Re: The Pages of Punch

1926: Training the judges

This cartoon is the result of various news stories. Typical of these is the judge who asked ‘who is Charlie Chaplin?’ It has been argued that his honour knew perfectly but wanted the record of the case to be comprehensive.

It is, of course, true that judges are well paid and therefore exempt from the every day cares of the rest of us. There is a good reason for this since there is a lower probability of bribery.

Re: The Pages of Punch

Out of touch judges are as prevalent today as then.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1926: Resistance to Sunday School

In Victorian times there was great pressure to conform to organised religion. By the mid -twenties this was not as great but there was still a general expectation in this regard. The reason given for non-attendance is unlikely and that surely is the point of the joke.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1919: What is going on here?

This is quite intriguing. We are probably witnessing a fancy dress party. It is clear that the funny man is the one with a large false nose. But what about the ‘well I did’? His ‘disguise’ doesn’t look complicated. Is he an old flame? Neither of the sisters looks displeased. So, what is going on?

Any ideas?

Re: The Pages of Punch

1926: Coming Up

George Belcher always stands outside the ‘charmed circle’ of upper middle class assumptions. Here he is directly confronting the class issue. It is hard to see Grey as a representative of those who are ‘coming up’. Even so, post-World War One it tended to be harder to find good, loyal domestic servants. It would take World War Two to make the change-over more or less complete.

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1926: Born in 1826!

A very rare occurrence in 1926 but the recipe for longevity remains constant. 1826 takes us back to a time before Queen Victoria became queen.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1927: Golf again

Golf features frequently during the inter war years in Punch. For its upper middle class readers golf was an attractive way of whiling away the time – of which they had plenty. Too much of it in many cases. Here the joke is based on the caddy’s lack of status as well as stature.

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1066: Anachronism

This artist continues to amuse us with excerpts from history and mythology in which he introduces modern concepts which are totally inappropriate. Post World War One little boys would certainly act like this but post Hastings they wouldn’t dare and they certainly wouldn’t know how to write. Furthermore William couldn’t read.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1927: Prude of the year

The man on the left is unwilling to contemplate the legs of the lady on the right. In 2017 this seems quite a bizarre reaction. In 1927 the man would be something like 50 years old. For most of his life he would have seen women wearing skirts going down to their ankles. This post-war fashion would have upset him.

This is quite an odd subject for a cartoon at the time.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1927: Unusual frankness

The traditional British self-deprecation is dispensed with. That expression ‘hot stuff’ must have gone out of fashion some 50 years ago. I certainly heard it being used in my youth.