, 60; politics, 
 80,99; dinner in his honour at the "Albion,"
 
 Index. 
 
 583 
 
 88 ; the Two Pins Club, 98 ; " Happy 
 Thoughts," 129, 365 ; first contribution, 
 146, 362; puns, 151, 366; "Mrs. (ium- 
 midge," 179; "Out of Town," 276, 366; 
 contributions, editorsliiji, etc., 362-368 
 
 Burnham Beeches, Jubilee Dinner at, 87 
 
 Burns. Mr. John, 235 
 
 Burton, E. (., 460 
 
 Butts, Punch' s favourite, 217-233, 330 
 
 Byron, Henry J., verses on Punch, 8; 
 Comic News, 160; Fun, 364, 407 
 
 'C," 491 
 
 "C. B.,"S47 
 
 Cabinet Miliisters, Attitude of Punch towards, 
 
 195-205 
 Caldecott, Randolph, 545, 516 
 Callaway, Rev. W. F., 498, 499 
 Calverley, C. S. , 371 
 Campbell, Mr. Gerald F. , 403 
 Campbell, Lady, 392, 406 
 " Candidates under Different Phases," 188 
 Canning, Lord, 177 
 Capital punishment, 2, 3 
 " Captain Jinks of the Selfish," etc., 523 
 " Captious Critic," The, 541, 542 
 Cardigan, Lord, Epigram by Wills on, 26 
 Caricature, Carlyle on, 4 ; as illustrated by 
 Gillray, Rowlandson, and Cruikshank, 186 
 Carlisle, Lord, and a dinner to the Punch 
 
 Staff, 90, 200 
 Carlyle, on caricature, 4 ; on humour, 5 ; 
 
 "Latter-day Pamphlets," 112 
 Carthusians on the Staff, 69, 70 
 " Cartoon Junior," The, 82, 170 
 Cartoons, and tinted background, 41 ; history, 
 weekly arrangements for design and pro- 
 duction, etc., 79, 80, 168-184, 463, 464; 
 origin of name, etc., 185-188; as a reflec- 
 tion of popular opinion, 188, 189 ; engrav- 
 ing, 249, 464, 468 
 Cartoonists, 170-172 
 Cartoons for Houses of Parliament, E.v- 
 
 hibition of, 187 
 " Cartoons, Sir John Tenniel's," 52 
 Catling, Mr., 95 
 
 " Caudle, Mrs.," and the " Lectures," 73, 98, 
 130 ; and Lord Brougham, 202 ; " sudden 
 death," 238, 291-293 
 "Caudle at Gravesend, Mrs. , ' 130 
 Cawnpore Cartoons, 176, 177 
 "Cham," 501, 502 
 Chamberlain, Mr. Joseph, 408 
 Chambers, Mr., 498, 523 
 " Charivari," Philipons, 15 
 Chartism, 108, 425 
 Chasemore, Mr. A. , 483, 538, 539 
 Cheltnam, Mr. Charles Smith, 374 
 Chess-problem joke, 160 
 Chester, Fred, 60 
 Chester, George, 60, 255 
 " Child Snobson's Pilgrimage," 166 
 " Childe Chapp;e's Pilgrimage, ' 146, 166, 378 
 Children, Mr. du Maurier's drawings of, 507, 
 
 513 
 
 Children, Punch men's love of, 294 
 
 Chinese War, iii, 119 
 "Chronicles of a Rural Parish," 403 
 
 Church, Affairs of the, in Punch, 102, 103 
 
 " Church-going Bell," 536 
 
 Churchill, Lord Randolph, 199 ; portraits, 
 
 204, 552. 553 
 Circulationof/''«//<rA,early numbers, 28, 30.31 ; 
 
 after the production of the " Almanac," 33; 
 
 after "A N'isit to the Watering- Places," 49 
 Clarke, Mrs. Cowden,on Lemon's "FaUiaff, ' 
 
 Clarke, H. Savile, Contributions of, 371 ; 483 
 
 Cleaver, Mr. Reginald, 92, 565 
 
 Club, Punch, 52, 55. 93-98, 452 ; Two I'ins, 
 
 98 ; Mulberry, 447 ; Shakespeare, 447 
 Clubs in Fleet Street, 54 
 Clubs, Complaint books of, and Thickeray's 
 
 " Snob Papers," 319 
 Cobden, Richard, iii, 157, 165; portraits in 
 
 Punch. 205 
 " Cock-a-doodledo," 190 
 Collins, Mrs. Frances, 392, 405 
 Collins. Mortimer, 240, 376 
 " Columbia," 208 
 Combe, George, 240 
 " Comic Blackstone," The, 276 
 " Comic Bradshaw," The. 276, 280 
 " Comic Latin Grammar," 419, 420 
 " Comic Mythology," 282 
 "Comic News," 160, 265. 4r4, 500. 525 
 " Comic Times," 361, 412, 525 
 "Commercial Intelligence, " 274 
 "Complete Letter- Writer," 2.^4 
 " Confessions of a Duffer," 392 
 Consort, Prince, see Albert, Prince, 
 Contributions of Staff, Relative, 258-263 
 Conundrums by Thomas Hood, 330, 331 
 "Conversational Hints for Young Shooters," 
 
 402 
 Conway, Mr. Moncure, 440 
 Coode, Miss, 502, 529 note 
 Cooke, Mr. C. W., 403 
 Cooke, T. P., 298 
 Cooper, Mr., 540 
 Cooper, Mr. Sidney, and a device of Douglas 
 
 Jerrold, 75 
 Corbould, Mr. A. Chantrey, 410, 543. 5*4, 545 
 "Cosmorama, The," 16, 17, 414 
 "Cousin Jonathan," 208 
 Covers ot Bi-Annual Volumes, Designs for, 
 
 41-49 
 Co.x, Mr. Everard Morant, 558 
 Covne, Joseph Stirling, and the origin of 
 
 Punch, 12, 14, 17, 19 ; and the editorship, 
 
 25, 256. 271, 272 
 Crane, Mr. Walter, 530 
 Crawhall, Mr. Joseph, 147 
 Cricket, Punch on, 514, 515 
 Crimean War, 109, no, in, 119, i74 
 Crinolines, 424 
 "Crown Inn," Vinegar Yard: the Punch 
 
 Dinner, and the Punch Club, 55 
 " Crowquill," Alfred, his portrait of Punch, 
 
 8; and the "London Charivari," 15; 
 
 "Valentines," 49, 158; cartoons. 171; 
 
 " X'auxhall Papers," 226, 449-450 
 Cruikshank, (ieorge, his etchings. 9. 186 ; 
 " Omnibus," 162, 496, 497 ; and the Court. 
 
 189, 190 ; Almanack, 417 ; relations with 
 
 Punch, 495-498
 
 584 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 Cruikshank, Robert, 273 
 " Cry of the Clerk," 388 
 Crystal Palace, christened by Punck, 84, 85 ; 
 
 •' Gentleman's Magazine" dinner, 88 
 " Curiosities of Medical Experiences," 305 
 Curren, Mr. J., 548 
 
 " Daily News," and Charles Dickens, 84 ; 
 
 and Peter Rackham, 85 
 Dalziel, Edward, 16, 248 
 Dalziel, George, 16, 248 
 Darre, Monsieur G., 559, 560 
 Davies, Mr. George, 404 
 " Deaf Burke," 165 
 Deane, Rev. Anthony C. , 404, 405 
 Delane, Mr. , and mouiseline de laitie, 91 
 " Derby Ram," The, 524 
 Deterioration of Punch, Alleged, 245, 246 
 Dever, 523 
 
 Devonshire House, amateur theatrical per- 
 formance at, 135 
 " Diar\' of Mr. Yellowplush," 317 
 " Diary of a Nobody," 392 
 " Diary of the Premier at Sea, ' 384 
 Dickens, Charles, at the Punch Dinner, 83, 
 351 ; quarrel with Mark Lemon and 
 Bradbury and Evans, 83, 352, 353 ; friend- 
 ship with Jerrold, 84 ; dinner at the Mansion 
 House, 90 ; at the Punch Club, 93 ; as an 
 amateur actor, 135 ; on Lemon, 255; and 
 the fund for Jerrold's widow, 298 ; opinion 
 of Thackeray's art, 313; authorship of the 
 "Song of the Shirt." 332 ; sole (and i^- 
 published) contribution to Punch, ^g ; 
 verses by Mr. E. J. Milliken, 378, 435 ; 
 friendship with Leech, 436 
 Dining-room at 10, Bouverie Street, 58-63 
 Dining Table at Bouverie Street, Initials on, 
 
 63 and note 
 " Dinner, .Almanac," 40 
 Dinner, Punch, 40, 53-87, 168 ; names of 
 
 diners in frontispiece drawing, 536 note 
 " Dinner at Timmms's, A," 320 
 Dinners, Special Punch, 87-92 
 " Diogenes," 159, 414, 459, 500, 525 
 " Dirty Father Thames,' cartoon, 412 
 Disraeli, Mr., and Keene's unused cartoon, 
 60; as presented in Punch, 100; change 
 of pohtics, 107 ; the " Political Chameleon," 
 118; the " Premier- Peri, " 121,473; B^^'' 
 garian atrocities 165; and "A Leap in the 
 Drfrk," 179; and the " Pas de Deux," 179; 
 as a beaten Minister, 182; at the Printers' 
 Pension Society dinner, 197-199 ; and 
 " Scaramouche, " 199; as Hamlet, 200; 
 obituar\' notice, 377 
 Dowse, Baron, Lines of farewell to, 373 
 Doyle, Henry, 459 
 
 Doyle, Richard, his portrait oi Punch, 8; 
 secession, 40, 103 ; designs for cover of 
 Punch, 46-49, 202; "Holidays," 50; at 
 the Dinners, 68; "Papal .Aggression" 
 cartoons, 102, 103, 171, 455 ; and Mr. Swain, 
 252 ; " Hi^h .Art and the Royal Academy, " 
 349, 458 note ; his one literary contribu- 
 tion, 372 ; 454-458 
 Drama, The, Punch's support of, 128 
 " Drama, The," by Hood, 335 
 
 Draughtsmen on Punch, Number of, 410 
 
 Dress, Fashions in, 122, 123 
 
 " Dropping the Pilot," 179, 180, 383 
 
 Drunkards, Punch's pictures of, 245 
 
 Duelling, 187 
 
 " Dumb Crambo, Junior, " see Atkinson, Mr. 
 
 J. Priestman 
 Duncombe, M. P., Mr., 114 
 
 " Easel, Jack," see Eastlake, Mr. Charles L. 
 
 Eastern Question, 118, 119 
 
 Eastlake, Mr. Charles L., 362 
 
 Edwards, Mr. Sutherland, and " Pasquin," 
 
 240, 348 ; contributions to P.unch, 348, 349 
 Egg, R.A., .Augustus, 135 
 Electrotyping Punch blocks, 251 
 " Elephant and Castle" joke, 144 
 Eliot, George, 161, 332 
 Ellis, Mr. E. J., 255,537 
 Eltze, F. , his portrait of Punch, 9; 144. 
 
 521, 522 
 Engraving Punch illustrations, 247-253 
 Epigram Club, of Oxford, 149 
 Errors of Punch, 243-245, 472 
 " Essence of Parliament," 100, 245, 348, 359, 
 
 389-391, 526, 533, 551 
 " Eton Boy," an, Contribution of, 435 
 Eugenie, Empress, no 
 Evans, Mr. Edmund, 16, 248, 445 
 Evans, Frederick Mullett ^" Pater "), 36, 38 
 Evans, Mr. F. M., 38, 61 
 Extra Numbers, 49-51 v 
 
 •■F. B.,"549 
 
 "F. M.," 498 
 
 " F. Captam," 549 
 
 Faddists as critics oi Punch, 245 
 
 Fairfield, Mr. A. R. and the "Tercentenary 
 
 Number," 50, 522 ; 410, 522 
 " Fairy Tales, " 337 
 Family Trees oi Punch, 382 
 Farmer, British, 166 
 Fashions, 122, 123 
 Fawkes, L. G. , 548 
 Ferguson, J. \V. , 259, 260, 337 
 ' ' Fevrier turned Traitor, General, " 1 19, 174- 176 
 Field, Mrs., 529 note, 545 
 "Figaro in London," ii, 188, 226, 273, 413 
 First Avenue Hotel, Punch Dinner at, 64 
 " Fitzdotterel," 378 
 Fleet Prison, 3 
 
 Fleischmann, A., Statue of "Punch ' by, 62 
 " Flight with Punch, Our, " 238 
 Footpad joke. The, 159 
 Forbes, Professor, 405 
 "Foreign Affairs." 173, 420 
 " Forlorn Hope" Cartoon, 180, 181 
 "Forlorn Maiden" Cartoon, 472 
 Forster, John, 135 ; and Punch's portraits of 
 
 Lord Brougham, 200 
 Forster, Rumsey, revenges himself on 
 
 Thackeray, 319, 320 
 Foster, Mr. Birket, 16, and the title of Pw //<-/?, 
 
 25, 43, 60 ; and " Bang went Saxpence, " 
 
 140, 147 ; and cartoon, 171 ; on Mark 
 
 Lemon, 256 ; 445, 446 
 Founders of /"////cA, 16, 17, 28 
 France, Pw«(7/j exclusion from, 165, 190, 191 ;
 
 Index. 
 
 585 
 
 and the " United Service," 176 ; Anglo- 
 Congolese difficulty, Marshal MacMahon, 
 and the "Madagascar Lamb," 191; and 
 Russia, 191, 192 ; satirists, 242, 243 
 
 Franco-Prussian War, no, 179, 192 
 
 Fraser, Miss, 549 
 
 Free Trade and Protection, 118 
 
 Frenchmen and Piuich, 51, 437 
 
 Frith, R.A. , Mr., and the first number of 
 Punch, 29; and "General Fevrier," 175, 
 176, 435 ; and the relations between Leech 
 and George Cruikshank, 496 
 
 "Fun," 232, 364, 371, 459, 516, 539, 540, 567 
 
 "Funny Folks," 160 
 
 Furniss, Mr. Harry, his portraits of Piinch, 
 9 ; Paris Exhibition number, 51 ; carica- 
 ture by Mr. .Sambourne, 61, 79; the Two 
 Pins Club, 98 ; his public entertainments, 
 129; "I used your soap two years ago," 
 145 ; his first drawing, 146 ; portraits of 
 politicians, 204, 551-554; and "Mrs. 
 Ramsbotham," 237, 238; a literary con- 
 tribution, 372; and " Toby, M.P.," 391, 
 551 ; 549-556 
 
 " Fusbos," 282 
 
 Gale, Frederick, 406 
 
 Gaiter, William, 16 
 
 " Gamp" and " Harris," Mesdames, 50, 211 
 
 Garibaldi, 120 
 
 Geake, Mr. Charles, 403 
 
 "General Fevrier," 119, 174-176 
 
 "Gentleman's Magazine," and the dinner at 
 the Crystal Palace, 88 
 
 "German Reeds' Entertainment, " 130 
 
 Germany, Exclusion of Punch from the 
 Court of, 192 
 
 Gilbert, R.A. , Sir John: his portrait of 
 Punch, 8 ; design of cover, 11, 41, 45, 450 ; 
 126 ; and " Bang went Saxpenee," 140 ; 
 " Mokeanna," 364 ; 450, 451, 528 
 
 Gilbert, Mr. W. S., 232, 364, 372 
 
 Gillray and Rowlandson, 186, 189 
 
 Girdlestone, Rev. A. G., Pulpit tribute, 102 
 
 Gladstone, Mr. : and the dinner given by 
 Mr. Lucy, 91 ; on Punch's politics, 100, 
 197 ; as presented in Punch, loi ; and 
 Home Rule, 106 ; under Sir Robert Peel, 
 107; "Jupiter," 121; "He won't be 
 happy till he gets it," 160; Bulgarian 
 Atrocities, 165 ; Parish Councils Bill, 169 ; 
 and Lord Rosebery's first speech as 
 Premier, 170 ; on political satirists, 172 ; 
 "Mrs. Gummidge," 179, 466; "Forlorn 
 Hope, " 180, 181 ; "The Old Crusaders," 
 182 ; and the rejection of the Paper Duty 
 Bill, 200 ; portraits, 204 ; on Mark Lemon, 
 267 ; " Diary of the Premier at Sea," 384 ; 
 and "Britannia's Volunteers," 394, 395; 
 Sir John Tenniel's drawings, 466 ; and Sir 
 John Tenniel's knighthood, 473 ; a sketch 
 by Mr. Sambourne, 535 ; collars, 551, 552 ; 
 loss of a digit, 556 
 
 "Globe," The, and "Mrs. Ramsbotham," 
 236, 237 
 
 " Glow-Worm," The, 375 
 
 Goddard, G. B., 528, 529 
 
 Gordon, Sir A., and the Punch Staff, 92 
 
 Gordon, General, 183 
 
 Goschen, Mr., 160, 200 
 
 Gossett, Captain, 145, 146 
 
 Graham, Mr., 545 
 
 Graham, Sir James: "Anti-Graham Envelope" 
 and "Wafers," 113- 116; on Disraeli, 198 
 
 " Granta," The, 401-403 
 
 " Grattan," H. P., 19, 26 ; and the origin of 
 the " Almanac," 32 ; 282 
 
 Graves, Mr. .Alfred Perceval, 373 
 
 Gray, Paul, 232, 517 
 
 Great Exhibition, The, 51, in, 424 
 
 " Great Gun," The, 210, 218, 226, 238, 412, 
 416, 449, 451, 459 
 
 Greek Question of 1850, The, 116 
 
 Greek Throne put up to auction, 120 
 
 Greenaway, J., 16 
 
 Greenwood, Mr. Frederick, and the announce- 
 ment of Thackeray's death at the Punch 
 Dinner, 86, 87 
 
 Grieve, Mr., and the Punch Club, 93 
 
 Griset, Mr. Ernest, 455, 537, 538 
 
 Grossmith, Mr. George, 391, 392 
 
 Grossmith, Mr. Weedon, 392 
 
 " Guide to Servants, Punch's," 313 
 
 Guild of Literature and Art, 134-136 
 
 "Gummidge, The Political Mrs.," 179, 467 
 
 "H., " 499 
 
 " FB. ," 186, 190, 454 
 
 Hall, Mr. Harry, 491 
 
 Hall, S. C, and the "Art Union," 52 ; 
 Punch's attack on, 223, 235, 290 
 
 Halliday, B. C, 499 
 
 Halliday, Mr. Mike, 424 
 
 Hallward, Mr., 549 
 
 Hamerton, Mr. R. J., 95: cartoons, 171; 
 the " Squib," 275 ; 327, 452, 453 
 
 Hammond, W. J., 130 
 
 Hampton Court, Dinner to Sir J. Tenniel at, 89 
 
 Hannay, James: and the "Journal for 
 Laughter, " 56 ; his lectures, 129 ; and 
 "The Man in the Moon," 238, 306; on 
 Thackeray, 322 ; and Jerrold, 348 ; con- 
 tributions to Punch, etc., 354, 355 
 
 " Happy Thoughts," 365 
 
 Harcourt, Sir Wm., 183; portraits, 204, 552 
 
 Harling, O., 530 
 
 Harris, Mr. , Contributions by, 517 
 
 " Harris, Mrs., " 50, 211 
 
 Harvey, William, his design for the cover of" 
 Punch, 42-44, 444 ; as a draughtsman, 444 
 
 Hatton, Mr. Joseph : and the origin of /"////(/ii, 
 II ; and Mark Lemon, 163, 255, 267 ; 
 " True Story," 329 and Preface 
 
 Hawkins, Sir Henry, 152 
 
 Haydon, G. H., 423, 426,496, 502 
 
 Hays, Mr., 528 
 
 " He won't be happy till he gets it," 160 
 
 " Heads of the People," 447 
 
 Heath, H., and cartoons, 171 ; 452 
 
 " Heathen Mythology," 276 
 
 Heaviness oi Punch's fun. Alleged, 238-241 
 
 Hennessy, Mr. W. J., 547 
 
 Henning, A. S. , 19; and the first cover of 
 Punch, 26, 41 ; " Valentines," 49 ; and 
 " Joe Miller the Younger, " 153, 412 ; car- 
 toons, 171 the "Squib," 275, 412 ; 410-412
 
 ;86 
 
 The History of ''Punch" 
 
 Henning, Mr. Walton, 305, 411 
 Herkomer, R.A., Professor, 445 
 " Hidden Hand, The," 180 , 
 
 Higgins, Matthew J. ("Jacob Omnium ). 
 
 260, 321 note, 343 
 Highbury Barn Tavern and the Annual 
 
 Dinner, 87 
 Hill, Miss Joanna (Mrs. Fellows), 518 
 Hine, H. G., 34; and the Almanac, 40; 
 design for cover, 41, 43 : and the first 
 Punch Dinner, 55 ; the Punch Club, 94 ; 
 "Anti-Graham VVafers," 115, 416; car- 
 toons, 171, 416; 330; 414-417; serenaded 
 by Punch Staff, 448 
 " His 'Art was True to Poll," 366 
 " History of Costume," 348 
 "History of the Next French Revolution," 316 
 Hodder, George: his "Memories of my 
 Time" and the origin of Punch, 12, 13, 
 28, 283 ; on Kenny Meadows, 448 
 Hodgson, Mr., 244 j 
 
 Hodgson, W. J., 548, 549, 565, 566 \ 
 
 Hogg, Mr. Jabez, on founders of Punch, 28 
 Hole, Dean Reynolds : and the Punch 
 Dinners, 85, 91 ; and the coachman- , 
 waiter, 144 ; 343. 344 I 362 ; jokes supplied i 
 to Leech, 434 ; on Leech, 435 ; at Leech s 
 funeral, 443 
 " Holidays, Punch's," 50 
 HoUingshead, Miss, 392 
 Hollingshead, Mr. John, 368 
 Holt, Mr. W. G., 549 
 Home Rule, 100, 105, 106, 160, 161 
 Hood, Thomas: and "The Song of the 
 Shirt," 146, 176, 331-334; 180, 217,218; 
 and wine-drinking, 289 ; conundrunis, 
 331 ; his satire compared with Jerrold's, 
 335 ; summary of work on Punch and 
 characteristics, 330-336, 454 ; 372 
 Hood, Tom, and the Punch Dinners, 86; and 
 "Fun," 232; contributions to Punch, 295 
 Hopkins, Mr. Arthur, 567 
 Hopkins, Mr. Everard, 565 
 Horace, Parodies of, 306 
 Horsley, R.A., Mr., 144, 435 
 Hosack, Mr., 406, 407 
 " Hot Chestnut, A," 528 
 " House of Apollo-ticians, .\," 554, 555 
 Houses of Parliament, Exhibition of cartoons 
 
 for, 187 
 Howard, Captain H. R., 410, 475-477 
 Hume, Joseph, 112 
 Humour, Thackeray on, i ; Carlyle on, 5 ; of 
 
 France, 199 ; lack in women of, 392, 393 
 Humorists, Melancholy of, 435 
 " Humours of Parliament," 554 
 Hunt, Mr. Holman, on James Hannay, 355 ; 
 
 435 ; on Doyle, 457 
 Hunt, Leigh, 132; on Douglas Jerrold, 297 ; 447 
 
 " I used your soap two years ago," 145 
 " Illuminated Magazine," 35, 265, 291, 338 
 "Illustrated London News" and "Parr's 
 
 Life Pills, " 265; 493 
 Imitations of popular writers, 365 
 Imperialist opinions of Punch, 120 
 " Important and Telegraphic," 306 
 " Important from the Seat of War, " 321 
 
 " Incompleat Angler, The," 366 
 
 Indian Mutiny, iii and note 
 
 " Influenza Almanac," 40 
 
 " Information for the People," 282 
 
 Inglis, Sir Robert, 104, 105 
 
 Ingram, Herbert, and the ' ' Illuminated 
 
 Magazine, " 35, 265 
 Initials on dining-table at Bouverie Street, 
 
 63 and note 
 Injunctions obtained by Punch, 151, 152 
 Invasion scares, 109, 120 
 In\-itation card to the Punch Dinner, 67, 69 
 Irish, Leech's prejudice against the, 437 
 Irish affairs and cartoons, 103, 106, 453 
 " Irish Frankenstein. The," 449 
 Irish humour in Punch, 373 
 
 "J. R.,"4S2 
 Jackson, 337 
 Jalland, Mr. G. H., 559 
 James, Edwin, 232 
 " Janus, " 467 
 " Jeames's Diary," 317 
 "Jenkins Papers," 210, 289, 319 
 Jerrold, Douglas, 12 ; and the origin ot 
 Hunch, 14, 17, 18; the " London Charivari," 
 15 ; doubtful of the success of Punch, 30 ; 
 and Landells, 35 ; edits "Illuminated Maga- 
 zine," 35 ; " Visit to the Watering-Places." 
 49 ; " Mrs. Caudle," 73, 98 ; relations 
 with Thackeray, 74, 311 ; the addressed 
 label, 75 ; witticisms at the Dinner, 75 ; 
 his Jubilee Dinner, 87 ; Punch Club, 93 ; 
 the " ingredients" of Punch, 95 ; the pro- 
 phecy of Hal Baylis, 97 ; anti-aristocratic 
 sentiments, loi ; the Jews, 104 ; as a play- 
 wright. 129 ; as an amateur actor, 136 ; 
 Punch's plagiarists, 152 ; suggestions for 
 cartoons, 170, 171 ; "Jenkins Papers," 
 210 ; and Sir Peter Laurie, 220 ; and 
 Charles Kean, 222; attack on Bunn, 226. 
 228, 230 ; attacked in the " Puppet-Show," 
 239 ; contributions for six months, 259 
 and his daughter Mrs. Henry Mayhew, 
 268 ; on Stirling Coyne, 272 ; on comic 
 " Histories," etc., 277 ; and Angus Reach. 
 281; characteristics, work, etc., 284-298; 
 relations with Albert Smith, 303 ; his satire 
 compared with Hood's, 335 ; et passim 
 
 Jerrold, Wilham, 269 
 
 Jest-books, Shakespeare's, 162 
 
 Jewish Disabilities Removal Bill, 104, 105, iii 
 
 Jews, Prejudice against, 103, 436, 437 ; and 
 the " Morning Post, " 104 
 
 "Joe Miller the Younger," 153, 237, 292, 412, 
 416 
 
 "Joe Miller's Jest-Book," 157 
 
 "John Bull, " 206-208 
 
 Joinville, Prince de. Letter of, 108, 120, 190 
 
 Jokes, Punch's, their origin, pedigree, and 
 appropriation, 138-167 
 
 Jones, Sir Edward Burne-, 221, 222 
 
 Jones, George, and Punch's attack on 
 J. S. Buckingham, 224, 225, 235 
 
 Jopling-Rowe, Mrs., see Romer, Mrs. 
 
 " Journal for Laughter, " 56 
 
 Jubilee of Punch, 6, 8 
 
 JuUien, Punch's ridicule of, 218, 219
 
 Index. 
 
 587 
 
 Kean, Charles, 222, 223, 282 
 Keeley, Mrs., as Mrs. Caudle, 293 
 
 Keene, Charles : his portrait of Punch, 8 ; 
 the " Tercentenary Number," 50 ; " Paris 
 Sketches," 51 ; cartoon of Disraeli and 
 financiers, 60, 61, 66 ; at the Dinners, 68, 
 78 ; political opinions, 77, 78, 481 ; cartoon 
 on American War, 80 ; leniency towards 
 women, 141 ; and " I used your soap two 
 years ago," 145 ; and Mr. Joseph Crawhall, 
 147, 483; 162 ; repetition of drawings, 165, | 
 166; cartoons, 171,253, 470; "Mokeanna," 
 365 ; Irish jokes, 373 ; friendship with Mr. 
 Silver, 479, 477-490 
 
 Kelly and " Dunsinane," 342 
 
 Kendall, Miss May, 392, 393 
 
 Kenealy, Dr. Edward Vaughan, 336 
 
 Kennedy, H. A., burlesque translations of 
 Horace, 31, 306 
 
 Key, Professor T. Hewitt, 160 
 
 King, J., and " An Exiled Londoner," 342 
 
 Kingston, Mr. W. Beatty, 360, 361 
 
 Kitton, Mr. F. G., 349 
 
 Knebworth, Amateur theatrical performance 
 at, 136, 137 
 
 Knight, Charles, and the Punch Dinners, 86 
 
 Kossuth, 117, 118 
 
 "La Belle Sauvage " and the first Punch 
 Dinner, 55 ; and the Punch Club, 94 
 
 Labouchere, Mr. Henry, 163 
 
 "Labours of Hercules," 302 
 
 Lady contributors, 392, 393, 529 and note 
 
 Landells, Ebenezer, and the origin of Punch, 
 11-14, 15-19, 26; and Bradbury and Evans, 
 32-34 ; engraving withdrawn from him, 
 34, 35; and the "Illuminated Magazine," 
 35 ; "Visit to the Watering-Places," 49; on 
 the Punch Club, 93, 97; 188; and "A 
 Word with Punch," 232 ; 248 
 
 Lang, Mr. Andrew, 392 ; 393, 404 
 
 Lara, Mr. Isidore de, 235 
 
 Last, Joseph, and the origin of Punch, 12, 
 17, 19, 26 
 
 Laurie, Sir Peter, 219, 220 
 
 Lawless, M. J., 502 
 
 Lawson, Mr. F. Wilfrid, 537 
 
 Layard, Sir A. H., 92 
 
 Layard, Mr. G. S. quoted, 479, et passim 
 
 " Lays of a Lazy Minstrel," 387 
 
 Le Fanu, Mr., and "Seventy Years of Irish 
 Life," 143 
 
 Leech, John : his portraits of Punch, 8, 9 ; 
 and the "London Charivari," 15; the 
 Almanacs, 40 ; " Valentines," 49 : " Holi- 
 days," 50 ; Great Exhibition Number, 51 ; 
 statuette by Boehm, 60 ; at the Dinners, 
 68, 72, 73, 76 ; the cartoons, 81, 170-177 ; 
 singing at the Dinner, 86 ; democratic 
 sentiments, loi ; the Jews, 103 ; the " Anti- 
 Graham Envelope," 114, 420 ; drawings of 
 costumes, 122 ; as an amateur actor, 135 ; 
 158, 159, 167; "Foreign Affairs," 173, 
 420; " Social Miseries," 187; " Cock-a- 
 doodle-do ! " 190 ; and Lord John Russell, 
 196 ; and Disraeli, 197-199 ; caricatures of 
 Lord Brougham, 202 ; " Mrs. Gamp " and 
 "Betsy Prig," 213; fastidiousness, 252; 
 
 on Henry Mayhew, 270 ; relations with 
 Albert Smith, 303; riding to hounds, 319, 
 426 ; Harlequinade verses, 342 ; picture of 
 two "snobs," 358; career, 417-443; on 
 Thackeray's death, 442 ; and Tenniel, 470 ; 
 relations with George Cruikshank, 40 ; el 
 passim 
 " Leeds Mercury instructing Young Eng- 
 land," 339 
 Legend-writing, 432, 433, 484, 507, 508 
 Leger, Mr. Warham St., 395, 396 
 Lehmann, Mr. R. C. , 67 ; politics, 80 ; 149 ; 
 
 contributions, 401, 402 
 Leigh, Henry S. , 157, 232, 240, 241 
 Leigh, Percival : and the "London Chari- 
 vari," 15 ; and the first SiaSi of Punch, 19 ; 
 mock-classic verses, 31 ; verses on Punch 
 Club, 55, 56; 61, 69, 70, 71; at the 
 Dinner, 76 ; and Thackcray's/aux pas. 88 ; 
 lines on Punch Club, 93, 94 ; suggestions 
 for cartoons, 171 ; " Pauper Song," 301 ; 
 " Punch's Labours of Hercules," 302 ; bio- 
 graphical summary, 299-303 
 Leighton, Sir Frederic, 126 ; on Keene, 
 
 489 ; portrait of Miss Dene, 559 
 Lemon, Harry, 525 
 
 Lemon, Mark : and the manifesto in the 
 first number of Punch, 2 ; and the origin 
 of Punch, 17 ; early life, 18 ; draft of 
 prospectus, 19-21 ; the editorship, 25 ; 
 "Visit to the Watering-Places," 49; 
 portrait by F. Chester, 60; 69, 71, 74; 
 the Jews, 103 ; his lectures, 129 ; as an 
 amateur actor, 135; "Jest Book," 162, 
 265 ; his instinct for an old joke, 163 ; 
 suggestions for cartoons, 170, 171 ; at the 
 Printers' Pension Society dinner, 198 ; and 
 "AWordwithi"////f/;, "228,231 ; an'dHenry 
 Mayhew, 257 ; work as editor, character, 
 etc., 254-267; and Douglas Jerrold, 297; 
 relations with Dickens, 352, 354 ; on 
 Shirley Brooks, 358 ; and Hine, 415 ; organ- 
 grinding nuisance, 439 ; ct passim 
 Lennox, Lord William, and "The Tuft- 
 
 Hunter, " 217, 218 ; 330 
 Leon, M.P. , Mr., 245 
 Lester, Mr. Horace Frank, 384 
 Lever, Charles, 259 ; " Prize Novelists," 320, 
 
 337 ; "A Familiar Epistle," 337 
 Leverson, Mrs., 392, 406 
 Lewes, George Henry, 135 
 Lewis, Mr. Arthur, and the Moray Minstrels. 
 
 92 
 Libel actions against Punch, 235, 236 
 " Lika Toko," 237, 238, 502. 525, 555 
 Lillie, Mr. Charles J., 556, 557 
 Lincoln, Abraham, Assassination of, 177 
 Linton, W. J., and the "Anti-Graham En- 
 velope," 114 ; 248 
 Literary errors of Punch, 244 
 Literature oi Punch, Past and present, 407, .|o8 
 " Little Frenchman's First Lesson, " 337 
 " Liverpool Lion," The, 360 
 Locker-Lampson, Frederick, Contributioas 
 
 of, 371, 566 ; 562 
 Lockwood, Sir Frank, 98, 166, 566 
 Loftus, Lord Augustus, 194, 195 
 " London Charivari," 12, 15
 
 588 
 
 The History of "Punch. 
 
 " London Journal," Satire on, 364, 365 
 
 " Lord Jack the Giant-killer " cartoon, 470 
 
 Louis-Philippe, 191 
 
 Loyalty of Fimch, 214-217 
 
 Lucas, Samuel, and the Fimch Dinners, 85 ; 
 
 443 
 Lucy, Mr. Henry, ~,\, 6-], -](); politics, 80; 
 
 dinner to Mr. Gladstone, 91 ; 149 ; and 
 cartoons, 169; 205; "Essence of Parlia- 
 ment," etc., 389-391, 5S1 
 
 Lushington, J. J., 405 
 
 Lyndhurst, Lord, 172 
 
 " Lyre and Lancet," 399 
 
 Lytton, Bulwer, 155, 220 ; attack on Tenny- 
 son, 344 
 
 " M. S. R.," 537 
 
 Macgregor, John ("Rob Roy'), 269, 346, 
 
 372, 460 
 Mackay, Mr. Wallace, 540, 541 
 MacMahon, Marshal, 191 
 MacNeill, M.P., Mr. Swift, 232, 554 
 Maginn, Dr., and the origin of the ".Al- 
 manac," 32; obituary of, 38, 307; 297; 
 
 work on Punch, 306, 307 
 Magistrates, Skits on, 391, 392 
 " Mahogany Tree, The," 53, 86, 320 ; Jubilee 
 
 picture, 180 ; 536 
 Malmesbury, Lord, 233 
 " Man from Blankley's, The," 399, 565 
 " Man in the Moon, The," 154-156, 231, 238, 
 
 265, 280, 306, 315, 412, 416, 449 
 " Manners and Customs," 401, 406 
 Mansel, Miss, 519, 529 note 
 Mansion House, tlie, " Literature and Art ' 
 
 dinner at, 90 
 Marks, R.A., Mr. Stacy, 41, 126, 517 
 Marshalsea Prison, 3 
 Marshall, Mr. C. A., 560 
 Martin, Charles, 490, 491 
 Martin, Sir Theodore, 172 
 " Mask, The," 500 
 Mason, Mr. Finch, 556 
 Massacre in Algiers, and lines by Coventry 
 
 Patmore, 342, 343 
 " Maternal Solicitude," 211-213 
 Mathew, Father, 102 
 " Matter in Camera, A," 376 
 Maud, Mr. , 563, 564 
 Maurice, Rev. F. D., Lines to the memory 
 
 of, 374 
 
 Maurier, Mr. G. du, 4 ; his portrait of Punch, 
 9; " Tercentenary Number," 50 ; 66, 79; 
 fashions, 122, 124, 506 ; on the Punch 
 artists, 128 ; ' ' Social Pictorial Satire," 129 ; 
 old maid and the " charming view," 162 ; 
 "heir" joke, 163; "tipsy husband," 
 166 ; going into society, 319 ; " Moke- 
 anna," 365; "Vers Nonsensiques, ' 372, 
 515 ; on drawing from Nature, 410 ; on 
 Leech, 432; 473; 503-516 
 
 May, Mr. Phil, 67; and jokes of the " Un- 
 known Man," 139; 149; 159; 567-570 
 
 Mayhew, Augustus, and the "Journal for 
 Laughter," 56, 268, 269 
 
 Mayhew, Henry, and the origin of Punch, 
 11-14. 17-19 ; and the title of Punch, 24 ; 
 and his co-editors, 25, 257 ; origin of the 
 
 "Almanac," 32 ; " Visit to the Watering- 
 Places," 49 ; satire on Art Union, 52 ; 
 "Anti-Graham Wafers," 114; "London 
 Labour and London Poor," 129, 269 ; 
 " Advice to Persons about to Marry," 142, 
 270 ; suggestions for cartoons, 170, 171 ; 
 269 ; characteristics, etc. , 268-271 
 
 Mayhew^ Horace ("Ponny"), 61, 69-71; 
 singing at the Dinner, 86 ; suggestions for 
 cartoons, 170, 171, 328 ; as sub-editor, 257, 
 327; and Jerrolds death, 297; character- 
 istics, etc. , 327-330 
 
 Mazzini, opening of his letters, 114 
 
 McConnell, W., and cartoons, 171 ; 460, 461 
 
 McCosh, Dr., 161 
 
 McDonnell, Mr.. 252 
 
 Meadows, Kenny, his portrait of Punch, 8 ; 
 and the " London Charivari," 15 ; and the 
 Almanac, 40 ; design for cover of Punch, 
 46, 449 ; " Valentines," 49 ; at the Dinner, 
 74 ; at the Club, 95 ; cartoons, 171 ; and 
 Leech, 436 ; 446-449 
 
 Melancholy of humorists, 435 
 
 Melbourne, Lord, and the heading of the 
 Punch prospectus, 23 ; fall of his Adminis- 
 tration, 30, 107 ; at an amateur theatrical 
 performance at Knebwortb, 136 
 
 " Slelbourne Punch," 393 
 
 Mellor, Mr. John Page, 558, 559 
 
 " Men who have taken me in — to dinner, " 406 
 
 " Mephystopheles," 154, 416 
 
 Meredith, Mr. George, his tribute to Tom 
 Taylor, 341 
 
 " Mery Tales, Wittie Questions, and Quicke 
 AnsweresVery Pleasant to be Rcadde," 162 
 
 Millais, Sir John, and the Punch Dinners, 86; 
 126; " Mokeanna," 365, 517; 426, 427; 
 jokes supplied to Leech, 434 ; 435, 443 ; 
 contributions, 517, 518 
 
 Milliken, Mr. E. J., 67; politics, 80; the 
 cartoons, 81, 381 ; " Childe Chappie," 146, 
 166, 378 ; and the cartoons, 169 ; and " For- 
 lorn Hope," 180; "The Old Crusaders," 
 182 ; and the society lady, 246; " Arry," 
 etc., 377-381 
 
 Mills, Jowett, and Mills, printers, 32 
 
 " Mind and matter," 160 
 
 Missing-word competition, 125 
 
 Mistakes of /■«««■//, 243-245 
 
 " Mistress of the Hounds," 125 
 
 Mitchell, Mr. C, and the origin of Punch 
 II ; and the printing of Punch, 32 
 
 " Moaning of the Tide, ' 413 
 
 " Model Men." 328 
 
 " Model Music Hall Songs," 396, 397 
 
 " Modern Alexander's Feast, 'rhe," 192 
 
 " Modern Life in London," 371 
 
 " Modern Sisyphus" cartoon, 455 
 
 Modern types, 401 
 
 Moir, Frank, 337 
 
 " Mokeanna, " 364, 365, 450 
 
 " Month, The," 347 
 
 Moon, Alderman, 220 
 
 " Moonshine" and the dinner to Mr. Glad- 
 stone, 91 ; 549, 567 
 
 " Moral o{ Punch, The," 2, 256 
 
 Morality of Punch, 5, 6, 8, 242, 243 
 
 Moray Minstrels, 92, 484, 520, 528
 
 Index. 
 
 589 
 
 Morgan, Matt : his designs in the " Toma- 
 hawk, "41 ; and the "Arrow," 240; "Fun," 
 
 36+ 
 Morley, Mr. John, 205 
 " Morning Herald," 50, 210, 211 
 "Morning Post "and the Jews, 104; attacked 
 
 by Punch, 209, 210, 288, 289, 319 
 Morpeth, Lord, and the heading of l1ie 
 
 Punch prospectus, 23 
 Moses, Rev. Stainton, 374 
 " Mud -Salad Market," 368 
 Mulberry Club, 447 
 Mulready envelope, 52, 420 
 Mundella, Mr., on Punch, 189 
 Murray, R. F., 403, 404 
 Music in Punch, 52 ; Punch's patronage of, 128 
 
 Napoleon III., 109, no, 120, 124, 323; as 
 the hedgehog, 173 ; Franco- Prussian War, 
 179 ; " Cock-a-doodle-do ! " 190 ; collection 
 of Punch cartoons, 199 ; and Thackeray's 
 retirement from Punch, 323, 324 ; cartoon 
 on the eve of the Franco- Prussian War, 
 512 
 
 " National Standard," Thackeray's, 226 
 
 " Natural History of Courtship," 450 
 
 Naval defence, 172 
 
 " New Guide to Knowledge," 378 
 
 Newdegate, Mr., 232 
 
 Newman, William, 19; and the "'Valentmes, 
 49 152 ; cartoons, 171 ; the "Squib," 275, 
 414 ; 413, 414 
 
 Nicholas, Tsar, 173 ; and "General F^vrier, 
 
 174-176 
 " Night with Punch, A, 130 
 " Nineveh bull" cartoon, 255 
 "No Popery" cartoon, 196 
 N06, Comte Am^dee de, 501, 502 
 North, Colonel, 233 _ ,, 
 
 ■ ' Notes from the Diary of a City Waiter, 386 
 
 Obituaries, 38, 377 
 
 Obituary cartoons, 184 
 
 O'Brien, Smith, 106 
 
 O'Connell, Daniel, 106, 153 
 
 Offices of Punch, 258 
 
 O'Leary, Joseph, 330 
 
 "Old Crusaders, The," 182 
 
 Old jokes, 150-167 „ 
 
 "Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, The, 
 
 159, 245 . , 
 
 "Old Nickotin stealing away the brams ot 
 
 his devotees," 512 
 " Old stock" in Punch, 457 
 " Omnibus," The, 496, 497 
 Omnibus jokes, 144, 156 
 " Omnium, Jacob," see Higgms, ivlatthew J. 
 " Once a Week " and Mr. Samuel Lucas, 85; 
 
 521 
 Onwhyn, Thomas, 459, 400 
 " Open to conviction," 413 
 "Opera telakouphanon," 124, 125 
 " Organ Boy's Appeal," 321 
 Organ-grinders. 437-440 ,..,.. r 
 
 Orr and Co., W. S., and the distribution of 
 
 Punch, 36 J .. Q 
 
 " Our Dramatic Correspondent, 348 
 " Our Flight with Punch," 238, 357 
 
 " Our Honeymoon," 291 
 " Our Play Bo.\," 526 
 " Out of Town," 276, 366 
 O.venford, John, 259, 260, 307, 
 
 308 
 
 198 ; Leech s 
 Pecksniff," 
 336; "The 
 
 Padgett, Mr. William, 558 
 Pain, Mr. Barry, 241, 402 
 " Pall Mall Budget," 160 
 Palmerston, Lord, 99; as the "Judicious 
 Bottle-holder," 118; 165; portraits, 203,204 
 " Pantomime, PuncKs" 131, 132 
 "Papal Aggression," 102, 103, 195, 196, 374, 
 
 455. 470 
 Paris Exhibition Special Number, 51, 61, 87 
 " Paris Revisited," 322 
 Parish Councils Bill, 169, 170 
 Parliamentary drawings by C. H. Benmit, 526 
 Partridge, Mr. Bernard, 67, 149, 560, 564,565 
 " Pasquin, " 11. 240, 348 
 Patmore, Mr. Coventry, 342, 343 
 " Pauper's Christmas Carol, The," 334 
 " Pauper Song, " 301 
 " Pauvre Malheureu.x," The, 191 
 Pa.xton, Sir Joseph, the Punch Dinner, and 
 
 the Crystal Palace, 84 ; 185, 480 
 Payn, Mr. James, 277, 406 
 Peake, R. B. , 330 
 " Peccavi ' dispatch, 361 
 " Pecksniff Papers," 289, 290 
 Peel, Sir Robert, 108, 109, 153, 
 drawing of, 202, 203 ; and 
 290 ; and Hood's pension. 
 Modern Sisyphus," 455 
 
 Pegram, Mr. Fred, 570 
 
 Pennington, Mr. Harper, 559 
 
 " Pennv Satirist," 188, 293 
 
 Phillips', John, and Staff of Punch, 19; 412 
 
 Phillips, Watts, and the " Journal for 
 Laughter," 56; 342, 372, 458, 459 
 
 " Phiz," see Browne, Hablot Knight 
 
 Photographv, Caricature illustrations of, 491 
 
 " Phrenological Manipulation of the Head of 
 Punch" 240 
 
 " Physiology of a London Medical Student, 
 
 305 
 ■ ' Pictures of Life and Character, 422 
 
 " Pictures from Punch." 52 
 
 Pigott, Mr., 558 
 
 " Pin Money" cartoon, 
 
 Pincott, Mr., 242 
 
 Pinwell, George, 520 
 
 " Pips hys Diary, Mr. 
 
 Piracy, 151-157 
 
 Pius iX., 102 
 
 Plagiarisms and repetitions, 150-167, 480 
 
 " pTea for Plush, A," 343 
 
 Plunkett, H. P., see "Grattan, H. I. 
 
 " Pocket-Book, Punch's," 349- 3^9. 4o6, 432. 
 
 464. 471, 497. 49^. 500. 501- 525. 527 
 " Pocket Ibsen," 399 
 Poe's " Bells," 166 
 
 Poiree, M. limmanuel, 570 
 
 Poland, 106, 120 
 
 " Political Pas de Quatre, The, 153 
 
 Politics of /'/*«^//, 78. 80, 99-121. 169. 189, 197 
 
 Poor, the. Representations of, 3, 187, 189 
 
 " Poor Man's Friend, The," 174 
 
 Pope, The, 102, 109, 120 
 
 334 
 
 455
 
 590 
 
 The History of "Punch: 
 
 Portch, Julian, 501 
 
 Portraits of Punch, 8, 9 
 
 Postans, R. B., and the origin o{ Punch, 12, 
 
 17, 19 ; 283 
 Practical jokes at the Punch Club, 94 
 " Prehistoric Peeps," 562, 563 
 Prehn, Mr., 528 
 
 " Prendergast, Paul," see Leigh, Percival 
 Pre-Raphaelite movement, 11 1, 126 
 Press. The, opinions of Punch, 30, 33, 41, 
 
 212, 213 ; Punch's attacks on. 209-213 
 Pretty woman, Mr. du Mauriers. 509, 510 
 Pritchett. Mr. R. T., 410. 423, 483, 520, 521 
 " Prize Novelists," 320, 337 
 " Process" block system, 253 
 '• Proser, The," 321 
 Prospectus of Punch, 19-23 
 Protection and Free Trade, 118 
 Prowse, Jeff, 232, 364 
 Prussia, King of, 119 
 Public executions, 428 
 " Puck, ' 459 
 
 "Punch, His Origin and Career, Mr.," 12 
 " Punch to an eminent personage, Mr.," 321 
 " Punch in the East," 317 
 " Punch," Statuette of. 62 
 Punch Club, 52. 55, 93-98. j^2 
 Punch Dinner. The, 40, 53-87, 168 
 Punch dinners, Special, 87-92 
 " Punch in London, ' Jerrolds, 25, 226, 273 
 •' Punch's Complete Letter-Writer," 294 
 " Punch's Holidays," 50 
 " Punch's Letters to her Daughter, Mrs.." 11 
 '•Punch's Letters to his Son, ' 288, 450 
 "Punch's Mazurka," 52 
 Puns, Supply of, 151 ; Mr. Burnand's, 366, 
 
 367 ; " Crowquill's," 450 
 " Puppet-Show, " The, 156, 173, 231, 239, 
 
 3.S4. 41:4 
 Purity oi Punch, 5, 6, 8, 242, 243 
 Puseyism, 102, 103, iii 
 "Puzzle-heads," 555 
 
 " Q Papers." The, 285-287 
 Queen, see Victoria, Queen 
 " Queer Queries," 384 
 
 Rackham, Peter, and the Punch Dinners, 85 
 
 Railway mania, 116, 315, 317 
 
 Ralston, Mr. W. , 166,251, 372, 392, 410, 543 
 
 " Ramsbotham, Mrs.," 236-238 
 
 Reach, Angus, 132, 280, 281, 306; friendship 
 
 with Shirley Brooks, 357 
 " Real Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, The, " 
 
 366 
 " Records of the Great Exhibition, extracted 
 
 from Punch," 51 
 Rede, Leman, 283 
 Reed, Alfred, 532 
 Reed, Mr. Edward J., 391 
 Reed, Mr. E. T. , 67 ; politics, 80 ; the Two 
 
 Pins Club, 98 ; 151 ; 560-563 
 " Reflections on New Year's Day." 335 
 Reform, 118, 179 
 Rehgionist, Punch as a, 102-105 
 " Restored skeleton of a bicyclist," 561 
 Reunion Club (afterwards the Savage Club), 56 
 
 Rigby. J- . 342 
 
 Ritchie, Mrs. Thackerav, 442 
 
 Riviere, R.A., Mr. Briton, 126, 539, 540 
 
 " Robert, the City Waiter. " 385, 386 
 
 Roberts, Mr. J. H., 372, 404, 566 
 
 Robertson, Tom, 232 
 
 Robinson, H. R., 523 
 
 Roblev, Major-General H. G., 546, 547 
 
 Rodwell, G. H. R., 283 
 
 Roebuck, Mr., 232 
 
 Rogat, Mr., 523 
 
 Rogers, Rev. W. , and Lord John Russell, 196 
 
 Romer, Mr. Justice. 38 
 
 Romer, Mrs., 529 note, 541 
 
 Rosebery, Lord, 170, 180, 205 
 
 Rothschild, Baron de, and the Jewish Dis- 
 abilities Removal Bill, 105 ; 161 
 
 RoyalAcademyand the /'//we// artists, 126-128 
 
 " Royal Patent," Punch's, 62 
 
 Rusd'en, Mr. Athelstan, 549 
 
 Ruskin, Professor, on /*////f//'j representations 
 of the poor, 3 ; on Punch Staff as citizens, 
 in; on "General Fevrier," 176; on Punch's 
 politics, 197; on "John Bull," 206; on 
 the "Song of the Shirt," 334; a remon- 
 strance with Punch, 408 ; on a drawing by 
 Leech. 426 ; on Mr. du Mauriers drawings 
 of children, 507 ; on Mr. du Manner's 
 satire, 512, 513 
 
 Russell of Killowen, Lord, 98 
 
 Russell, Lord John, and the heading of the 
 Punch prospectus, 23 ; as David attacking 
 GoUath, 102 ; and the Jewish Disabilities 
 Removal Bill, 105; the New Reform Bill, 
 118 ; the ' Political Pas de Quatre," 153; 
 "No Popery ' cartoon, 196; and Leech, 
 196, 348; "Story of the Mhow Court 
 Martial," 343; and the "Modern Sisy- 
 phus," 455 ; " Lord Jack the Giant-killer," 
 470 ; Punch's sobriquet, 473 
 Russell, Sir W. H., and the Punch Dinners, 
 
 86 ; 298 
 Russia, exclusion of Punch from, 105; 
 destruction of Punch cartoons, 194 ; Alex- 
 ander HL and Lord Augustus Loftus, 194, 
 195 ; typical representations, 206 
 Russian Bear, 119, 120. 192, 208 
 
 "^•"■+54 
 
 Sala, Mr. George Augustus, speech at the 
 " Albion " dinner, 88 ; 135 ; and " A Word 
 with Punch, " 227 ; 243, 277; on Horace 
 Mayhew, 328 ; contributions, 387, 388 ; 
 and A. S. Henning, 411 ; on W. McConnell, 
 460 ; on C. H. Bennett, 527 
 
 Salisburj', Lord, and the " Pas de Deux," 
 179 
 
 Sanibourne, Mr. L. : his portraits of Punch, 
 9 ; caricature by Mr. Furniss, 61 ; 67, 79 ; 
 politics, 80 ; and the " cartoon junior," 82, 
 170; drawing of the "Mahogany Tree," 
 89, 180 ; 536 ; the Two Pins Club. 98 ; 
 " He won't be happy till he gets it," 160 ; 
 cartoons, 171 and note ; and difficulties in 
 the production of cartoons, 183; "The 
 Modern Alexander's Fea^t," 192; and 
 treatment of carioons in Russia, 194; an 
 attempt at blank verse, 373; 455; 531-537 
 
 Sanibourne, Miss Maud, 566
 
 Index. 
 
 591 
 
 Sands, Mr. J., 410, 542, 543 
 
 " Satirist," 234 
 
 Saunderson, Mr., 499 
 
 Savage Club, 56, 527 
 
 Scott, Mr. Clement, 232, 388, 389 
 
 Scottish jokes, 139-141, 161 
 
 Scottish testimonial to Thackeray, 320 
 
 Scudamore, F. I., 361 
 
 Seaman, Mr. Owen, 405 
 
 Seccombe, Colonel, 523 
 
 Sergeant-at-Arms as a beetle, 145, 146 
 
 Serle, T. J., 259, 33'?, 337 
 
 Seymour, Robert, 158, 186, 188, 273 
 
 Shakespeare Club, 447 
 
 Shakespeare Dinner, 87 
 
 Shakespeare "Tercentenary Number," 50 
 
 Shepherd, Mr. J. A., 567 
 
 Sherbrooke, Lord, and Mr. Lucy's joke, 390 
 
 Shields, Mr. Frederic, on C. H. Bennett, 527 ; 
 
 53° 
 ".Ship," Greenwich, Jubilee Dinner at the, 89 
 Sibthorpe, Colonel, 232 
 Sichel, Mr. Walter, 406 
 " Side Scenes of Everyday Society," 305 
 Signatures oi Punch's artists (APPENDIX L), 
 
 573. 574 
 
 Silver, Mr. Henry, 66 ; extract from diary of 
 proceedings at a Punch Dinner, 68-73 '< 79- 
 196 ; contributions, etc. , 347, 348 ; on Leech, 
 433, 442 ; friendship with Charles Keene, 
 479, 480 
 
 " Singular Letter from the Regent of Spain,' 
 
 315. 316 
 
 Sketchley, Arthur, 317, 407 
 
 Sketchley, Mr. R. F., 61, 67, 368, 369 
 
 Slavery, 165 
 
 Smalley, Mr., 180 
 
 Smith, Albert, and " Visit to the Watering- 
 Places," 49 ; victim of a practical joke, 94; 
 withdrawal from Punch, 94, 306, 315 ; a 
 repartee to Mark Lemon, 95 ; his lectures, 
 128, 304; and "A Word with Punch," 
 228 ; 281 ; and the benefit for Jerrold's 
 widow, 298 ; relations with the Staff, 303, 
 304 ; biographical summary, 303-306 
 
 Smith, Horace, 259, 346 
 
 Smith, Mr. J. Moyr, 640, 541 
 
 Smith, Orrin, 12 ; and the ' ' London Chari- 
 vari," 15 ; 248 
 
 Smith, Mr. W. G., 549 
 
 Smith, Mr. W. H., portraits in Punch, 204 
 
 " Snobs of England," 74, 318 
 
 " .Social Evil, The," 428 
 
 "Social Miseries," 187, 416 
 
 Social reformer. Punch as a, 124, 126, 185, 397 
 
 SociaUsts, and Punch's " summary justice," 
 
 235 
 "Song of the Shirt," 146, 176, 331-334 
 Sothern, Mr., adventure with a policeman, 
 
 351 ; and " Lord Dundreary," 424 
 "Spec's Remonstrance, Mr.," 316 
 Spelling reform, and Thackeray, 317 
 Spielmann, M. H., 407 
 Spurgeon, Mr., and Punch cartoons, 199 
 "Squeers, Mr.," Original of, 451 
 " Squib," The, 274, 275, 412, 414 
 Staff of Punch, relative contributions, 258- 
 
 260, 263 ; their love of children, 294, 295 ; 
 
 artists challenge the literary members, 372 ; 
 
 " Family Trees," 382 
 Stafford, Mr., 570 
 
 Stage, The, and Punch's support, 128, 129 
 " Stags : a Drama of To-day, The," 315 
 " Standard, " The, 50; and " Mrs. Gamp " 
 
 and " Mrs. Harris," 211 ; attack on /^««<-A, 
 
 212, 213 
 Stanfield, Clarkson, and the Punch Club, 93 ; 
 
 relations between Dickens and Lemon, 
 
 353 
 Stephens, Mr. Henry Pottinger, 402, 403 
 Stewart, General Sir Henry, 183 
 Stone, Mr. Frank, and the Punch Club, 93 
 Storey, A.R..^., Mr. G. A., 41, 126, 557 
 " Storicules," 402 
 " Story of a Feather," 290 
 " Story of the Mhow Court Martial," 343 
 Stowers, Mr., 556 
 
 "-Stranger, A," Contributions from, 501 
 Strasynski, L. , 537 
 
 " Street-sweeping Machines," 155, 479 
 Sullivan, Sir Arthur, 64, 98 
 Sullivan, Mr. J. F. , 567 
 Sunday opening of museums, 102 
 Susse.x Hotel, Punch Dinner at, 64 
 Swain, Mr. Joseph, 82, 247-253, 498 
 Sweaters, 104 
 Sykes, Mr. Arthur \., 122, 372, 404, 566 
 
 Table-turning, 424 
 
 Tanner, M.P. , Dr., 554 
 
 Taylor, Tom, 60, 61, 68, 69; politics, 99, 
 367 ; his lectures, 129 ; as an amateur 
 actor, 134 ; and old jokes, 163 ; sugges- 
 tions for cartoons, 171, 339; and Bulwer 
 Lytton, 220 ; benefit for Jerrold's widow, 
 298 ; work and characteristics, 338-341 
 
 Telephone, the. Forecast of, 124, 125 
 
 Temperance movement, 102, 245 
 
 Temple, Sir R. , 232, 552 
 
 Tenniel, Sir John : his portraits of Punch, 
 8, 9 ; cartoon in " Tercentenary Number," 
 50 ; Great Exhibition Number, 51 ; at the 
 Dinner, 79, 80 ; politics, 80, 463 ; the car- 
 toons, 52, 79, 81-83, 163, 170, 172, 176 ; 
 dinner on his receiving a knighthood, 89 ; the 
 Two Pins Club, 98 ; influence on the modera- 
 tion of Punch, lor ; as an amateur actor, 
 134 ; Goschen cartoon, i6o ; and Punch' s 
 types of character, 208 ; early contributions. 
 355; 372; "beard movement," 423; 461- 
 474 ; on Mr. Sambourne's work, 534 
 
 Tennyson, Lord, 220; reply to Bulwer 
 Lytton's attack, 345, 346 ; and Woolner's 
 blast, 346 ; obituary notice, 377 ; parody of 
 his "Throstle," 402 
 
 "Tercentenary Number," 50 
 
 Terry, G. W. . 499 
 
 Thackeray, W. M. : on humour and laughter, 
 I ; on ' the purity of Punch, 5, 6 ; his 
 portrait oi Punch, 8; and the "London 
 Charivari," 12, 15; "Punch's Holidays," 
 50; and Frenchmen, 51; "Mahogany 
 Tree" quoted, 53; starueite by Boehm, 
 60 ; autotype, 61 ; Bedford Hotel, 64, 65 ; 
 Pimch Dinner, 68, 76; "Snob l'aper.>=, ' 
 74, 318; relations with Jerrold, 74, 289,
 
 592 
 
 The History of ''Punch!' 
 
 311; singing of the " Mahogany Tree 
 after his death, 86 ; " Atonement Dinner, 
 87, 88 ; the Jews, 103 ; and Punch s at- 
 titude towards Napoleon III., 109; his 
 lectures, 129; suggestions for cartoons, 
 170, 171; "Jenkins Papers," 210, 316, 
 3iq'- attack on Bunn, 226; attacked in 
 the '' Puppet-Show, " 239 ; and Mr. Swain, 
 2153; working at Punch office, 258; re- 
 lations with Albert Smith, 303 ; retirement 
 from Punch, 323, 324 ; his work, character- 
 istics, etc., 308-326; congratulates Mr. 
 Burnand, 369 ; on Leech, 421, 437 
 Theatricals, Punch's, 132-137, 346 
 Thomas, Mr. Brandon, 394, 395 
 Thomas, George H. , 477 
 Thomas, Mr. W. F., 570 
 Thompson, Mr., 558 
 Thompson, Alfred, 372,500 
 Thompson, Dr., Master of Trinity, and the 
 
 first number of Punch, 29 
 Thompson, Mr. John Gordon, 516, 517 
 " Tickletoby's Lectures on English History, 
 
 Miss," 309, 310 
 " Times," The, and the attack of the" Stand- 
 ard" on Punch, 210, 212, 213; leaders by 
 Gilbert a Beckett, 277 
 Title of Punch, 24 
 "Toby's Diary, ' 390, 391 
 "Tomahawk," The, Matt Morgan's designs 
 
 in, 41 
 Tomlins, F. G., 26 
 " Too Late! " 183 
 "Town, The," 378 
 Traill, Mr. H. D.,406 
 "Train," The, 313 
 Transfer of Punch to Bradbury and Evans, 
 
 34, 36 
 " Travelling Companions," 399 
 "Travelling Notes, by our Fat Contributor," 
 
 316 
 " Travels in London," 320 
 Trollope, Anthony, on Thackeray's art, 314 
 Tsar's decoy train. The, 145 
 Tuer, Mr. Andrew, 147, 483 
 Tully, Henry, 52 ; and the Punch Club,' 93 
 
 and note 
 Turner, Mr. Leopold Godfrey, 407 
 Turner's pictures, 221 
 Two Pins Club, 98 
 Types of character. Punch's, 206-208 
 
 " Under the Rose," 399, 400 
 
 "Untiled," 378 
 
 " Up before the Beak," 517 
 
 Valentines, Punch's, 49, 282, 446, 448, 451 
 
 "Verdant Green," 129, 492, 493 
 
 " Very Much Abroad," 482 
 
 Victoria, Queen, and the Tsar, 105, 106 ; 
 visit to Ireland, 106 ; and an amateur 
 theatrical performance at Devonshire 
 House, 135, 346 ; portraits in Punch, 
 214, 215 ; Punch's reverence for, 214-217 ; 
 and the imperial crown, 243 
 
 "Victorian Era," The, 52 
 
 Viles, Mr. Arthur E. , 407 ^ 
 
 "Visit to the Watering-Places," 49 
 
 Vizetellv, Henry, 35, 136; and Disraeh at 
 the Printers' Pension Society Dinner, 197- 
 199 ; on Henry Mayhew, 268, 269 ; on 
 Jerrold and Thackeray, 289 ; on Albert 
 Smith, Q03 ; and Rumsey Forster's revenge 
 on Th'ackeray, 319, 320 ; on Kenny 
 Meadows, 447 
 
 " Vocahsts, Advice to," 161 
 
 " Voces Populi," 398, 400, 565 
 
 Volunteer Corps, 108, 423 
 
 "W. G.,"S4i 
 
 "W. R.,"499 
 
 " W. v.," 540 
 
 ■Wales, Prince of, and Hugh Middleton 
 Board School, 125, 126; his illness, 183, 
 214 ; Punch's representations of, 214 ; 
 wedding, 351 
 
 ■W^alford, Mr., 85 
 
 Walker, A.R.A.. Fred, 126, 523, 524 
 
 Walker, Mr. Henry, 148 
 
 Wallace, R. B., 251, 457, 547 
 
 Walters, Mr. T., 537 
 
 " Ward, Artemus," see Browne, Charles F. 
 
 Weir, Mr. Harrison, 498 
 
 Wellington, Duke of, 153, 157. 164, 184, 202. 
 
 215 
 Wheeler, Mr. E. J., 252, 548, 549 
 " Whistling Oyster," The, 56 ; and the Punch 
 
 Club, 96 ; 452 
 William 11., Emperor, and "The Modern 
 
 Alexander's Feast," 192; "Wilful Wil- 
 
 helm," 193; Army Bills, 193; and Prince 
 
 Bismarck, 193 
 WiUiams, Rev. J. de Kewer. and the Jubilee 
 
 o{ Punch, 6,8 
 Wills, W. H., 19, 26; and Jullien, 218 ; 259, 
 
 260 ; 282, 283 
 Wilson, Mr. Dower, 549 
 Wilson, Mr. J. C, 40s 
 Wilson, Mr. T. Harrington, 119, 251, 498 
 Wiseman, Cardinal, 103, 470 
 Women, Lack of humour in, 392, 393; as 
 
 drawn by Mr. du Maurier, 506, 509, 510 
 Woods, F., =;47 
 Woods, T. \V. , 528 
 "Word with Bunn, A," 232 
 "Word with Punch, A," 131, 227 232 
 
 Yates, Edmund, and the Punch prospectus, 
 19 ; and omnibus jokes, 144, 173 ; and 
 the "Comic News," 265, 281; the 
 "Train," 313; mistaken belief that he 
 wrote for Punch, 390 note 
 
 "Ye Manners and Customs of ye Englyshe," 
 
 " Yellowplush, Mr. , 317 
 "Young England Party," 108, 198 
 "Young Reciter, Mr. Punch's," 398 
 
 Zangwill, Mr., 241 
 
 Printed bv Cassell & Company, Limited, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.G. 
 
 10-1095
 
 A SELECTED LIST 
 
 OF 
 
 Cassell & Company's 
 
 Publications. 
 
 %T 
 
 lo G. — II 95
 
 Selections from Cassell <fe Company's Publications. 
 
 Illusiratrti, |fim' ^rt. antJ otbrr ITolumrs. 
 
 Abteys and Cliiirclaes of England and Wales. THe: Descriptive, Historical, 
 
 Adventure, Tile World ot" Fully Illustrated. Complete in Three \'ols. gs, eacn. 
 
 Adventures in Criticism. By A. T. Quillek Couch. 6s. 
 
 Africa and its Explorers, THe Story of. By Dr. Robert Brown. F.R.G.S., &c 
 
 With about Soo Original Illustrations. Complete in 4 Vols. 7S- cd. each. 
 
 Agrarian Tenures. By the Rt. Hon. G. Sh.\w Lefevke. ios. 6d. 
 Allon, Henrv. D.D. : Pastor and Teacher. The Stor\- of his Ministry, with 
 Selected 'Sermons and .Addresses. By the Rev. W. Hakdv Harwood. 6s. 
 
 American Life. By Paul de Rousiers. 12s. 6d. 
 
 Animal Painting in Water Colours. With Coloured Plates. 5s. 
 
 An.mals, Popular History of. By Henry Scherren, F.Z.s. \Vitli 13 
 
 Col 'ured Pi.ites and other Illustrations. 7s. 6d. . 
 
 Arabian Nights Entertainments (Cassell's). With about 400 Illustrations. los. 6d. 
 
 Architectural Drawing. Bv R. Phen£ Spiers. lUustrated. los. 6d. 
 
 Art, The Magazine o£ Yearly \'olunie. With about 400 lUustraUons, 14 
 
 EtcM"^-- o- P'potojravures, and'a Series of Full-page Plates. 21s. 
 Artistic Anatomy. Bv Prof. M. Duv.\L- Cheap Editum. 3s. 6d. 
 iLstronomy. The Dawn of. A Study of the Temple Worship and Mythology of 
 
 the Ancient Eg>T5ti.^n3. By Professor J. N0R.MAN LoCKYER, C.B., F.R.S., &c. 
 
 Illustrated. 21s, ... - . ^.r .. •»!. 
 
 Atlas, The Universal. A New and Complete General .-Mlas of the \\ orld, with 
 11- Pases cf .Maps, handsomely oroduced in Colours, and a Complete Index to about 
 ••'; cco'^Xames. List of Maps. Prices and all particulars on application. 
 
 Bashiirtseff. Marie, The Journal ot Translated by Mathilde Blind. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Bashkiitsefif, Marie. The Letters oL Translated by Mary J. Serr.-vno. 7s. 6d. 
 
 "Belle Sauvage Library, The. Cloth, 2s. {A compute list of the volumes post 
 
 Beetles, Butterflies. Moths, and other Insects. By A. W. Kappel. F.US., 
 
 F E.S., and \V. Egmont KiKi.Y. With 12 Coloured Plates. 3s. 6d. 
 Biographical Dictionary. Cassell's New. Containing Memoirs of the Most 
 
 Eninent Men and Women of all .\jes and Countries. Cheap Edition. J*-^*^- 
 
 Birds' Nests, British : How, Where, and When to Find and Identify Them. 
 By R. Kearton. With nearly 130 Illustrations of Nests, Eggs, \oung, etc, from 
 Photographs by C, Keartox. 21s. . • 1. 
 
 Birds' Nests, Eggs, and Egg-CoUecting. By R. Kearton. lUusirated with 
 
 !C Coloured Plates of Eggs. 5s. .^ _ j i». • 
 
 Britain s Roll of Glory; or, the Victoria Cross, its Heroes, and their 
 
 Valour. Bv P. H. Parry. Illustrated. 7s. od. 
 British Ballads.' 27^ Original Illustrations. Two Vols. Cloth, 15s. 
 British Battles on 'Land and Sea. By James Grant. ^ With about 800 
 
 Illustrations. Four Vols. i,\.o. i\ \zs.\ Library E.iitioK.'?oxa'^o\i., £.1. 
 
 Browning, An Introduction to the Study o£ By .Arthur Symons. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Butterflies and Moths, European. BvW. F. Kikfy. With 61 Coloured Plates. 35s. 
 Canaries and Cage-Birds, The Illustrated Book ot By W. A. Blasston, 
 
 W. S-.vavsla.M'. and A. F. Wie.ser. With 56 Fac-siraile Coloured Plates. 35s. 
 
 Captain Horn, The Adventures of. Bv Frank Stockton. 6s. 
 
 Capture of the 'Estrella," The. By Com.mander Claud Harding, R.N. 5s. 
 
 Carnation Manual. The. Edited and Issued by the National Carnation and 
 
 Picotee Society i Southern Section). 3s. 6d. 
 Cassell's Family Magazine. Vearlv Volume. Illustrated. 7s. od. 
 Cathedrals, Abbeys, and Churches of England and Wales. Descriptive, 
 
 Historical. Pictorial. Fofuiar Edizicn. Two \"ols. :;5S. 
 
 Cats and Kittens. By Henriette Ronner. With Portrait and 13 magnificent 
 
 F-.,U-pa-e Photosra%-ure Plates and numerous Illustrations. 4to, {,^ los. 
 
 Cavour. Coiint, and Madame de Circourt. Translated by A. J. Butler, ios. 6d, 
 China Painting. Bv Florence Lewis. With SLxteen Coloured Plates, &c. 5s. 
 Choice Dishes at Small Cost. By A. G. P.wne. Cheap Edition, is. 
 Chums. » The Illuitnited Paper for Bo>-s. Yearly Volume, 8.s. 
 Cities of the World. Four \'oIs. Illustrated. ' 7s. od. each. 
 Civil Service, Guide to Employment in the. Entirely Xcio Edition. Paper, 
 IS. ; cloth, IS. (A. '
 
 Selections from Cassell «fc Company s Publications. 
 
 Clinical Manuals for Practitioners and Students of Medicine. {A List of 
 
 Volumes yorTi'araed pozt free on application to the fubliihen ) 
 
 Cobden Club. Works pubUshed for the. {A Complete List on application ) 
 Colonist s Medical Handbook, The. By E. Alfred Barton MR C S is. 
 Colour. By Prof. A. H. Church. New and Enlarged Edition, ■is. 6A. 
 Columbus, The Career of. By Charles Elton, F.S.A, ios. 6d 
 Combe, George, The Select Works of. Issued by Authority of the Combe 
 
 1 rustees. Popular Edition, is. each, net. 
 
 The CoDBtitution of Man. Moral Philosophy. Science and aeliglon. 
 Discussions on Education. American Notes. 
 
 Commons and Forests, English. By the Rl Hon. G. Shaw-Lefevee, M.P. 
 
 Conquests of the Cross. Edited by Edwin Hodder. With numerous Original 
 
 Illustrations. Complete in Three Vols. gs. each. 
 Cookery, A Year's. By Phyllis Browne. New and Enlarged Edition cis. 6d. 
 Cookery Book, CasseU's New Universal By Lizzie Heritage. With 12 
 
 Coloured Plates and other Illustrations, i, 344 pages, strongly bound in leather eilt. 6s 
 Cookery, Cassell s Popular. With Four Coloured Plates. Cloth gilt 2s 
 Cookery, Cassell's Shilling, iz^tk. Thousand, is. e. • • 
 
 Cookery, Vegetarian. By A. G. Payne, is. 6d, 
 
 Cooking by Gas, The Art o£ Bv Marie J. Sugg. Illustrated. Cloth 2S 
 Cottage Garaening. Edited by W. Robinson, F.L.S. Illustrated. 'Half- 
 yearly \ o!>., II.. III., v., and VI., 2s. Cd. each. Vol. IV., 3s. 
 
 Countries of the World, The. By Dr. Robert Brown, F.L.S. In Six Vols., 
 
 w;tn about 730 Illustrations. 7s. 6d. each. Cheap Edition. Vol. I. 6s 
 Cyclopaedia, Cassell's Concise. Brought do\ra to the latest date. With about 
 
 t'^j Illustrations, .'.'cvj a?id Cheap Edition, 7s. 6d. 
 Cyclopedia, CasseU's Miniature. Containing 30,000 Subjects. Cloth, 2s. 6d. ; 
 
 half-roxburgh, 43. 
 
 Diidd Balfour, The Adventures of. By R. L. Stevenson. lUustrated. 
 
 Two Vols. 63. each. 
 
 Part L— Kidnapped. Part 2.— Catrioua. 
 
 Defoe, Daniel, The Life of. By Thomas Wright. lUustrated. 21s. 
 Dictionaries. (For description see alphabetical letter. ) Religion, Biographical, 
 
 Encyclopedic, Mechanical, English, English Literature, Domestic. (French, German, 
 
 and Latin, see with Educational IVorks.) 
 Diet and Cookery for Common Ailments. By a Fellow of the Royal College 
 
 of Physicians, and P.hvllis Bro '.'.•;.•£. =5. 
 
 Dog, Illustrated Book of the. By Vero Shaw, B.A. With 28 Coloured 
 
 Piates. Cloth beveiied, 35s. ; half-morocco, 4=5. 
 Domestic Dictionary, The. .An Encyclopaedia for the Houseliold. Cloth, 7s. 6d. 
 Dore Don Quixote, The. With about 400 Illustrations by Gustave Dore. 
 
 Clteap Kaizton, bevelled boards, gilt edges. los. 6d. 
 
 Dore Gallery, The. With 250 Illustrations by Gustave DoRf. 410, 42s. 
 Dore s Dante's Inferno. Illustrated by Gustave Dore. Popular Edition. 
 With Preface bv A. J. Butler. Cloth gilt or buckram, 7s. ed. 
 
 Dor6's Dante's Purgatory and Paradise. Illustrated by Gustave Dore. 
 
 Clieap Edition, -s. 6d. 
 
 Dore's Milton's Paradise Lost Illustrated by Gustave Dok£. 410, 21s. 
 
 Popular Edition. Clotn gilt, or buckram gilt. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Dressmaking, Modem. The Elements of. By J. E. Davis. Illustrated. 2s. 
 Earth, Our, and its Story. Edited by Dr. Robert Brown, F.L.S. With 
 
 ji Co.ourec P;.Mes aud 740 Wood Engravings. Complete in Three Vols. 9s. each. 
 Edinburgh, Old and New, Cassell's. With 600 Illustrations. Three Vols. 
 
 9s. eacn ; iitirary binding, £,\ 105. the set. 
 
 Egypt : Descriptive, Historical, and Picturesque. By Prof. G. Ebers. 
 
 Translated bv Cl.^ra Bell, with Notes by Samuel Birch, LL.D.,&c. TwoVols. 42s. 
 Electric Current, The. How Produced and How Used- By R. Mullineux 
 
 ^\■ALM-:.t:-|•. Ij.Sc, &c. Illustrated. los. 6d. 
 Electricity, Practical By Prof. W. E. .^yrto.v. Illustrated. Cloth, 7s. 6d. 
 Electricity in the Service of Blan. A Popular and Practical Treatise. With 
 
 ';i'Aards 0:' 15:/ Llustrations. '.'c-iu and Reidsed Edition, los. €<!. 
 
 EmplojTnent for Boys on Leaving School, Guide ta By W. S B»i>hd, 
 
 F.R.G..S. IS. fd. 
 Encyclopaedic Dictionary, The. Complete in Fourteen Divisional Vols. , los. od. 
 each; or Seven Vcl";., half-morocco, 21s. each ; half-russia, 25s. each.
 
 Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications. 
 
 England, Cassell's Illustrated History of. With upwards of 2,000 Illustra- 
 tions. Ne7v and Revised Edition. Complete in Eight Vols., 9s. each ; cloth gilt, 
 and embossed gilt top and headbanded, £n net the set. 
 
 English Dictionary, Cassell's. Containing Definitions of upwards of 100,000 
 Words and Phrases. Cheap Edition, 3s. 6d. ; Superior Edition, 5s. 
 
 English Literature, Library ot By Prof. H. Morley. In 5 Vols. 7s. 6d. each. 
 English Literature, Morley' s First Sketch of. Keznsed Edition, 7s. 6d. 
 English Literature, The Story of. By ANxNA Buckland. 3s. 6d. 
 English Writers from the Earliest Period to Shakespeare. By Henry 
 
 MoRLEV. Eleven Vols. 5s. each. 
 JEsop's Fables. Illustrated by Ernest Griset. Cheap Edition. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; 
 
 bevelled boards, gilt edges, 55. . , ■ t 
 
 Etiquette of Good Society. Neiu Edition. Edited and Revised by Lady 
 
 Colin Campbell, is. ; cloth, is. 6d. 
 Europe, CasseU's Pocket Guide to. Leather, 6s. 
 Fairy Tales Far and Near. Retold by Q. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. 
 Fairway Island. By Horace Hutchinson. 3s. 6d. 
 Faith Doctor, The. A Novel. By Dr. Edward Eggleston. 6s. 
 Family Physician. By Eminent Physicians and Surgeons. Cloth. 21s. ; 
 
 roxburgh, 25s. 
 
 Fiction, Cassell's Popular Library of. 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 The Snare of the Fowler. By Mrs. .Alex- 
 ander. 
 Out of the Jaws of Death. By Frank 
 
 BARRETT. 
 
 Fourteen to One, &c. By Elizabeth 
 
 STUART PHELPS. 
 The Medicine Lady. By L. T. MEADE. 
 Leona. By Mrs. MOLESWORTH. 
 Father Stafford. A Novel. By ANTHONY 
 
 HOPE. 
 Dr.Dumany's Wife By Maurus JoKAL 
 
 Field Naturalist's Handbook, The. By Revs. J. G. Wood and Theodore 
 
 Wood. Cheap Edition, 2s. 6d. 
 Figuier's Popular Scientific Works. With Several Hundred Illustrations in 
 each. 3s. 6d. each. 
 The Insect World. I Keptiles and Birds. I The Vegetable World. 
 
 The Human Kace. I Mammalia, I Oceau World. 
 
 The World before the Deluge. 
 
 Figure Painting in Water Colours. With 16 Coloured Plates. 7s. 6d. 
 Flora's Feast. A Masque of Flowers. Penned and Pictured by Walter 
 
 Crane. With 40 pages in Colours. 5s. 
 Flower Painting, Elementary. With Eight Coloured Plates. 3s. 
 Flowers, and How to Paint Them. By Maud Naftel. With Coloured Plates. 5s. 
 Football: the Rugby Union Game. Edited by Rev. F. Marshall. Illustrated. 
 
 Ne'M and Eniars;ed Edition. 7s. fid. 
 
 For Glory and Renown. By D. H. Parry. Illustrated. 5s. 
 
 Fossil ReptUes, A History of British. By Sir Richard Owen, F.R.S., &c. 
 
 With 268 Plates. In Four Vols. £12 12s. 
 
 France, From the Memoirs of a Minister of. By Stanley Weyman. 6s. 
 Franco-German War, Cassell's History of the. Complete in Two Vols., 
 
 containing about 50D Illustrations, gs. each. 
 Eraser, John Drummond. By Philalethes. A Story of Jesuit Intrigue in 
 the Church of England. Cheafi Edition, is. 6d. 
 
 Free Lance in a Far Land, A. By Herbert Compton. 6s. 
 
 Garden Flowers, Familiar. By Shirley Hibbekd. With Coloured Plates by 
 
 F. E. Hi'LME, F.L.S. Complete in Five Series. Cloth gilt, 12s. 6d. each. 
 Gardening, Cassell's Popular. Illustrated. Complete in Four Vols. 5s. each. 
 Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, Cassell's. \\ith numerous Illustrations 
 
 and Maps in Colours. Vols. I. and II. 7s. 6d. each. 
 
 George Saxon, The Reputation of. By Morlf.y Roberts, ss. 
 
 '•La Bella," and others. By ECERTON 
 
 Castle. 
 A Blot of Ink. Translated by Q. and PAUL 
 
 M. FRANCKE. 5S. 
 
 The Avenger of Blood. By J. Maclaren 
 
 Cobban. 
 A Moderu Dick Whittington. By James 
 
 Pavn. 
 The Man in Black. By SrANLEV Wevman. 
 The Doings of Kaffles Haw. By A. Conan 
 
 DOYLE.
 
 Selections from Cassell «fc Company's Fubluations. 
 
 Gladstone, Tlie Right Hon. W. E , M. P., Life of. Profusely Illustrated, is. 
 Gleanings from Popular Authors. Two Vols. With Original lUustrationi 
 
 gs. each. Two Vols, in One, 15s. 
 
 Gulliver's Travels. With 88 Engravings. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; cloth gilt, 5s. 
 Gun and its Development, The. By W. W. Greener. Illustrated. los. 6d. 
 Guns, Modern Shot. By W. W. Greener. Illustrated. 5s. 
 Health, The Book of. By Eminent Physicians and Surgeons. Cloth, 21s. 
 Heavens, The Story of the. By Sir Robert Stawell Ball, LL.D., F.R.S. 
 
 With Coloured Plates and Wood Engravings. Popular Edition, 12s. 6d. 
 Heroes of Britain in Peace and War. With 300 Original Illustrations. Cheap 
 
 Edition. Two Vols. 3s. 6d. each ; or Two Vols, in One, cloth gilt, 7s. 6d. 
 
 Hiram Golfs Religion ; or, the Shoemaker by the Grace of God. 2s. 
 Hispaniola Plate (1683-1893). By John Bloundelle-Burton. 6s. 
 Historic Houses of the United Kingdom. With Contributions by the Rev. Pro- 
 fessor Bo.N'XEV, F.R.S. , and others. Profusely Illustrated. los. 6d. 
 History,A Footnote to. EightYears of Trouble in Samoa. ByR. L. Stevenson. 6s. 
 Home Life of the Ancient Greeks, The. Translated by Alice Zlmmern. 
 
 Illustrated. Cheap Edition. 5s. 
 
 Horse, The Book of the. By Samuel Sidney. With 17 Full-page Collotype 
 
 Plates of Celebrated Horses of the Day, and numerous other Illustrations. Cloth, 15s. 
 Horses and Dogs. By O. Eerelman. With Descriptive Te.xt. Translated 
 from the Dutch by Clara Bell. With Author's portrait and Fifteen Full-page and 
 other Illustrations. 25s. net. 
 
 Houghton, Lord : The Life, Letters, and Friendships of Richard Monckton 
 
 Mllnes, First Lord Houghton. By Sir Wemvss Reid. Two Vols. 32s. 
 Household, Cassell's Book of the. Illustrated. Complete in Four Vols. 5s. each; 
 
 or Four Vols, in Two, half-morocco, 25s. 
 
 Hygiene and Public Health. By B. Arthur Whitelegge, M. D. Illustrated. 
 
 New and Revised Edition. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Impregnable City, The. By M.\x Pemberton. 6s. 
 
 India, Cassell's History of. By James Grant. With 400 Illustrations. Two 
 
 Vols., 9s. each, or One Vol., 15s. 
 
 In-door Amusements, Card Games, and Fireside Fvin, Cassell's Book of. 
 
 With numerous Illustrations. Cheap Edition. Cloth, 2s. 
 
 Iron Pirate, The. By Max Pemberton. Illustrated. 5s. 
 Island Nights' Entertainments. By R. L. Stevenson. Illustrated, 6s. 
 Italy from the Fall of Napoleon I. in 1815 to 1890. By J. W. Probyn. 3s, 6d. 
 Kennel Guide, PracticaL By Dr. Gordon Stables. Illustrated. Cheap Edition, is. 
 Khiva, A Ride to. Travels and Adventures in Central Asia. By Col. Fred 
 
 BuRNABV. New Edition. With Portrait and Seven Illustrations. 3s. 6d. 
 King George, In the Days of. By Col. Percy Groves. Illustrated, is. 6d. 
 King's Hussar, A. Memoirs of a Troop Sergeant-Major of the 14th (King's) 
 
 Hussars. Edited by Herbert Compton. 6s. 
 Ladies' Physician, The. By a London Physician. Cheap Edition, Revised and 
 
 Enlarged. 3s. 6d. 
 Lady's Dressing Room, The. Translated from the French by L.\dy Colin 
 
 Campbell. 3s. 6d. 
 Lady Biddy Fane, The Admirable. By Frank Barrett. New Edition. 
 
 With 12 FuU-page Illustrations. 6s. 
 
 Lake Dwellings of Europe. By Robert Munro, M.D., M.A. Cloth, 31s. 6d. 
 Letters, The Highway of ; and its Echoes of Famous Footsteps. By Thomas 
 
 Archer. Illustrated, ids. 6d. 
 
 Letts's Diaries and other Time-saving Publications are now published exclu- 
 sively by Cassell & Companv. (A List sent post free on applicatio?i.) 
 
 'Llsbeth. A Novel. By Leslie Keith. Cheap Edition. One Vol. 6s. 
 
 List, ye Landsmen ! A Romance of Incident. By W. Clark Russell. 6s. 
 
 Little Minister, The. By J. M. Barrie. Illustrated Edition, 6s. 
 
 Little Squire, The. A Story of Three. By Mrs. Henry de la Pasture. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Lobengula, Three Years with, and Experiences in South Africa. By J. 
 Cooper-Chadwick. Cheap Edition. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Locomotive Engine, The Biography of a. By Henry Frith. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Loftus, Lord Augustus, P.O., G.C.B., The Diplomatic Reminiscences o£ First 
 
 Series. With Portrait. Two Vols. 32s. Second Series. Two Vols. 32s. 
 London, Greater. By Edward Walford. Two Vols. With about 400 
 Illustrations, gs. each. Library Edition. Two Vols. £\ the set. 
 
 London, Old and New. By Walter Thornbury and Edward Walford. 
 
 Six Vols., with about 1,200 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. each. Library Edition, £3.
 
 Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications. 
 
 Medical Handbook of Life Assurance. By James Edward Pollock, M.D., 
 
 and Tames Chisholm. Nei-v and Revised Edition. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Medicine, Manuals for Students of. {A List forwarded post free on application.') 
 Modern Europe, A History of. By C. A. Fyffe, M.A. Cheap Editio?i in One 
 
 I'olume, los. 6d. ; Libraty Edition, Illustrated, 3 vols , 7s. 6d. each. 
 
 Music, Illustrated History of. By Emil Naumann. Edited by the Rev. 
 
 Sir F. A. GoRi! Ol^selev, Bart. Illu'^trated. Two Vols. 31s. 6d. 
 National Library, Cassell's. Consisting of 214 Volumes. Paper covers, 3d. ; 
 
 cloth. 6J. (.-i Com/'lete List 0/ the l^oliiines post free on application.) 
 
 Natural History, Cassell's Concise. By E. Perceval Wright, M.A., M.D., 
 F.L.S. With several Hundred Illustrations. 7s. 6d. ; also kept half-bound. 
 
 Nattiral History, Cassell's New. Edited by P. Martin Dunxan, M.B.; F.R.S., 
 F.G.S. Cornplete in Six Vols. With about 2,000 Illustrations. Cloth, qs. each. 
 
 Nature's Wonder Workers. By K.\te R. Lovell. Illustrated. 3s. 6d; 
 
 Nelson, The Life of. By Robert Southey. Illustrated with Eight Plates. 3s. 6d. 
 
 New Zealand, Pictorial. With Preface by Sir W. B. Perceval, K.C.M.G. 
 
 Illustrated. 6-;. 
 
 Nursing for the Home and for the Hospital, A Handbook of. By Catherine 
 
 J. Wood. Cheaf' Edition, is. 6d. ; cloth, 2s. 
 Nursing of Sick Children, A Handbook for the. By Catherine J.Wood. 2S. 6d. 
 Old Dorset. Chapters in the History of the County. By H. J. MoULE, M.A. los. 6d. 
 Old Maids and Young. By Elsa D'Esterre- Keeling. 6s. 
 Old Boy's Yarns, An. By Harold Avery. With 8 Plates. 3s. 6d. 
 Our Own Country. Six Vols. With 1,200 Illustrations. Cloth, 7s. 6d. each. 
 Painting, The English School of. By Ernest Chesneau. Cheap Edition, 3s. 6d. 
 Paris. Old and New. Profusely Illustrated. Complete in Two Volumes. 
 
 QS. each, or silt eda;es. los. 6d. each. 
 
 Peoples of the World, The. By Dr. Robert Brown, F.L.S. Complete in Six 
 
 \'oIs- With Illustratiops. ys. 6d. each. 
 
 Photography for Amateurs. ByT. C. Hepworth. Illustrated, is. ; cloth, is. 6d. 
 Phrase and Fable, Dr. Brewer's Dictionary of. Giving the Derivation, Source, 
 
 or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words that have a Tale to Tell. 
 
 En'irelv New and Enlars^ed Edituu. los. 6d. 
 
 Physiology for Students, Elementary. By Alfred T. Schofield, M.D., 
 
 jM.R.C.S. With Two Coloured Pl.-ites and numerous Illustrations. Xezu Edition. 5s. 
 Picturesque America. Complete in Four \'ols.. with 48 Exquisite Steel Plates, 
 and about Soo Original Wood Engravings. £2 2S. each. Popular Edition, Vols. 
 I. and II., price i8s. each. 
 
 Picturesque Canada. Withabout6ooOriginalIllustrations. Two Vols. ^^6 6s. theset. 
 
 Picturesque Europe. Complete in Five Vols. Each containing 13 Exquisite Steel 
 Plates, from Original Drawings, and nearly 200 Original lllustr.itions. £21 ; half- 
 morocco, ;£3i los. ; morocco gilt, ;^52 los. Popular Edition. In Five Vols. i8s. each. 
 
 Picturesque Mediterranean, "The. With a Series of Magnificent Illustrations 
 I'rom Original Designs bv leading Artists of the day. Two Vols. Cloth, ;t2 2s. each. 
 
 Pigeon Keeper, The Practical. By Lewis Wright. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. 
 Pigeons, Fulton's Book of. Edited by Lewis Wright. Revised, Enlarged 
 
 and Supplemented by the Rev. W. F. LuMLEV. With 50 Full-page Illustrations. 
 
 Pc/-:iiay Edition. In One Vol., los. 6d. 
 
 Planet, The Story of Our. By the Rev. Prof. Bonney, F.R.S., &c. With 
 Coloured Plates and Maps and about 100 Illustrations. 31s. 6d. 
 
 Pocket Library, Cassell's. Cloth, is. 4d. each. 
 
 The Little Huguenot. By MAX PnMUERTON. 
 
 A King's Diary. By Percy White. 
 A Wliite Baby. By James Welsh. 
 
 A Wliirl Asunder. By UERiRUDE AlHER- 
 TON. 
 
 Lady Bonnie's Experiment. By Tighe Hopkins. 
 Polytechnic Series, The. Practical Illustrated Manuals. {A List will be 
 
 sent on appUcation.) 
 
 Pomona's Travels. By Frank R. Stockton. Illustrated. 55. 
 
 Portrait Gallery, Cassell's UniversaL Containing 240 Portraits of Celebrated 
 
 Men and 'Women of the Day. With brief Memoirs and /acsiinite Autographs. 
 
 Cloth, 6s. 
 Portrait Gallery, The Cabinet. Complete in Five Series, each containing 36 
 
 Cabinet Photographs of Eminent Men and Women of the day. 15s. each. 
 Poultry Keeper, The PracticaL By Lewis Wright. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. 
 Poultry, The Book of. By Lewis ^^■RIGHT. Popular Edition. Illustrated. los. 6d, 
 Poultry, The Illustrated Book of. By Lewis Wright. With Fifty Exquisite 
 
 Coloured Plates, and numerous Wood Engravings. Rezised Edition. Cloth, gilt 
 
 edges, price on application ; half-morocco, £2 2s.
 
 Selections from Cassell <k Company's Publications. 
 
 "Punch," The History of. By M. H. Spielmann. With nearly 170 Illustra- 
 tions, Portraits, and Facsimiles. Cloth, i6s. ; Large Paper Edition, £2 2s. net. 
 
 Prison Princess, A. By M.\jor Arthur Griffiths. 6s. 
 Q's Works, Uniform Edition of. 5s. each. 
 
 Dead Man's Rock. I The Astonistaine History of Troy Town. 
 
 The Splendid Spur. I "I Saw Three Shipe," and other Winter's Tales. 
 
 The Blue Pavilions. | Noughts and Crosses. 
 
 The Delectable Duchy. Stories, Studies, and Sketches. 
 
 Queen Summer ; or, The Tourney of the Lily and the Rose, 
 
 Portrayed by Walter Crane. With 40 pages in Colours. 6s. 
 
 Queen, The People's Life of their. By Rev. E. J. Hardy, M.A. 
 Queen Victoria, The Life and Times of. By Robert Wilson. 
 
 2 Vols. With numerous Illustrations, gs. each. 
 Queen's Scarlet, The. By G. Manville Fenn. Illustrated. 55. 
 Rabbit-Keeper, The Pract'icaL By Cuniculus. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. 
 Railway Guides, Oflacial Illustrated. With Illustrations on nearly every page. 
 
 Maps, &c. Paper covers, is.; cloth, 2S. 
 
 Penned and 
 
 IS. 
 
 Complete in 
 
 London and North Western Railway. 
 Great Western Railway. 
 3Iidland Railway. 
 Great Northern Railway. 
 
 Railway Guides, Official Illustrated. 
 
 covers, 3d. each. 
 Great Eastern Railway. 
 London and North W^estern Railway. 
 
 Railway Library, Cassell's. Crown 8vo, boards, 2s. each. 
 
 Great Eastern Railway. 
 London and South W^estern Railway. 
 London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. 
 South Eastern Railway. 
 
 Abridged and Popular Editions. Paper 
 
 I London and South Western Railway. 
 London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. 
 
 Metzerott, Shoemaker. By Katharine P. 
 \\'oods. 
 
 By W.C 
 
 Jack Gordon, Knight Errant. 
 
 Hudson (Barclay North). 
 
 The Diamond Button : WTiose Was It? 
 By W. C. Hudson (Barclay North). 
 
 Wlio is John Noman ? By C. Henry Beckett. 
 The Tragedy of Brinkwater. By Martha 
 L. Moodey. 
 
 An American Penman. By Julian Haw- 
 
 tliorne. 
 Section 558; or. The Fatal Letter. By 
 
 Julian Hawthorne. 
 
 A Tragic Mystery. By Julian Hawthorne. 
 The Great Bank Robbery. By Julian 
 
 Hawthorne. 
 
 David Todd. By David Maclure. 
 
 Commodore Junk. By G. Manville Fenn. 
 
 St. Cuthbert's Tower. By Florence War- 
 den. 
 
 The Man with a Thumb. By W. C. Hud- 
 son (Barclay North). 
 
 By Right Not Law. By R. Sherard. 
 
 Within Sound of the Weir. By Thomas 
 St. E. Hake. 
 
 Under a Strange Mask. By Frank Barrett. 
 
 The CoombsberrowMystery. ByJ.ColwaU. 
 
 A Queer Race. By AW Westall. 
 
 Railways, Our. Their Origin, Development, Incident, and Romance. By 
 John Pe.mdleton. Illustrated. 2 Vols., demy Svo, 24s. 
 
 Red Terror, The. A Story of the Paris Commune. By Edward King. Illus- 
 trated. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Rivers of Great Britain : . Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial. 
 
 The Royal River : Tlie Thames from Source to Sea. Popular Edition, i6s. 
 
 Rivers of the East Coast. With highly-finished Engravings. Popular Edition, i6s. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe. CasselTs A'ew Fine-Art Edition. With upwards of 100 
 
 Origmal Illustrations, ys. 6d. 
 Romance, The World of. Illustrated. One Vol., cloth, 9s. 
 Ronner, Henriette, The Painter of Cat-Life and Cat-Character. By M, H. 
 
 SriEL.MANN. Containing a Series of beautiful Phototype Illustrations. 12s. 
 Royal Academy Pictures, 1895. With upwards of 200 magnificent reproductions 
 
 of Pictures in the Royal .Academy of 1895. 7s. 6d. 
 Russo-Turkish War, Cassell's History of. With about 500 Illustrations. Two 
 
 Vols., 95. each ; library binding. One Vol., 15s. 
 
 Sala, George Augustus, The Life and Adventures of. By Himself. In Two 
 
 Vols. 3?s. 
 
 Saturday Journal, Cassell's. Illustrated throughout. Yearly Vol., 7s. 6d. 
 Scarabssus. Ihe Story of an African Beetle. By The Marquise Clara 
 
 Lanza and Jaimes Clarence Har\ey. Cheap Edition, 3s. fd. 
 Science for All. Edited by Dr. Robert Brown, M.A., F.L.S., &c. RezinJ 
 
 Edition. With 1,^00 Illustrations. Five Vols. gs. each. 
 Science Series, The "Century. Consisting of Biographies of Eminent Scientific 
 « Men of the present Century. Edited by Sir Henry Roscoe, D.C.L., F.R.S., M.P. 
 
 Crown Svo, 3s. 6d. each. 
 John Dalton and the Rise of Modern Chemistry. By Sir Henry E. Roscoe. F.R.S. 
 Major Rennel), P.R.S., and the Rise of English Geography. By CLEMENTS R. MARK- 
 
 HAM, C B., F.K.S.. President of ihe Royal GcoL;r.ipliical Society. 
 Justus Von Liebig : His Lite and Work. By W. A. SlltNSTONii. 
 The Herseliels and Modern Astronomy. By Miss AG.VES M. Clbrkb. 
 Charles Lyell and Modem Geology. By Professor T. G. Bonnev, l-.R.S.
 
 Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications. 
 
 Scotland, Picturesque and Traditional. A Pilgrimage with Staff and 
 
 sea, ^e^^Story of^tfe.'^'Anlndrdy New and Original Work. Edited by Q. 
 
 Illustrated. Vol. I. gs. 
 Sea-Wolves The. By Max Pemberton. Illustrated. 6s. 
 Shadow of a Song, The. A Novel. By Cecil Hakley. ss. , „ ^ 
 iSaftelbSy! The Seventh Earl of. KG., The Life and Work ot By Edwin 
 
 HoDDER Illustrated. Chea/> Edition, -iS. bd. ,,, ^ 
 
 Shakespe^e Cassell's Quaxto Edition. Edited by Charles and Mary Cowden 
 
 Clarke and containing about 600 Illustrations by H. C. Selo us Complete in 
 Three Vols cloth zi\U £-^ 3s.— A.lso published in Ihree separate Vols., in cloth, 
 ^^z --The ComedJ Jxs^t The H.stor.cai..Plavs x8s^ 6d. ; Th. TRAGEm.s 25s. 
 
 Shakespeare. The England of. New Edition. By E. Goadby. With. Full- 
 page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 224 pages, 2S. 6d. /- 1 . •„ 
 
 Shakespeare, The Plays of. Edited by Prof. Henry Morley. Complete in 
 
 Thirteen Vols. Cloth, in box, 2is^; half-morocco, cloth sides, 42s. 
 
 Shakspere, The International Edition de luxe. ,. ,. v 
 
 King Henry VIII. By Sir James Linton, P.R.I. [Price on application.) 
 
 Othello. Illustrated by Frank DicicsEE, R..-V. jCs los. 
 
 King Henry IV. Illustrated by Herr Eduard Grutzner. £3 los. 
 
 As You Like It. Illustrated by the late Mons. Emile Bavard. ^3 los. 
 Shakspere The Leopold. With 400 Illustrations, and an Introduction by !•. J. 
 
 FuRNi'vALL. Cheap Edition, ^%. 6A. Cloth gilt, gilt edges, 5s ;roxburgh, 7s. 6d. 
 Shakspere, The RoyaL With Exquisite Steel Plates and Wood Engravings. 
 
 Sketches^TheArt^orMaking and Using, trom the French of G. Fraipont. 
 By Clara Bell. With Fifty Illustrations. 2S. 6d. , t * a^ n , 
 
 Smuggling Days and Smuggling Ways ; or, The Story of a Lost Art By 
 
 Commander the Hon. Henry N. Shore, R.N. Illustrated Cloth, 7s. 6d. 
 Social England. A Record of the Progress of the People. By various writers. 
 
 Edited by H. D. Traill, D.C.L. Vols. I., II., and HI-, 'Ss. each. Vol. IV., 17s. 
 Soaial Welfare, Subjects of. By Lord Playfair, K.C.B.. &c. 7s. 6d. 
 Sorrow, The Highway of. By Hesba Stketton and a well-known Russian 
 
 Sports'^'and Pastimes, Cassell's Complete Book ol. C/uap Edition, 3s. 6d. 
 
 Squire, The. Bv Mrs. Parr. Cheap Edition in one Vol., 6s. 
 
 Standishs Of High Acre, The. A Novel By Gilbert Sheldon. Two Vols. 21s. 
 
 Star-Land. Bv Sir Robert Stawell Ball, LL.D., &c. Illustrated. 6s. 
 
 Statesmen, Past and Future. 6s. 
 
 Story of Francis Cludde, The. A Novel. By Stanley J. Weyman 6s. 
 
 Sun, The Story of the. By Sir Robert Stawell Ball, LL.D., F. R.S., F. R. A.S. 
 
 ' With Eight Coloured Plates and other Illustrations. 21s. 
 
 Sunshine Series, Cassell's. In Vols. is. each. A List post free on application. 
 
 Sybil Knox; or, Home Again. A Story of To-day. By E. E. Hale. 6s. 
 
 Taxation, Municipal, at Home and Abroad. By J. J. O'Meara. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Thackeray in America, With. By Eyre Ckovve, A.R.A. Illustrated. los. 6d. 
 
 Thames, The TidaL Bv Grant .-^llen. With India Proof Impressions of 20 
 Magnificent Full-page Photogravure Plates, and many other Illustrations, after 
 original drawings by W. L. Wvllie, A.R.A. Half-morocco, gilt, gilt edges, £s is'^- 6d. 
 
 The "Belle Sauvage" Library. Cloth, 2s. each. -A Complete List of the 
 
 Volumes post free on application. ,,, , ,• ■ 
 
 The Short Story Library, ss. each. List of Vols, on application. 
 Things I have Seen and People I have Known. By G. A. Sala. With Portrait 
 
 and .Autograph. 2 Vols. 21s. 
 
 Thorough Good Cook, The. By George Augustus Sala. 21s. 
 
 To Punish the Czar : A Story of the Crimea. By Horace Hutchinson. 
 
 Illustrated, ^s. 6d. . _ , . „, , 
 
 "Treasure Island "' Series, The. Cheap Illustrated Edition. Cloth, 3s. 6d. each. 
 Treasure Island. By Robert Louis Stevemson. 
 The Master of BaUantrae. By Robert Louis STEVENSON. 
 
 The Black Arrow: A Tale ol the Two Roses. By Robert Louis STEVENSON. 
 King Solomon's Mines. By H. Rider Haggard. 
 
 Treatment, The Year-Book of, for 1896. A Critical Review for Practitioners of 
 
 Medicine and Surgery. Twelfth Vear of Issue. 7S. 6d. 
 Trees, Familiar. By Prof. G. S. Boulger, F.L.S., F.G.S. Two Series. With 
 
 Forty Full-page Coloured Plates by W. H. J. Boot. 12s. 6d. each. 
 
 Tuxter's Little Maid. By G. B. Burgin. 6s.
 
 Selections from Cassell <fe Company's Publications. 
 
 "Umcode": The Universal Telegraphic Phrase Book. Pocket or Desk 
 
 Edition. 2S. 6d. each. 
 
 United States, CasseU's History of the. By Edmund Ollier. With 600 Illus- 
 trations. Three Vols. 9s. each. 
 Universal History, CasseU's Illustrated. With nearly One Thous.\nd 
 
 Illustrations. Vol. I. Early and Greek History. — \'ol. II. The Roman Period. — 
 Vol. III. The Middle Aqes.— Vol. IV. Modern History, gs. each. 
 
 Verses, Wise or Otherwise. By Ellen Thokneycroft Fowler. 3s. 6d. 
 Vicar of Wakefield and other Works, by Oliver Goldsmith. Illustrated. 
 
 3s. 6d. ; cloth, gilt edges, 5s. 
 Wandering Heath. Short Stories. By Q. 6s. 
 War and Peace, Memories and Studies of. By Archibald Forbes. i6s. 
 
 Water-Colour Painting, A Course of. With Twenty-four Coloured Plates by 
 
 R. P. Leitch, and lull Instructions to the Pupil. 53. 
 
 Westminster Abbey, Annals of. By E. T. Bradley (Mrs. A. Murray Smith). 
 
 Illustrated. With a Preface by Dean Bradlev. 63s. 
 
 White Shield, The. By Bertram Mitkord. 6s. 
 
 Wild Birds, Familiar. By W. Svvaysland. Four Series. With 40 Coloured 
 
 Plates in each. (In sets only, price on application.) 
 Wild Flowers, Familiar. By F. E. Hulme, F.L.S., F.S.A. Five Series. With 
 
 40 Coloured Plates in each. (In sets only, price on application.) 
 
 Wild Flowers Collecting Book. In Six Parts, 4d. each. 
 
 Wild Flowers Drawing and Painting Book. In Six Parts. 4d. each. 
 
 Windsor Castle, The Governor's Guide to. By the Most Noble the Marquis 
 
 OF LoRNE, K.T. Profusely Illustrated. Limp cloth, is. Cloth boards, gilt edges. 2s. 
 World of Wit and Humour, Cassells New. With New Pictures and New 
 
 Text. 6s. 
 
 With Clajonore and Bayonet. By Col. Percy Groves. With 8 Plates. 5s. 
 Wood, The Life of the Rev. J. G. By his Son, the Rev. Theodore Wood, 
 
 With Portrait. Extra crown Svo, cloth. Cheap Edition. 3s. fid. 
 Work. The Illustrated Journal for Mechanics, New and Enlarged Series. 
 
 Vols. VTII. and IX. 4s. each. 
 " Work " Handbooks. A Series of Practical Manuals prepared under the Direc- 
 tion of Pall N. Hasluck, Editor of l^ork. Illustrated. Cloth, is. e.ach. 
 
 World Beneath the Waters, A. By Rev. Gerard B.\ncks. 3s. 6d. 
 World of Wonders, The. With 400 Illustrations. Two Vols. 7s. 6d. each. 
 Wrecker, The. By R. L. Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne. Illustrated. 6s. 
 Yule Tide. Cassell's Christmas Annual, is. 
 
 ILL USTRA TED MA GAZhXES. 
 Tlie Qltivet-, for Sumlay and Genei'itl Rfadliig. Monthly, fid. 
 
 CasselVs Famify Mcujazine. Monthly, 6d. 
 ** Little Folks'' 3Iaf/azine. Monthly, 6d. 
 
 The Maqazine of Art. With Three Plates. Monthly, is. 4d. 
 CasselVs Satardaif Jourital. Weekly, id. ; Monthly, 6d. 
 Chums. The Illustrated Paper for Boys. Weekly, id.; Monthly, 6d- 
 Work. Illustrated Journal for Mechanics. Weekly, id.; Monthly, 6d. 
 Buildutff World. A Practical Journal for All Interested in the 
 
 Building Trades. Weekly, id. ; Monthly, 6d. 
 Cottage Gardening. Illustrated. Weekly, ^d. ; Monthly, 3d. 
 
 "J' Full particulars of CASSELL & COMPANVS Monthly Serial PubUcations 
 wiltbe/oundin Cassell & Company's COMPLETE CATALOGUE. 
 
 Catalogues of Cassell & Company's Publications, which may be had at all 
 
 IJooksellers", or will be sent post free on application to the Publishers :— 
 Cassell's Complete Catalogue, containing particulars of upwards of One 
 
 Thousand Volumes. .,-,.,, 
 
 Cassell's Classified Catalogue, in which their Works are arranged according 
 
 to price, from Threepence to Fifty Guitteas. 
 Cassell's Educatio.nal Catalogue, containing particulars of Casseu' & 
 Company's Educational Works and Students' Manuals. 
 
 CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, Ludgate Hill, London.
 
 Selections from Cassell & Conipayiy's Publications. 
 
 libl^s anb lUUgious Mlorks. 
 
 Bible Biographies. Illustrated. 2S. 6d. each. 
 
 The Stor; of Joseph. Its Lessons for To-Day . By the Rev. GEORGE BaINTON. 
 Tvil StoVV of Moses and Joshua. By the Kev. J. Telford. 
 ?h^ Sto ? of Judges. By the Rev. J. WYCLIFFE Gfdce. 
 ?hl Itorv Of Samuel and Saul. By the Rev. D. C. To^•EY. 
 The Story of Tavid. By the Rev. J. WILD. 
 
 By J. R. MACDUFF, D.D. 
 
 With 900 Illustrations. 
 
 Leather, gill 
 By B. T. A. EVETTS, M.A. 
 With Illustrations, 
 
 The Story of Jesus. In Verse. 
 
 Bible, Cassell's Illustrated Family. 
 
 edges, ;{J2 los. ; full morocco, X.3 los. 
 
 Bible, The, and the Holy Land, New Light on. 
 
 Illustrated. Cloth, 21s. 
 Bible Educator, The. Edited by E. H. Plumptre, D.D. 
 
 iSIaps, &c. Four Vols., cloth, 6s. each. 
 
 Bible Manual, Cassell's Illustrated. By the Rev. Robert Hunter, LL.D. 
 
 Illustrated. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Bible Student in the British Museum, The. By the Rev. J. G. Kitchin, 
 
 M.A. Entirely Kew and Revised Edition, is. 4d. 
 
 Biblewomen and Nurses. Yearly Vol. , 3s. 
 
 Bunyan, Cassell's Illustrated. With 200 Original Illustrations. Cheap Edition, 
 
 Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Cassell's Illustrated). 4to. Cheap Edition, 3s. 6d. 
 Child's Bible, The. With 200 Illustrations. Demy 4to, 830 pp. 150M Thousand. 
 
 Cheap Edition, 7s. 6d. Superior Edition, with 6 Coloured Plates, gilt edges, 10s, 6d. 
 Child's Life of Christ, The. Complete in One Handsome Volume, with about 
 
 200 Orighial Illustrations. Cheap Edition, cloth, 7s. 6d. ; or with 6 Coloured Plates. 
 
 cloth, gUt edges, los. 6d. Demy 4to, gilt edges, 2is. 
 "Come, ye Children." By the Rev. Benjamin Waugh. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. 
 Commentary, The New Testament, for EngUsh Readers. Edited by the 
 
 Rt. Rev. C. J. Ellicott, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. In Three 
 
 Vols. 21S. each. 
 
 Vol. I.— The Four Gospels, , . „ , . 
 
 Vol II.— The Acts, Romans. Corinthians, G.ilatians. 
 \'nl. HI.— The i-eniaininp; Books of the New Testament. 
 
 Commentary, The Old Testament, for English Readers. Edited by the Rt. 
 Rev. C. J. Ellicott, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. Complete in 
 5 Vols. 2 IS. each. 
 Vol. I.— Genesis to Numbers. I Vol. III.-Kings I to Esther. 
 
 Vol II —Deuteronomy to Samuel II. I ^ 1- l\ .—Job to Isaiah. 
 
 Vol. v.— Jeremiah to Malaclii. 
 
 Commentary, The New Testament. Edited by Bishop Ellicott. 
 
 Volume Edition. Suitable for School and General Use. 
 3S. 6d. 
 
 Handy 
 
 St. Matthew. 
 St. Mark. 3s. 
 St. Luke. as. 6d. 
 St. John. 3s. 6d. 
 The Acts of the 
 35. 6d 
 
 I Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, 
 
 and James. ■?s. 
 Peter. Jude, and John. 3s. 
 The Kevelation. 3s. 
 An Introduction to the New 
 
 Testament. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Deuteronomy. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Romans. 2s. 6d. 
 Corinthians I. and II. 3s. 
 Galatians, Ephesiaus, and 
 Philippians. ^s. 
 Apostles. Colossians, Thessalonians, 
 J..-.-. 1 and Timothy. 3s. 
 
 Commentary, The Old Testament Edited by Bishop Ellicott. Handy Volume 
 
 Edition. Suitable for School and General Use. 
 Genesis. 3s. 60. 1 Leviticus. 3s. 
 
 Exodus. 3s. I Numbers, as. 6d. 
 
 Dictionary of Religion, The. An Encyclopedia of Christian and other 
 Religious Doctrines, Denominations, Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Terms, History, 
 Biography, &c. &c. By the Rev. William Benham, B.D. Cheap Edition, los. 6d. 
 Dore Bible. With 230 Illustrations by Gustave Dor6. Original Edition. 
 Two Vols., best morocco, gilt edges, £,\^. Popular Edition. With Full-page Illus- 
 trations. In One Vol. 155. Also in leather binding. (Price on application.) 
 Early Days of Christianity, The. By the Very Rev. Dean Farrar, D.D., F.R.S. 
 LiiiR.ARV Edition. Two Vols., 24s. ; morocco. ;C2 as. 
 
 Popular Edition. Complete in One Vol., cloth, 6s. ; cloth, gilt edges, 
 7s. 6d. ; Persian morocco, los. 6d. ; tree-calf, 15s. 
 Family Prayer-Book. The. Edited by the Rev. Canon Garpf.tt, M.A., and 
 
 tlie Rev. S. Martin-. With Full-pag-' Illustrations. New Edition. Cloth, 7s. 6d. 
 Gleanings after Harvest. Studies and Sketches. By the Rev. John R. Vernon, 
 M.A. Illustrated. 6s.
 
 I 
 
 Selections from Cassell <k Company's Publications. 
 
 "Graven in the Rock;" or, the Historical Accuracy of the Bible confirmed by 
 
 reference to the Assyrian and Es<yptian Sculptures in the British Museum and else- 
 "So where. By the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kinns, F.R.A.S., &c. &c. Illustrated, Library 
 Edition, in Two Volumes, cloth, with top edges gilded, 15s. 
 •Heart Chords." A Series of Works by Eminent Divines. Bound in cloth, red 
 edges, IS. each 
 
 My Growth in Divine Life. By the Rev. 
 
 Prebendary Reynolds, M.A. 
 My Hereafter. By the Very Rev. Dean Bicker- 
 
 ' stetli. 
 My Walk with God. By the Very Rev. Deau 
 
 Montgomery. 
 My Aids to the Divine Life. By the Very 
 
 Rev. Dean Boyle. 
 My Sources of Strength. By the Rev. E. E. 
 
 Jenkins, M.A. 
 My Comfort in Sorrow. By Hu^rh Marmillan, 
 
 D.D. 
 
 Helps to Belief. A Series of Helpful Manuals on the Religious Difficulties of the 
 Day. Edited by the Rev. Teignmouth Shore, M.A.. Canon of Worcester, and 
 Chaplain-in-Ordinary to the Queen. Cloth, is. each. 
 
 THE DIVINITY OF OUR LORD. By the Lord 
 Bishop of Derry. 
 
 The Atonement. By 'William Connor 
 Magee, D.D., Late Archbishop of York. 
 
 My Father. By the Ri^'ht Rev. Ashtcn Oxenden, 
 
 late Bishop of Montreal. 
 My Bible. By the Rt. Rev. W. Boyd Carpenter, 
 
 Bishop of Ripon. 
 My Work for God. By the Right Rev. Bishop 
 
 Cotterill. 
 My Object in Life. By the Very Rev. Dean 
 
 Farrar, D.D. 
 My Aspirations. By the Rev. G. Matheson, D.D. 
 My Emotional Life. By I'reb. Chadwick, D.D. 
 My Body. By the Rev. Frof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D. 
 M.v Soul. By the Rev. P. B. Power, M.A. 
 
 CREATION. By Harvey Goodwin, D.D., late 
 
 Lord Bishop of Carlisle. 
 Miracles. By the Rev. Brownlow Mait- 
 
 land, M.A. 
 Prayer. By the Rev. Canon Shore, M.A. 
 
 Holy Land and the Bible, The. A Book of .Scripture Illustrations gathered 
 in Palestine. By the Rev. Cunningham Geikie, D.D., LL.D. (Edin.). With Map. 
 Two ^'ols. 24s. Illustrated Edition. One Vol. 21s. 
 Life of Christ, The. By the Very Rev. Dean Farrar, D.D., F.R.S., Chaplain- 
 in-Ordinary to the Queen. _ y 
 Popular Edition, Revised and Enlarged, extra crown 3vo, cloth gilt, 7s. 6d. *■' 
 Cheap Illustrated Edition. Cloth, 7s. 6d. Cloth, full gilt, gilt edges, los. 6d. 
 Library Edition. Two Vols. Cloth, 24s. ; morocco, 42s. 
 Marriage Ring, The. By William Landels, D.ii. Bound in white 
 leatherette. New and Cheaper Edition, 3s. 6d. 
 
 Moses and Geology; or, the Harmony of the Bible with Science. By 
 
 the Rev. Samuel Kinns, Ph.D., F.R.A.S. Illustrated. Library Edition, 
 revised to date. los. fid. . 
 
 My Last Will and Testament. By Hyacinthe Loyson (PEre Hyacinthe). 
 
 Translated by Faisian Ware. is. ; cloth, is. 6d. r^ . ^ ,, . 
 
 New Light on the Bible and the Holy Land. By Basil T. A. Evetts. M.A. 
 
 Illustrated. Cloth, 21s. ^ ^, .,» , c ^-l. r- 
 
 Old and New Testaments, Plain Introductions to the Books of the. Con- 
 taining Contributions by many Eminent Divines. In Two Vols., 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 Plain Introductions to the Books of the Old Testament. 336 pages. Edited by 
 
 the Rit'ht Rev. C. T- Ellicott, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Plain Introductions to the Books of the New Testament. 304 pages. Edited by 
 
 the Ri<»ht Rev. C. F. Ellicott, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. 3s. 6d. 
 Protestantism, The History of. By the Rev. J. A. Wylie, LL.D. Containing 
 
 upwards of 600 Original Illustrations. Three Vols., 27s. 
 "Quiver" Yearly Volume, The. With about 600 Original Illustrations and 
 
 Coloured Frontispiece. 7s. 6d. Also Monthly, 6d. ^-u-u 
 
 St. George for England ; and other Sermons preached to Children. 
 Edition. By the Rev. T. Teignmouth Shore, M.A., Canon of Worcester. 
 St. Paul, The Life and Work of. By the Very Rev. Dean Farrar, D.D. 
 Library Edition. Two Vols., cloth, 24s. ; calf, 42s. 
 Illustrated Edition. One \o\., £\ is. ; morocco, £,1 2s. 
 Popular Edition. One Vol., 8vo, cloth, 6s. ; cloth, gilt edges, 
 Persian morocco, los. 6d. ; tree-calf, 13s. t-> t~v ca 
 
 Searchings in the Silence. By Rev. George Matheson, D.D. 3s. 6d. 
 Shall We Know One Another in Heaven? By the Rt. Rev. J. C. Ryle, u.u., 
 
 Bishop of Liverpool. New and En!ari:ed Edition. Paper covers 6d. ^ _ 
 
 Shortened Church Services and Hymns, suitable for use at Children s ^>ervices. 
 Compiled by the Rev. T. Teignmouth Shore, M.A., Canon of Worcester. 
 Enlarged Edition, is. , . . , t-, a \\'„..y. ^f 
 
 Signa Christi: Evidences of Christianity set forth m the Person and Work ol 
 Christ. By the Rev. James Aitchison. 2s. fid. _ „ . tt a u 
 
 "Sunday:" Its Origin, History, and Present Obligation. By the Ven. Arch- 
 deacon Hessey. D.C.L. Ei/th Edition, 7s. 6d. . 4. ,^„ «.v,o, Ao-orl R,, 
 Twilight 01 Life, The: Words of Counsel and Comlort for the Aged. By 
 
 John Ellerton, M.A. is. 6d. 
 
 Fifth 
 
 ss. 
 F. 
 
 7s. 
 
 R.S. 
 
 fid.
 
 Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications. 
 
 dbucational Morks anti .^tubiuta' iitanuals. 
 
 Agricultural Text-Books, CasseU's. (The " Downton " Series.) Fully Illustrated. 
 Edited by John Wrightson, Professor of Agriculture. SoilS and Manures. By 
 J. M. H. Munro, D.Sc. (London), F.I. C. F.C.S. 2s. 6d. Farm Crops. By Pro- 
 fessor Wrightson. 2S. 6d. Live StOCk. By Professor Wrightson. 2S. 6d. 
 
 Alphabet, CasseU's Pictorial Mounted on Linen, with rollers. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Arithmetic -.—Howard's Art of Reckoning. By C. F. Howard. Paper, is. ; 
 
 cloth, 2S. Enlarged Edition, 5s. 
 
 Arithmetics, The ''Belle Sauvage." By George Ricks, B.Sc. Lend. With 
 
 Test Cards. (List on application.') 
 Atlas, CasseU's Popular. Containing 24 Coloured Maps. as. 6d. 
 Book-Keeping. By Theodoke Jones. For Schools, 2s. ; or cloth, 3s. For 
 
 THE Million, 25. ; or cloth, 3-. Books for Jones's System, Ruled Sets of, 2s. 
 British Empire Map of the World. New Map for Schools and Institutes. By 
 
 G. R. Parkin and J. G. Bartholomew, F.R.G.S. Mounted on cloth, varnished, 
 
 and with Rollers or Folded. 25s. 
 
 Chemistry, The PubUc School By J. H. Anderson, M.A. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Cookery for Schools. By Lizzie Heritage. 6d. 
 
 Dtilce Domum. Rhymes and Sons;s for Children. Edited by JOHN Farmer, 
 Editor of " G.iudeamus," &c. Old Notation and Words. 5s. N.B.— The Words of 
 the Songs in " Dulce Doinuin " (with the Airs both in Tonic Sol-Fa and Old Notation) 
 can be had in Two Parts, 6d. each. 
 
 English Literature, A First Sketch of, from the EarUest Period to the Present 
 
 Time. By Prof Henrv Morley. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Euclid, CasseU's. Edited by Prof. Wallace, M.A. is. 
 
 Euclid, The First Four Books of. Neiv Edition. In paper, 6d. ; cloth, gd. 
 
 French, CasseU's Lessons in. New and Revised Edition. Parts I. and II., each, 
 
 2S. 6d. ; complete, 4s. 6d. Key, is. 6d. 
 French-EngUsh and EngUsh-French Dictionary. Entirely New and Enlarged 
 
 Edition. 1,150 pages. Svo, cloth, 3s. 6d. ; superior binding, 5s. 
 
 French Reader, CasseU's Public School. By Guillaume S. Conrad. 2s. 6d. 
 Galbraith and Haughton's Scientific Manuals. 
 
 Plane Trigonometry. 2s. 6d. Euclid. Books I., II., III. 2S. 6d. Books IV., V.. VI. is. 6<1. 
 Mathematical Tables. 3s. 6d, Mechanics. 3s. 6d. Natural Philosophy. 35. 6d. Optics. 
 2S. 6d. Hydrostatics. 3s. 6d. Steam Engine. 3s. 6d. Algebra. Part 1 . clotli, as. 6d. Ccin- 
 plete, 7S. 6d. Tides and Tidal Currents, with Tid.il Cirds, 3s. 
 
 Gaudeamus. Songs for Colleges and Schools. Edited by John Farmer. 5s. 
 Words only, paper, 6d. ; cloth, gd. 
 
 Geometrical Drawing for Army Candidates. By H. T. Lilley, M.A. 2s. 6d. 
 Geometry, First Elements of Experimental. By Paul Bert. Illustrated, is. 6d. 
 Geometry, Practical Solid. By Major Ross, R.E. 2s. 
 German Dictionary, CasseU's New. German-English, English- German. Cheap 
 
 Edition, cloth, 3s. 6d. ; superior binding, 5s. 
 
 German Reading, First Lessons in. By A. JXgst. Illustrated, is. 
 
 Hand and Eye Training. By George Ricks, B.Sc., and Joseph Vaughan. 
 
 Illustrated. Vol. I. Designing with Coloured Papers. Vol. II. Cardboard Work. 
 
 2S. each. Vol. III. Colour Work and Design, 3s. 
 Hand and Eye Training. By G. Ricks, B.Sc. Two Vols., with 16 Coloured 
 
 Plates ill each Vol. Crown 410. 6s. each. 
 
 " Hand and Eye Training " Cards for Class Work. Five sets in case. is. each. 
 Historical Cartoons, CasseU's Coloured. Size 45 in. x 35 in. 2s. each. Mounted 
 
 on canvas and varnished, with rollers. 5s. each. (Descriptive pamphlet, 16 pp., id.) 
 
 Italian Lessons, with Exercises, CasseU's. In One Vol. 3s. 6d. 
 Latin Dictionary, CasseU's New. (Latin-English and English-Latin.) Revised 
 by J. R. V. Marchant, .M..A., and J. F. Charles, B.A. 3s. 6d. ; superior 
 
 binding, 5s. 
 
 Latin Primer, The New. By Prof. J. P. Postgate. 2s. 6d. 
 Latin Primer, The First By Prof. Postdate, is. 
 Latin Prose for Lower Forms. By M. A. Bayfield, M..A. 2s. 6d. 
 Laws of Every-Day Life. For the Use of Schools. By H. O. .Arnold- Fokster, 
 M.P. IS. 6d. Special Edition on green paper for those with weak eyesight, is. 6d.
 
 Selections from Cassell <fc Coin f ally's Publications. 
 
 Lessons in Oiir Laws ; or, Talks at Broadacre Farm. By H. F. Lester, B.A. 
 Part I. : The .Makers and Carriers-Out of the Law. Part II. : Law Courts 
 AND Local Rule, &c. is. od. each. 
 
 Little Folks' History of England. By Isa Craig-Knox. Illustrated, is. 6d. 
 
 Making of the Home, Tlie. By Mrs. Samuel A. Barnett. is. 6d. 
 
 Marlborough Books : — Arithmetic Examples. 3S. French. Exercises. 3s. 6d. French 
 Grammar. 2s. 6J. German Grammar. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Mechanics for Young Beginners, A First Book of. By the Rev. T. G. Easto.v 
 M.A. 4S. 6d. ■' 
 
 Mechanics and Machine Design, Numerical Examples in Practical By 
 
 R. G. Blaine, M.E. New Edition, Revised atid Eniarsed. With 79 Illustrations. 
 Cloth, 2S. 6d. 
 
 Natural History Coloured Wall Sheets, Cassells New. Consisting of 17 
 
 subjects. Size, 39 by 31 in. Mounted on rollers and varnished. 3s. each. 
 
 Object Lessons from Nature. By Prof. L. C. Miall, F.L.S., F.G.S. Fully 
 Illustrated. Xciu and Enlarged Edition. Two Vols. is. 6d. each. 
 
 Physiology for Schools. By Alfred T. Schofield, M.D., M.R.C.S., &c. 
 
 Illustrated, is. gd. Three Parts, paper covers, 5d. each; or cloth limp, 6d. each. 
 Poetry Readers, CasseU's New. Illustrated. 12 Books, id. each. Cloth, is. 6d. 
 
 Popular Educator, Cassell's New. With Revised Te.xt, New Maps, New Coloured 
 Plates, New Type, &c. Complete in Eight Vols., 5s. each ; or Eight Vols, in 
 Four, half-morocco, 50s. 
 
 Readers, Cassell"s "Belle Sauvage." An Entirely New Series. Fully Illus- 
 trated. Strongly bound in cloth. (List on application.) 
 
 Reader, The Citizen. By H. O. Arnold-Forster, M.P. Cloth, is. 6d. ; also a 
 'ocottish Eaition, cloth, is. 6d. 
 
 Reader, The Temperance. By Rev. J. Dennis Hird. is. 6d. 
 
 Readers, Cassells "Higher Class." {List on application.) 
 
 Readers, Cassell's Readable. Illustrated. {List 07i application.) 
 
 Readers for Infant Schools, Coloured. Three Books. 4d. each. 
 
 Readers, Geographical, Cassell's New. With Numerous Illustrations in each 
 
 Book. \List on application.) 
 
 Readers, The Modern Geographical. Illustrated throughout. {List on application.) 
 Readers, The Modern School. Illustrated. [List on application.) 
 Reading and Spelling Book, CasseU's Illustrated, is. 
 
 Round the Empire. By G. R. Parkin. With a Preface by the Rt. Hon. the 
 
 Earl of Rosebery, K.G. Fully Illustrated, is. 6d. 
 Science Applied to Work. By J. A. Bower. Illustrated, is. 
 Science of Every-Day Life. By J. A. Bower. Illustrated, is. 
 Sculpture, A Primer of. By E. Roscoe Mullins. Illustrated. 2s. 6d. 
 Shade from Models, Common Objects, and Casts of Ornament, How to. By 
 
 W. E. Sparkes. With 25 Plates by the Author. 3s. 
 
 Shakspere's Plays for School Use. Illustrated. 9 Books. 6d. each. 
 Spelling, A Complete Manual o£ By J. D. Morell, LL.D. is. 
 Technical Educator, Cassell's New. An entirely New Cyclopaedia of Technical 
 Education, with Coloured Plates and Engravings. Complete in Si.x Vols., 5s. each. 
 
 Technical Manuals, Cassell's. Illustrated throughout. 16 Vols., from 2s. to 4s. od. 
 
 [^List free on application.) 
 Technology, Manuals of. Edited by Prof. Ayrton, F.R.S.. and Richard 
 
 WoRMELL, D.Sc, M.-'V. Illustrated throughout. {List on application.) 
 
 Things New and Old ; or, Stories from English History. By H. O. Arnold- 
 
 Forstek, M.P. Fully Illustrated. Strongly bound in Cloth. Standards I and IL, 
 9d. each ; Standard III., is. ; Standard IV., is. 3d. ; Standards V., VI., and VII . 
 IS. 6d. each. 
 World of Ours, This. By H. O. Arnold-Forster, M. P. Fully Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
 
 Selections from Cassell tO Company s Pttblications. 
 
 Uooks for iloun0 ^fopk. 
 
 "Little Folks" Half-Yearly Volume. Containing 432 pages of Letterpress, with 
 
 Pictures on nearly every page, together with Six Full-page Plates printed in Colours. 
 
 Coloured boards, 3s. 6d. ; or cloth gilt, gilt edges, 5s. 
 Bo-Peep. A Book for the Little Ones. With Original Stories and Verses. 
 
 Illustrated with beautiful Pictures on nearly every page, and Coloured Frontispiece. 
 
 Yearly Vol. Elegant picture boards, 2S. 6d. ; cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 Beneath tbe Banner. Being Narratives of Xoble Lives and Brave Deeds. By 
 
 F. J. Cross. Illustrated. Limp cloth, is. ; cloth boards, gilt edges, 2s. 
 Good Morning I Good Nigbt ! Morning and Evening Readings for Children, by 
 
 the Author of " Beneath the Banner." Fully Illustrated. Limp cloth, is., or cloth 
 
 boards, gilt edges, 2s. 
 
 Five Stars in a Little Pool. By Edith C.arrington. Illustrated. 6s. 
 
 Beyond the Blue Mountains. By L. T. Me.ade. Illustrated. 5s. 
 
 The Cost of a Mistake. By S.\rah Pitt. Illustrated. New Edition. 2s. 6d. 
 
 The Peep of Day. CasscU's Illustrated Edition. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Maggie Steele's Diary. By E. A. Dillwyn. as. 6d. 
 
 A Book of Merry Tales. By M.\ggie Browne, Sheila, Isabel Wilson, and 
 
 C. L. Mat KAix. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. 
 A Sunday Story-Book. By Maggie Browne, Sam Browne, and Aunt 
 
 Ethel. Illustr.-ited. 3s. 6d. 
 
 A Bundle of Tales. By M aci ;i i; Bkowne, Sam Browne, & .-\unt Ethel. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Story Poems for Young and Old. By E. Davknpokt. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Pleasant Work for Busy Fingers. By Maggie Browne. Illustrated. 5s, 
 
 Magic at Home. By Prof. Hoff.man. Fully Illustrated. A Senes of easy 
 and startling Conjuring Tricks for Beginners. Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. 
 
 Schoolroom and Home Theatricals. By .Arthur Walgh. With Illustra- 
 tions by 11. .A. J. .Mills. A'cTf Edition. Paper, is. ; cloth, is. 6d. 
 Little Mother Bunch. I'yMrs. Molesworth. Illustrated. New Edition. 2S. 6d. 
 Heroes of Every-Day Life. By Lauka Lane. With about 20 Full-page 
 
 Illustrations. 2-6 pages, crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Ships, Sailors, and the Sea. By R. J. Cornewall-Jones. Illustrated 
 
 ibroui^tiout, and coiuaining a Coloured Plate of Naval Flags. Cheap Edition, 2S. 6d. 
 Gift Books for Young People. By Popular Authors. With Four Original 
 Illustrations in each. Cloth gilt, is. 6d. each. 
 The Bov Hunters of Kentucky. By 1 Jack Marston's Anchor. 
 Edward S. Ellis. I Frank's I.ifo-Battle. 
 
 Major Monk's Motto; or, "Look Before 
 
 you Leap." 
 Tim Thomson's Trial; or, " All Is not Oold 
 
 that Olitters." 
 Ursula's Stumblinp-Block. 
 Ruth's Life-Work ; or,"No Paina, no Gains." 
 Ra.:s and Rainbows. 
 Uncle William's Citarge. 
 Pretty Pink's Purpose. 
 
 "Golden Mottoes" Series, The. Each Book containing 208 pages, with Four 
 
 full-page Original Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 2S. each. 
 "Nil Desperandum." By the Rev. F. Lang- 
 bridge, M.A. 
 
 Red Feather: a Tale of the American 
 Frontier. By Edward S. Ellis. 
 
 Fritters: or, "It's a Long Lane that has 
 no Turning." 
 
 Trixv; or, "'Those who Live in Olass 
 Houses shouldn't throw Stones." 
 
 The Two Hardcastles. 
 
 Seeking a City. 
 
 RUoda's Reward. 
 
 " Bear and Forbear." By Sarah Pitt. 
 "Foremost if I Can." By Helen Atteridge. 
 
 'Honour is my Ouide." By Jeanie Hering 
 
 (Nirs. Ad.Tins-Acton). 
 ' Aim at a Sure End." By Emily Searchfield. 
 ' He Conquers who £udures.' By the Author 
 
 of " May Cunniii;;hain's Trial,' &c. 
 
 "Cross and Crown" Series, The. With Four Illustrations in each Book. Crown 
 
 8vo, 256 pages, zs. 6d. each. 
 
 Heroes of the Indian Empire : or. Stories of 
 Valour and Victory. By Ernest I-ostcr. 
 
 Through Trial lo Triumph; or, "The 
 Royal Way." By Madtlliie Boiiavia Hunt. 
 
 In Letters of Flame : A Story of the 
 Waldenses. By C. L. Mateaux. 
 
 Strong to Suffer: A Story of the Jews. By 
 H. Wynne. 
 
 By Fire and Sword: A Story of the Hn^e- 
 
 nots. By Tliomas Archer. 
 Adam Hepburn's Vow : A Tale of Kirk and 
 
 Covenant. By Annie S. Swan. 
 Ko. XIII. ; or. The Story of the Lost VestaL 
 
 A Talc of Early Christian Days. By Hmma 
 
 Marshall 
 Free 'om's Sword: A Story of the Days of 
 
 Wallace and Bruce. By Annie S. Swan.
 
 Selections from Cassell Jb Company s Ptiblications. 
 
 Albums for Children. Price 3s. 6d. each. 
 
 The Chit-chat Album. Illustrated. I Mv Own AiVmm r^r /iv.;«,„i 
 
 Tue Album lor Home. School, and Play. ^ Album ol Animals. 
 
 Set m bold type, and illustrated throughout, | Picture Album of All Sorts. 
 
 "Wanted— a King-" Series. 
 
 Illustrated, 
 Illustrated, 
 
 .7^'obin's Eide. By EUlnor Davenport Adams. 
 Great-Grandmamma. By Georijina M. Synge. 
 Fairy Tales in Other Lands. By Julia God- 
 dard. 
 
 "Peeps Abroad " Library. 
 
 Earnbles Round London. 
 MatL-aux. Illustrated. 
 
 Around and About Old England. 
 L. Mateaux. Illustrated. 
 
 Paws and Claws. By one of the Authors of 
 " Poems Written for a Child." Illustrated. 
 
 Decisive Events in History. By Thomas 
 Archer. Witli Original Illustrations. 
 
 The True Robinson Crusoes. 
 
 Peeps Abroad for Folks at Home. Illus- 
 trated throughout. 
 
 Cheap Edition. Illustrated. 2S, 6d. each. 
 
 Cheap Editions. 
 By c. L. 
 
 By C. 
 
 Wanted— a King; or, How Merle set the 
 Nursery Rhymes to Rights. By Maggie 
 Browne. 
 
 Cloth gilt, 2S. 6d. each. 
 
 Wild Adventures in Wild Places. Bv Dr 
 Gordon Stables, R.N. Illustrated. 
 
 Modern Explorers. By Thomas Frost. Illus- 
 trated. New and Cheaper Edition. 
 
 Early Explorers. By Thomas Frost. 
 
 Home Chat with our Young Folks. Illus- 
 trated throughout. 
 
 Jungle, Peak, 
 
 throughout. 
 
 and Plain. Illustrated 
 
 Three-and Sixpenny Books for Young 
 
 Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. each. 
 Told Out of School. By A.J. Daniels. 
 + Red Rose and Tiger Lily. By L. T 
 Meade. 
 The Romance of Invention. By James 
 Burnley, 
 t Bashful Fifteen. By L. T. Meade 
 The King's Command. A Story for Girls. 
 By Maggie Symington. 
 \ A Sweet Girl Graduate. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 People. With Original Illustrations. 
 
 t The White House at Inch Gow. By Sarah 
 
 Pitt. 
 + Polly. By L. T. Meade. 
 t The Palace Beautiful. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 " FoUow my Leader." 
 
 For Fortune and Glory. 
 
 Lost among White Africans, 
 t A World of Girls. By L. T. Meade. 
 
 Books marked thus + can also be had in extra cloth gilt, gilt edges, 5s. each. 
 
 Books by Edward S. EUis. Illustrated 
 
 The Great Cattle Trail. 
 
 The Path m the Ravine. 
 
 The Young Ranchers. 
 
 The Hunters of the Ozark. 
 
 Tne Camp in the Moun- 
 tains. 
 
 Ned m the Woods. A Tale 
 of Ilariy Days in the West. 
 
 Down the Mississippi. 
 The Last War Trail. 
 Ned on the River. A Tale 
 
 of Indian River \Varfare. 
 Footprints in the Forest. 
 Up tile Tapajos. 
 Ned 111 the Block House. 
 
 A Story of Pioneer Life in 
 
 Kentucky. 
 
 Cloth, 2S. 6d. each. 
 
 The Lost TraU. 
 Camp-Fire and W^igwam 
 Lost in the Wilds. 
 Lost in Samoa, A Tale ol 
 Adventure in the Navigator 
 
 Islands. 
 
 Tad; or, "Getting Even' 
 with Him. 
 
 Cassell's Picture Story Books. Each containing 60 pnges. 6d. each. 
 
 Little Talks. 
 Bright Stars. 
 Nursery Joys. 
 Pet's Posy. 
 Tiny Tales. 
 
 Daisy's Story Book. 
 Dot's Story Book. 
 A Nest of Stories. 
 Good Night Stories. 
 Chats for Small Chatterers. 
 
 Auntie's .stories. 
 Birdie's Story Book. 
 Little Chimes. 
 A Shear of Tales. 
 Dewdrop Stories. 
 
 Illustrated Books for the Little Ones. 
 
 Illustrated, is. each; or cloth gilt, is. 6d. 
 
 Containing interesting Stories. All 
 
 Bright Tales and Funny 
 
 Pictures. 
 Merr.v Little Tales. 
 Little Tales for Little 
 
 People. 
 Little People and Their 
 
 Pets. 
 Tales Told for Sunday. 
 Sunday Stoi'ies for Small 
 
 People. 
 Stories and Pictures for 
 
 Sunday. 
 
 Bible Pictures for Boys 
 
 and Girls. 
 Firelight Stories. 
 Sunlight and Shade. 
 Rub-adub Tales. 
 Fine Feathers and PluSy 
 
 Fur. 
 Scrambles and Scrapes. 
 Tittle Tattle Tales. 
 Dumb Friends. 
 Indoors and Out. 
 Some Farm Friends. 
 
 Those Golden Sands. 
 Little Mothers and their 
 
 Children. 
 Our Pretty Pets. 
 Our School da.y Hours. 
 Creatures Tame. 
 Creatures Wild. 
 Up and Down the Garden. 
 All Sorts of Adventures. 
 Our Sunday Stories. 
 Our Holiday Hours. 
 Wandering Ways. 
 
 Shilling Story Books. .'^11 Illustrated, and containing Interesting Stories. 
 
 Aunt Lucia's Locket. 
 The Magic Mirror. 
 The Cost of Revenge. 
 Clever Frank. 
 Among the Redskins. 
 The Ferr.vman of Brill. 
 Hari\v Maxwell. 
 A Banished Monarch. 
 
 Seventeen Cats. 
 Buiity and the Boys. 
 The Heir of Elradale. 
 The Mystery at Shonchft 
 
 School. 
 Claimed at Last, and Roy's 
 
 Reward. 
 Thorns and Tangles. 
 
 The Cuckoo in the Robin's 
 John's Mistake. [Nest. 
 
 Diamonds in the Sand. 
 Surly Bob. 
 The History of Five Little 
 
 Pitchers. 
 The Giant's Cradle. 
 Shag and DoU.
 
 Selections from Cassell <fc Cotiipany's Publications. 
 
 Eighteenpenny Story Books. 
 
 Wee ■Willie Winkie. 
 Ups and Downs of a Don- 
 key's Life. 
 Three Wee Ulster Lassies. 
 Up the Ladder. 
 Dick's Hero; & other Stories. 
 The Chip Boy. 
 
 All Illustrated throughout, 
 and the 
 
 Haggles, Baggies, 
 
 Emperor. 
 Roses from Thorns. 
 Faith's Father. 
 By Land and Sea. 
 The Yoving Bemngtons. 
 Jeff and Leff. 
 
 Tom Morris's Error. 
 
 Worth more than Gold. 
 
 " Through Flood— Through 
 
 Fire." 
 The Girl with the Golden 
 
 Locks. 
 Stories of the Olden Time. 
 
 "Little Folks" Painting 
 
 Water-Coloiir Paincing. 
 
 The New "Little Folks" Painting Book. 
 Containing nearly 350 Outline Illustrations 
 suitable for Colouring^, is. 
 
 Books. With Text, and Outline Illustrations for 
 
 Fainting 
 
 The "Little Folks" 
 Book. Cloth only, 2s. 
 
 Proverb 
 
 Library of Wonders. Illustrated Gift-books for Boys. Cloth, is. 6d. 
 
 Wonderful Adventures. 
 Wonderful Escapes. 
 
 Wonders of Animal Instinct. 
 Wonderful Balloon Ascents. 
 
 Wonders of Bodily Strength and Skill. 
 
 The "World in Pictures" Series. Illustrated throughout. Cheap Edit ion. \s. 6d. each. 
 A Ramble Round France. The Eastern Wonderland (Japan). 
 
 AH the Russias. 
 
 Chats about Germany. 
 
 Peeps into China. 
 
 The Land of Pyramids (Egypt). 
 
 Glimpses of South America. 
 Round Africa. 
 
 The Land of Temples (India). 
 The Isles of the Pacific. 
 
 Cheap Editions of Popular Volumes for Young People. Illustrated. 2s. 6d. 
 
 each. 
 In (^uest of Gold : or. Under 
 
 the Whanga Falls. 
 On Board tlie Estneralda : or, 
 
 Martin Leigh's Log. 
 
 Esther West. 
 Three Homes. 
 For Queen and King. 
 
 Two-Shilling Story Books, All Illustrated. 
 
 Margaret's Enemy. 
 Stories of the Tower. 
 Mr. Burke's Nieces. 
 May Cunningham's TriaL 
 The Top of the Ladder : 
 
 How to Reach it. 
 Little Flotsam. , 
 
 Half-crown Story Books. 
 
 Pen's Perplexities. 
 At the South Pole. 
 
 Cassell's Pictorial Scrap Book. 
 
 cloth back, 3s. 6d. per Vol. 
 Our Scrap Book. 
 The Seaside Scrap Book. 
 The Little Folks' Scrap Book. 
 
 Madge and her Friends. 
 The Children of the Court. 
 Maid Marjory. 
 The Four Cats of the Tip- 
 
 pertons. 
 Marion's Two Homes. 
 Little Folks Sunday Book. 
 
 Working to Win. 
 Perils Afloat and Brigands 
 Ashore. 
 
 Two Fourpenny Bits. 
 
 Poor Nelly. 
 
 Tom Heriot. 
 
 Aunt Tabitha's Walls. 
 
 Ill Mischief Again. 
 
 Through Peril to Fortun* 
 
 PeBKy> ^"<1 other Tales. 
 
 Pictures of School Life and 
 Boyhood. 
 
 In Si.x Sectional Volumes. Paper boards, 
 
 I The Magpie Scrap Book. 
 
 The Lion Scrap Book. 
 The Elephant Scrap Book. 
 
 Books for the Little Ones. 
 
 Rhymes for the Young Folk. By Williain 
 AUinHlL^ni. licautilully Illustrated. 3s. 6J. 
 
 The Sunda.v Scrap Book. With Several 
 Hundred Illustrations. Boards, 3s. 6d. ; cloth, 
 gilt etlgcs, 5s. 
 
 The History Scrap Book. With ne.\rly 
 1,000 Engravin^js. Cloth, 7s. 6d. 
 
 Fully Illustrated. 
 
 Cassell's 
 
 Robinson Crusoe. With loo 
 
 Illustrations. Cl^tli, 3s. 6d. ; gilt edges, 5s. 
 
 The Old Fairy Tales. With Original Illus- 
 trations. Bo.irds, IS. ; cloth, ts. 6d. 
 
 Cassell's 
 crated. 
 
 Swiss Family Robinson. lUui- 
 
 Clott., js. 6d. ; gilt cilgcs, 55. 
 
 The World's Workers. A Series of New and Original Volumes by Popular 
 Authors. With Portraits printed on a tint as Fronli.'ipiece. is each. 
 
 John Cassell. By G. Holdcn Pike. 
 Charles Haddon Spurgeon. By G. Holden 
 
 Pike. 
 Dr. Arnold of Rugby. By Rose E. Selfe. 
 The Earl of ShaftesDury. 
 Sarah Robinson, Agues Weston, and Mrs. 
 
 Meredith. 
 Thomas A. Edison and Samuel F. B, Morse. 
 Mrs. Somerville and Mary Carpenter. 
 General Gordon, 
 (iharles Dickens, 
 i'lorence Nightingale, Catherine Marsh, 
 
 I ranees Ridley Havergal, Mrs. Ran- 
 
 yaidC'L. N. R."). 
 
 Dr. Guthrie, Father Mathew, EUhu Bur- 
 
 ritt, Joseph Livesey. 
 Sir Henry Havelock and Colin Campbell 
 
 Lord Clyde. 
 Abraham Lincoln. 
 David Livingstone. 
 George Muller and Andrew Reed. 
 Richard Cobden. 
 Benjamin Franklin. 
 Handel. 
 
 Turner the Artist. 
 George and Robert Stephenson. 
 Sir Titus Salt and George Moore. 
 
 The abort Works can aUo be had Tkne in One i'oi,, cioth, ^tU edj^es. y. 
 
 CASSELL <k 
 
 COMPANY, Limited, Ludgait Hill, London, 
 Paris & Melbourne.
 
 Fo 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 M i^m 
 
 RBCT) CD-ORT 
 
 DEC 
 
 tilL 191979 
 
 - 0f^^^' 
 
 " ' 
 
 
 PSD 2338 ^AP? T ,ttc> 
 
 
 1?EC'D LD-'JRO 
 
 SEP ? 3 1988 
 
 MAY07IIII 
 
 >2!9tf 
 
 AC nyv 07 »94 
 
 m 1 5 'J 
 
 L^i
 
 r !^^ J i J ».;• r -7 o i 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000 693 463 2 
 
 3 1158 00113 149 
 
 8