PhyllsBreese


 * MR. PUNCH **


 * My adopted book is a periodical from 1898. It is a six-month collection of the weekly publication //Mr. Punch and the London Charivari.// **




 * WHO IS PUNCH? **


 * The character, Punch, has a history spanning over 350 years. The original character finds its roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell’arte, a type of theater performed with masks. Punch at this time was called //Punchinello,// he was created as the manifestation of the Trickster role in many greek mythologies. **


 * But for many, espically in Britian, he is best known and celebrated as a seaside puppet show. The puppetmasters, of a Mr. Punch Show, are quite revered and are refered to as “Professors” or “Punchmasters”. And in 2012 the Victoria and Albert Museum had a 350 year Birthday celebration for their beloved Punch, whose first recorded performance in the U.K. was May 9, 1662. **




 * Punch is an aggressive and outspoken character, with his signature features being a crooked nose, hunched back and jester hat. His unceremonious behavior provides entertainment for both the young and old alike. **


 * But Punch of the //London Charivari// is by no means a character for minors at the seaside. He is all grown up, and while he still has his forthright appeal, he has garnered a little more polish and education. **




 * He is a little ray of Sunshine, a full-grown political satirist. **


 * By creating the personification of a beloved childhood character, Mr. Punch, seems like an old friend who can voice his adult opinions on all topics of etiquette, politics, domestic life and military strategies, etc. **


 * EARLY HISTORY OF //PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI//: **


 * Editor Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells started the London Charivari in 1841. They wanted to use the Punch character, but to present him “less bitter and with a higher literary standard.” They wished to set them selves apart from other lower budget and crude comic tabloids already being produced. They focus on their writing and made their illustrations a key component. They were the first to coin the term //cartoon.// **


 * After a rough first year, the London Charivari was sold to Bradbury and Evans, who were established and successful as both publishers and printers. The now extended larger staff of editors and illustrators of the publication became known as “the Punch Brotherhood”. Charles Dickens was a contributor to the publication and a valued member of the Brotherhood. On many occasions //The// //Times// and //News of the world,// two of London’s newspapers, often used filler for their papers from //Punch//, in turn providing free advertising and adding a distinct note of credibility for the London Charivari. This new Punch, in his glory of being a political satirist, became a household name within the first two years of publication. **


 * Many collected the Punch periodicals; it was a way to have all the fun and information of the papers from the past six-months bound into one book. But these books also had additional offerings for the readers to look forward to such as an insightful and amusing preface, an almanac and in our volume a poster that could be removed. **


 * OUR VOLUME OF //PUNCH//: **


 * So we will now start with our walk through the anatomy of Punch, volume CXIV. **




 * This book is the one hundred and fourteenth, shown here in roman numerals, in the series of published Punch periodicals. And the title page has Punch depicted as a Bobbie catching a Bear red handed while stealing honey. It gives a visual image to the image of Mr. Punch being ever watchful of all the dealing in London. **


 * The publishers name is not here on the front page; it is merely a statement that it was published at the Office, 85 Fleet Street. **
 * This was indeed the address of both the headquarters for the London Charivari as well as what in 1898 was the Bradbury, Agnew, & Company. **




 * The firm of Bradbury, Agnew & Co. was the premier printers in London at the time. They had the most technologically advanced presses and as well as numerous fonts and a skilled staff. Because they published other forms of print, papers, magazines, and books, they were masters at format. **


 * THE PREFACE **


 * On the next page we are treated to the Preface, a letter Mr. Punch has written to himself. It starts so eloquently “Dear Me, …”, in this letter to himself he recounts a conversation he has had with Columbia. Columbia is the poetic personification of the United States of America. She looks like a patriotic military goddess. Punch is also seen here as the personification of the United Kingdom, a naval officer. **




 * Columbia has been brought from her ship so the two may have a private conversation. Punch begins by saying he prefers to speak the truth, but censorship is “very stiff.” But the truth it is. Columbia is drawn carrying both a ‘glass’ (telescope) and a ‘cutlass’ (sword); this depicts her as having vision as well as being willing to fight for what she believes. Throughout the course of the conversation both Punch and Columbia will touch on many important facts. **


 * Here are just a few PUNCH points out: **


 * “Our people are of the same stock” – Originally U.S. was British **
 * “… you are one nation now” – The U.S. Civil War has ended **
 * “we are still a bit sore about the diplomatic bluff in Venezeula” **
 * -The Venezuelan crisis of 1895 “but have made up our minds to forget it” (Really, then why mention it? Oh, to seem magnanimous.) **


 * Columbia in return points out: **


 * “we have tasted blood now… we have the men… the right stuff like yours… we have the makings of a European Power.” – Watch out! **
 * “I am free to admit that our attitude in Venezuela was calculated to annoy you. – but we shall never meet on the ocean except in common cause against a common enemy.” (followed by an embrace) - Friends **




 * At the end of Mr. Punch’s letter, he reminds Columbia that he is older and wiser, by simply stating, “for need I say, this is my one hundred and fourteen volume?” **


 * The illustration, found below the close of this letter, Columbia, looking much more like a young and naïve maiden then in the first Illustration, is reading Mr. Punch’s latest volume of Wisdom. **


 * A WORD ABOUT THE EDITOR IN 1898: **


 * It is a tremendous accomplishment to pack so much into a small two page document but this is exactly what Punch and the London Charivari became known for. And there were none who did it better than Sir Francis Cowley Burnand, the editor from 1880-1906. F.C. Burnand, as he was more commonly known, was a successful playwright as well as a valued contributor to //Punch// for 25 years before his appointment as editor. However it is was for his work as editor of //Punch// that F.C. Burnand was knighted in 1902. **


 * Photograph taken from the //History of Punch// **


 * A.A. Milne, the author of //The House at Pooh Corner,// had this to say about Burnand’s tenure at the //London Charivari:// **
 * “ ** It grew less intolerant of opinions with which it disagreed; it became more catholic in its appeal; it began to discard its air of a Family Joke and aspired to be the National Institution which it has since been proclaimed. Yet he always kept for it a note of irresponsibility.”


 * THE WEEKLY PRESS **


 * Since each periodical covered a six-month period of time, there are roughly 24 reproduced weekly editions of //Punch// in each volume. Each edition is a work of art and quite unique. By 1898 the staff at Punch had grown, and its list of notable contributors along with it, and each had their own style. **


 * Here are just a few examples of the varied styles in illustration: **












 * A crucial element of //Punch’s// success was the establishment from the beginning of the character of Mr. Punch being the editor and sole voice of the paper. All submissions, a part from the illustrations, were usually anonymous. Although there were regular features each week, such as the political cartoon and the //Punch’s Essence of Parliament,// the paper was reinvented each week based on it’s available content from writers; the weekly paper was usually 10 or 12 pages. There would often be serialized stories that would keep the reader coming back each week for the next installment of the story. Science and new technology were always of keen interest to the editors of //Punch,// so quite often the most up to date discoveries could be found in their weekly publication before //The Times// or other papers//.// **


 * Below is a page less dedicated to illustrations and more to the written word. **




 * THE INDEX **


 * As with most books there is either a table of contents and/or an index. In the case of our periodical there is an index. The index is arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the article, which makes sense since genre or author were not possible. **




 * On the second page of the index the illustrations are listed. The first list is of 24 large engraving along with the artists name. The second list, a far longer list, is just by title for the numerous small engravings. **




 * THE ALMANACK **


 * As I have already stated, //Punch or The London Chaviari,// was not an overnight success. For the first few years the readership supported a modest 5,000-7,000 run of papers each week. But in 1845, they produced their first almanack which sold amazingly over 90,000 copies. And from this point forward //Punch// would enjoy a much larger readership for several decades. **




 * Almanacks have been around for centuries. They are a type of calendar for the up coming year and forcast all in one. They historically were made to incorporate information from one or more subjects, such as agriculture, astronomy, tides, church festivals, and sun rise to sun set. But Mr. Punch dealt with the political and domestic realm of middle class Britain. His almanack dealt with things like the social seasons of London, the Hunting seasons, the sessions of Parliament etc. **


 * Here a few of the pages of his almanack: **








 * AN ADDED BONUS…A POSTER **


 * Have you ever purchased something just to get the free gift? Well, I am not suggesting this was done often, but it was a definite perk when you purchased the Punch periodical you also purchased a two and a half page size poster. **


 * This poster was neatly folded and glued into the almanack between June and July, and was in has a more copper toned ink as opposed to the standard black ink used for newspapers. **




 * The title of the poster is //Punch at the Prow: Time at the Helm//, and it is a whimsical characature of Mr. Punch sailing forth with an interesting cast of characters. Punch is looking like a Greek figure, complete with his crown of laurel, sitting at the bow; while Father Time steers the ship with an ominous vulture watching his every move. The passengers aboard the boat, to name a few, are Knowledge, Wealth, Science, Progress and Language; while Anarchy, looking very much like a native american indian, is swimming close by with his knife drawn. It is a treat for the eyes! **


 * A POST NOTE… **


 * There are so many different subjects that could be discussed in relation to this book. I have chosen to focus on the anatomy of this book with a few side excusions. But all in all this is a great book to get yours hand on! **