"Punch" was widely emulated worldwide and was popular throughout the British Empire. The experience of Britons in British colonies, especially in India, influenced "Punch" and its iconography. Tenniel's "Punch" cartoons of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny led to a surge in the magazine's popularity. India was frequently caricatured in "Punch" and was an important source of knowledge on the subcontinent for British readers.