Re: The Pages of Punch

What crossed my mind was the appearance of the more senior officers: majors and lieutenant colonels in modern times lead their men from the front (although not the more senior officers such as colonels and above). (I remember reading about the Parachute Regiment battalion at Goose Green in the Falklands, where the colonel - leading from the front - was indeed killed in action.) I'm sure they no longer look like the ones in the cartoon.

Looking at them and their physiques, there seems to be a big difference between the captain and the major. I can't imagine that major or that colonel leading from the front!

Incidentally, I was unable to read the captions, they being so small even after clicking the thumbnail to enlarge the picture; I can't zoom in on that for some reason. The only solution I could find was to use the 'snipping tool' to copy the (enlarged) picture and then view it in a new window where I could zoom in (Ctrl +) as necessary.
If anyone else has the same problem, that's a workable solution.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1925: Rugger versus soccer

A clear indicator of social status was which type of football you played or watched. Rugby football was for the toffs and ‘soccer’ for the rest. That is all quite implicit in this cartoon. This explanation would have been quite unnecessary for the readers of Punch.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1925: A sharp riposte

Somewhat unusually for Punch this joke is on the posh type.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1926: She wanted to look older!

Today it is the other way round. They all want to look young.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1925: A different world

We see here a glimpse of a world that has all but vanished. The visitor is clearly not a plutocrat. All the same he is a passenger in his own car. The chauffeur evidently likes the good things in life unlike his employer who is made to support him.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1926: Radio for the masses

Listening to the wireless was now becoming quite common. Earphones often were included. Stravinsky was very avant garde at the time.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1925: Not something to be proud of

The boy’s father assumes that being a lawyer would impress his son’s school friends. The boy innocently punctures his father’s self-esteem. Thus we are afforded a rare glimpse into the world of Public School snobbery.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1934: An effective put-down

Miss Butler is in complete command of the situation. The would-be Lothario hasn’t a chance.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1925: A snobbish family

They are so snobbish that each regards the other as the inferior one.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1927: The worm turns

Many jokes were based on the office boy – the lowest of the low in the office hierarchy. There was a tradition according to which he might – in the fullness of time – become the managing director.

How things have changed. The most junior person nowadays is not likely to be a boy at all. Working your way up is an unlikely scenario.