SOURCE: British PUNCH humor/satire magazine, October 13, 1888, original, pulled from the magazine, not a modern reproduction. Illustrated by Linley Sambourne. Size 8 1/2 x 11", image shown is slightly cropped. CONDITION: very good -- age toning, clean, no handling/storage wear, paper lays flat for easy framing; backside has unrelated text with some show-through (ghosting) on the facing side, as published -- please look closely.
HORRIBLE LONDON; OR, THE PANDEMONIUM OF POSTER
THE PANDEMONIUM OF POSTERS
Posted on October 19, 2017 by Richard Jones
As the Jack the Ripper murders raged in London, more and more newspapers and magazines came to see the Whitechapel horrors as an inevitable consequence of the bloodthirsty literature and drama that people were enjoying in their daily and weekly newspapers and on the London stage.
In its issue of September 15th, 1888 Punch magazine published an editorial that fulminated against the effect that the posters used to advertise these presentations – and their graphic depictions of murder, gore and violence – might have on the minds of certain members of the public: -
A SERIOUS QUESTION
“Is it not within the bounds of probability that to the highly-coloured pictorial advertisements to be seen on almost all the hoardings in London, vividly representing sensational scenes of murder, exhibited as “the great attractions” of certain dramas, the public may be to a certain extent indebted for the horrible crimes in Whitechapel?
We say it most seriously: - imagine the effect of these gigantic pictures of violence and assassination by knife and pistol on the morbid imagination of unbalanced minds.
These hideous picture-posters are a blot on our civilisation, and a disgrace to the Drama.”
THE PANDEMONIUM OF POSTERS
Punch returned to this theme in its issue of October 13th, 1888, with the following cartoon that showed the devil as a bill-sticker attaching these gruesome advertisements for the latest gore-feasts that audiences could delight in on the London stage.
THE ACCOMPANYING POEM
The cartoon was accompanied by a poem, which left the reader in no doubt as to Punch magazine’s stance on the effect that the posters might be having on the minds of the some of the less-able-to-cope members of London society.
Recommended: “Injurious Vistas: The Control of Outdoor Advertising, Governance and the Shaping of Urban Experience in Britain, 1817–1962” (2021) by James Greenhalgh
Over 4,000 Punch cartoons listed for sale (store category "Punch cartoons"), combine orders and save shipping charges. Questions are always welcome.
Please use 'Add to Basket' instead of 'Buy now' if buying more than one so that eBay only charges one lot of postage per order..WHO IS THE ARTIST:
Edward Linley Sambourne (4 January 1844 – 3 August 1910) was an English cartoonist and illustrator most famous for being a draughtsman for the satirical magazine Punch for more than forty years and rising to the position of "First Cartoonist" in his final decade.
WHAT IS PUNCH?
Punch, a magazine of humor and satire, ran from 1841-2002. A very British institution renowned internationally for its wit and irreverence, it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. Punch was the world's most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity -- and how the rest of the world saw the British nation. In its formative years Punch combined humors, illustration and political debate with a fresh and radical audacity. During its heyday in the late 1800s, it reflected the conservative views of the growing middle-classes and copies of it could be found in the libraries of diplomats, cabinet ministers and even royalty. In the Western world, Punch played a significant role in the development of satire. In the world of illustration, it practically revolutionized it. Over the decades as it charted the interests, concerns and frustrations of the country and today it stands as an invaluable source of cartoon art, satire, but as primary source material for historians.