Punch & Judy Judith Lile Photos by Judith Lile and Jim Sneed The character of ï¿½Punchï¿½ made his earliest appearance in the 14th century in Italy, in the Commedia delï¿½Arte dramas, when he was Pulcinella. Later, in France in the 16th century, he became Polichinelle, the ï¿½hunchbacked fool of French farce,ï¿½ and, in 17th century diaries and journals, he is seen in England as Punchinella, Mr. Punch, and finally, Punch. Punch and Judy shows reached their greatest popularity in England in street shows, fairs, and small theatres during the 19th century. Until this time, the often-bawdy shows were directed to adult audiences, but now they had begun attracting more and more children. Toy Punch and Judy shows began to appear. Like other toys, these playthings re-created in small scale the real-life delights of the world in which children lived.

Most of the puppets were made in Germany, hand- carved in wood or shaped with papier mache, with exaggerated features and colorful costumes , ranging generally from about 8ï¿½ to 20ï¿½ in height. There were usually 6 to 12 figures in a set, though the number varied. Some came with stages, decorated with fancy fabrics and pictures of the performers; others have the name ï¿½Guignolï¿½ written across the top. Guignol was the name of a mischievous boy puppet created by a dentist in Lyon, France, in the late 18th century. Though this puppet had a button nose and a cute face, he shared Punchï¿½s love of outwitting authority and making sport of it. The word ï¿½Guignolï¿½ later became synonymous with ï¿½puppet.ï¿½ Carved wood set of 8, Germany. 18" high. These came with a provenance (see the 1934 birthday party clipping) dating them at 1890.

The group includes the basic characters: Punch, Judy, the Ghost, the Devil, Jack Ketch, Jim Crow, the Constable, and another figure.(?) Though the Devil and the Ghost were not in common use in the actual puppet shows by this time, toymakers could hardly resist including two such appealing and scary subjects. Itï¿½s easy to see the appeal for children of the Punch and Judy shows ï¿½ characters of all stripes, silly, nonsensical plots and dialogues, quaint, decorated, little stages. Often a live dog, Toby, sat in front of the stage with a ruff around his neck and a hat on. Punch, furthermore, could commit the most heinous of acts and get away with it! Throw the baby out of the window, whack his wife with a big stick, kill off the authorities that come to take him to jail, chase the ghost away, and, his greatest triumph, vanquish the devil himself, all with a merry grin. Pleased as Punch.

There was very little in the way of plot that the street watchers had to follow - Punch must contend with a shrewish wife and a screaming baby so he murders them both and is then forced to defend himself from the law officials and do-gooders who try to get him to the gallows. Whether he succeeds in overcoming them is the suspense of the drama, though the fun is in watching how Punch dispatches them all. The variation in the dramas came from the talent of the puppeteers (called ï¿½Professorsï¿½) who brought the characters to life with their own humor and skill and sense of the outrageous. The dialogues were passed on orally without much written down, but some authentic texts and scraps do exist. For example, the following is from a performance in 1906, a conversation between Punch and Mr. Jones ( the neighbor, earlier called Scaramouch) about a lost (or found) dog: . Jones. I lost the dog three weeks ago. Punch. I found a dog three weeks ago. Jones. That shows the dog is mine. Punch. No, that shows the dog is mine. Jones. How can the dog be yours when I lost it? Punch.

How can the dog be yours when I found it? Jones. You found the dog before it was lost. Punch. You lost it before it was found. And here are examples of how some of the dialogue persisted through decades: 1828 Officer of the Law. Iï¿½ve come to take you up. Punch. And Iï¿½m come to take you down. 1854 I am under the necessity of taking you up. And I am under the necessity of knocking you down. 1856 Iï¿½ve a special order in my pocket to take you up. And Iï¿½ve a special order to knock you down. 1941 I have come to lock you up. And Iï¿½ve come to knock you down. Traditionally, Punch shouts out a victory cry upon disposing of his opponents. In later years, it has been ï¿½Thatï¿½s the way to do it!,ï¿½ but earlier cries have been ï¿½Huzza!

Huzza!ï¿½ (1828), usually for the devil, ï¿½ Root-to-to-to-to-oo-it!,ï¿½ (1854) ï¿½Take that! Get up then and down then.ï¿½ (1887), and, in 1938, ï¿½ Wallop!ï¿½ Fragments of two quite primitive texts came to me a few years ago along with a puppet set. At the end of one, Punch has a fight with a creature called ï¿½Nightgrab,ï¿½ and comes up with yet another farewell, befitting his birdlike attacker: Punch. What are you thinking about you nasty snappy beast? Do you think I am something to eat? I will kill you. (Hits the animal on the head) Nightgrab. (cries) Tweet, Tweet, Tweeeeeeet! Punch. (hits the animal dead) We do not want creatures like you in this world. Now that you are very dead, you will be skinned and kept in an art cabinet. (Drags out the animal and sings.) La! La! Ladidum. Da.

This funny paper mache group has a French look to me, the similarity of Punch's hat to the French flag, the prominent noses, the more delicate details. And it could be quite early: Punch has a hump both in back and in front as some early ones did and there are remnants of Dresden decoration on some of the costumes. They are 13" high, on average. From the left are the Doctor, the Neighbor (?), the Devil, Punch, Judy, the Beadle, and Pretty Polly. In the English street shows, which are what Iï¿½m describing here, there were about 11 stock human characters and 3 animals, who appeared one by one, to bedevil, or be bedeviled by, Punch, who remained always on stage. Punchï¿½s characteristics are deep in the cultures of Europe. In the earliest dramas, he resembled Vice of medieval mystery plays, being both a moral caveat and a buffoon, struggling with the devil, and eventually being carried off to hell by him. Into the mid-18th century this was the expected outcome.

Attitudes gradually changed, however, and Punch began to prevail over the devil, often carting him off to the fiery furnace in a wheelbarrow, much to the delight of the street audiences and the disapproval of more proper folk .The landlady in Tom Jones (1749) laments, ï¿½I remember when puppet shows were made of good scripture storiesï¿½.and when wicked people were carried away by the devil.ï¿½ Punch had a vast belly and a hunchback (as did some court jesters) and wore a high hat, ruff around the neck, big buttons, and colorful suit. His nose and chin were described by some as almost meeting. An unusual feature that has continued in some form even to today, is Punchï¿½s voice, which was produced through a device called a ï¿½swazzleï¿½ or ï¿½swatchel.ï¿½ The Professors wore this circular ring sort of instrument in their mouths so that Punch always had a squeaking or high whistling sound to his voice. The exact origins of the swazzle are unknown, but the sounds were compared to the Castrati of 17th c.

Italian opera and other 17th c. puppet shows in which the puppets spoke in squeaking, unearthly, tones. The Professors refused to give up the secret of the swazzle, and only recently has information been published. The embattled Judy, Punchï¿½s wife, was his equal in feature, scorn and violence. After being derided, as usual, by Punch, she answers, Punch, Punch, Punch, prythee think of your hunch, Prythee look at your great strutting belly; Sirrah, if you dare War with me to declare, I will beat your fat guts to a jelly. Judyï¿½s name was originally Joan, a common, popular name in the 16th and 17th centuries and the reason for the change is unclear. Judy was a slang term for a ï¿½trampï¿½s woman,ï¿½ and may have seemed more fitting for the raucous, risque street shows. The last documented use of Joan was in 1818, at about the same time that the puppets went from marionettes to glove or hand puppets.

Judy almost always wears a bonnet or a Georgian mob-cap. She comes on stage to bicker and fight with Punch, bring him the baby, and later come back to find the baby gone, berate Punch, and be beaten (to death, I fear) by his stick. She returns, however, as the Ghost, to taunt and terrify Punch, who, nevertheless, finally overpowers it. The ghost was a popular character in the 19th c., but dropped out of most plays in the 20th . The Baby was added to the cast in the early 19th c. when the changeover to hand puppets occurred. The Professor now could hold Punch in his right hand, Judy in his left, and enable each to hold an object. Judy could carry the baby, and Punch, his stick. These three became the constant of every show. The Doctor was a regular visitor to the scene --sometimes when Punch had fallen off a horse (an on-stage hobby horse), sometimes when heï¿½d been overcome with fright from Judyï¿½s ghost. Iï¿½ll quote from George Speaight, ï¿½ Punch usually pretends he is dead---and says so!

Eventually the Doctor always decides that Punch is shamming and produces his physic---a stickï¿½ In the end Punch always gives the Doctor a dose of his own medicine.ï¿½ From 1825 to 1942, a black man, or the Negro, has appeared in the shows. At first he was a servant who was sent by his master to tell Punch to stop ringing a bell, which gives Punch an opportunity, of course, for verbal funny business and knock-about. The Negro was also sometimes a foreigner with a bristling beard who would say only ï¿½Shallaballa.ï¿½ In the 1850ï¿½s, with the popularity of the song, ï¿½Jim Crow,ï¿½ the negro became known as a minstrel, or Jim Crow. Heï¿½s seldom if ever seen today. The Beadle is basic to the show. Heï¿½s the one who must come to arrest Punch for all the murders he commits. Heï¿½s also known as the constable or the policeman, and often there are 2 characters who have this role.

After all the action, Punch is taken away by the Hangman to be hanged. The dying speech was a much- relished part of executions in 19th c. England, and Punch, too, was obliged to repeat, shamefully, the words that the Hangman dictates: Hangman. I have been a very bad and wicked man. Punch. I want a slice of bread and jam. When the moment arrives, Punch pretends he canï¿½t understand how to put his head into the noose, and, when the hangman shows him, Punch pulls the noose upward and hangs the hangman. During this time, there was a well-known executioner named Jack Ketch and the hangman was usually known by this name. The Devil, as noted, was an essential part of the show from its earliest beginnings. In the 17th century, he came in at the end to bring Punch to his just desserts. But in the mid-18th century, as social feeling was changing, began cheering for Punch to prevail, even against the Devil.

A Punch and Judy researcher at the time reports that one ï¿½showman, from some scruple or another, refused to allow the victory over the Devil to Punch,ï¿½ and was ï¿½lamentably pelted with mud.ï¿½ George Speaight writes, ï¿½Orthodoxy and justice may have demanded that Punch should suffer for his crimes, but those who know and love him will feel that Punch is, somehow, immortal, and that even the Prince of Darkness cannot touch him.ï¿½ Later, however, as the morality of the Victorian Age took hold, the Devilï¿½s presence was viewed with suspicion and it was thought that ï¿½it was apt to harrow the feelings of the little ones and give them bad dreams.ï¿½ Today he is seldom seen. The only member of Punchï¿½s group who doesnï¿½t get killed is the Clown. Known also as Mr. Merryman or Joey, heï¿½s Punchï¿½s companion, his helper, his partner in jokes.

Clownï¿½s part in the action is to help Punch dispose of the Hangmanï¿½s body, sometimes stuffing him into a coffin. We get much of our information about the puppet shows from drawings, paintings, and prints of the time. Many show the dog, Toby, sitting in front of the stage, or even on it, with his ruff and hat. There are also pictures with monkeys performing along with the dog. One Professor trained his dog to go among the audience with a little basket in his mouth and collect the donations,( the Professorsï¿½ only pay ). A Toby might take part in the play, biting Punchï¿½s nose, or similar tricks, but his main function was to add to the attraction and appeal of the performance. Due to the scrutiny of the English SPCA, the live dogs were later replaced by puppets. Mr. Jones is simply a neighbor, a respectable tradesman, the master of Toby. In earlier days, to at least 1828, he was named Scaramouch. Of course, Punch finds ways to confound and confuse Mr. Jones, shown in the funny, Abbott and Costello exchange above.

Hector and Crocodile are the 2 remaining basic characters. It was common for the Professorï¿½s assistant (if he had one) to ride around the fair grounds on a hobby-horse and stir up interest in the puppet shows. Hectorï¿½s role was to provide Punch with such a vehicle so that he too could ride around the stage, fall off, and send for the Doctor. Hector rarely appears after 1850. Crocodile has a more significant part. As the Devil disappears, the Crocodile arises to take his place. Usually coming on stage at the end of the play, his battle with Punch is a fierce, ultimate one. The hand of the puppeteer inside the long, sharp jaws of the crocodile is perfectly suited, at the peak of excitement, to snap shut and swallow Punchï¿½s stick! But as we all know now, Punch will somehow come through. The Crocodile is a staple of 20th,21st c. shows and we should just regard Crocodile as the Devil. These are the major players.

There have been others, such as Pretty Polly, Punchï¿½s mistress in pre-Victorian days, a blind man, Boxers, a monkey, a Chinaman, a Bakerï¿½but these have briefly come and gone. Thereï¿½s something timeless and universal and, I think, deeply psychological about these shows. We come to love the characters, though thereï¿½s nothing admirable or lovable about them. They have funny looks, mean or stupid traits, and invite us to cheer when the bad guy wins. As Speaight puts it, Why do we laugh? We do not know. This is the mystery of the human soul. Perhaps the spectacle of his fierce assaults releases from our inner consciousness aggressive primitive hidden repressions; and the devils issue out of our lips in gales of laughter. Certain it is that Punch fulfils some deep-seated instinct of human nature, that his little drama has always acted as a cathartic agent upon society. Speaight, George, Punch and Judy, Publishers Plays, Inc., Boston. 1970.

, The Free Encyclopedia 1000+ images about Punch and Judy on Pinterest | Wooden dolls, Punch and Armour Forward In Egypt, Roman garrisons were closely integrated into civic & religious life & participated in local cults. On the banks of the Nile in central Egypt, Roman soldiers were attracted to the crocodile cult. This imposing armour is made from the skin of a crocodile. It comprises a helmet and cuirass (body armour) and would have been used in military-style ceremonies of the regional crocodile cult. The skin has been radio-carbon dated to the third century AD. See More Punch and Judy Gallery - Library of Birmingham Trouble viewing this page? Switch to basic view. Don't like scrolling? Get the full experience. Punch and Judy (1828): The first printed Punch and Judy script was written by John Payne Collier and illustrated by George Cruikshank. It was based on Giovanni Piccini's Punch show that had been performed in England in the early 1800s. Piccini was aged 82 at the Read More Punch and Judy (1828) The first printed Punch and Judy script was written by John Payne Collier and illustrated by George Cruikshank.

It was based on Giovanni Piccini's Punch show that had been performed in England in the early 1800s. Piccini was aged 82 at the time of the collaboration and died 7 years later, in St. Giles's Workhouse. Location: Collier, J.P. (1828) Punch and Judy, with illustrations designed and engraved by George Cruikshank. Accompanied by the dialogue of the puppet-show, an account of its origin, and of puppet-plays in England. London: S. Prowett, 55 Pall Mall. ISG A791.538 Punch. What! Toby! you cross this morning? You get out of bed the wrong way upwards? Toby. (Snarls again) Arr! Arr! Punch. Poor Toby. (Putting his hand out cautiously, and trying to coax the dog, who snaps at it) Toby, you're one nasty cross dog: get away with you! (Strikes at him) Toby. Bow, wow, wow! (Seizing Punch by the nose) Punch. Oh dear! Oh dear! My nose! my poor nose! my beautiful nose! Get away!

get away, you *The Italian character in the impromptu comedies, called Scaramouchi, was known in England before Pulcinella made his appearance. In Durfey's Madame Fickle, licenced in 1676, Toby, the son of Mr. Tilbery, is made to employ it as a fashionalbe term of abuse, Scaramouchi, Rascal, Poltron, Popinjay! Son of twenty fathers! &c. Act. ii. † In reference to this sound, Shakespeare tells us that "R is the dogs letter." Rom. and Jul. Act ii Scene 5. Portrait of Mr. Punch (1890): Before his move to England in the 16th century, the character we know today as Punch went by many other aliases; Signor Bologna, Pollicinella, Polichinelli, Punctionella, Polichinello, Punchinnanella and Punchinello. Read More Portrait of Mr.

Punch (1890) Before his move to England in the 16th century, the character we know today as Punch went by many other aliases; Signor Bologna, Pollicinella, Polichinelli, Punctionella, Polichinello, Punchinnanella and Punchinello. Location: Cruikshank, George (1890) Punch and Judy, with twenty-four illustrations, designed and engraved by George Cruikshank. And other plates. Accompanied by the dialogue of the puppet-show, an account of it's origin, and of puppet plays in England. (Seventh edition). London: George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. ISG A791.538 CRU Punch on his steed (1890): Here we see Punch riding Hector the Horse, before being thrown off. It was common in the 19th century for showmen to ride on hobby-horses at fairgrounds, attracting audiences to their booths. LocationRead More Punch on his steed (1890) Here we see Punch riding Hector the Horse, before being thrown off.

It was common in the 19th century for showmen to ride on hobby-horses at fairgrounds, attracting audiences to their booths. Location: Cruikshank, George (1890) Punch and Judy, with twenty-four illustrations, designed and engraved by George Cruikshank. And other plates. Accompanied by the dialogue of the puppet-show, an account of it's origin, and of puppet plays in England. (Seventh edition). London: George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. ISG A791.538 CRU Punch, Judy, and their child (1890): In traditional performances of Punch and Judy, the couple are seen to embrace and dance with each other, before an arguement leads to violence and death. Location: Cruikshank, George (1890) Punch and Judy, wi Read More Punch, Judy, and their child (1890) In traditional performances of Punch and Judy, the couple are seen to embrace and dance with each other, before an arguement leads to violence and death.

Location: Cruikshank, George (1890) Punch and Judy, with twenty-four illustrations, designed and engraved by George Cruikshank. And other plates. Accompanied by the dialogue of the puppet-show, an account of it's origin, and of puppet plays in England. (Seventh edition). London: George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. ISG A791.538 CRU Candler's Street Fantoccini (c.1827-1873): Fantoccini is the name for a puppet show where marionettes are operated and animated by the use of wires, strings or some mechanical means. Fantoccini translates from the Italian as 'little puppets' and derives from the words fantoccioRead More Candler's Street Fantoccini (c.1827-1873) Fantoccini is the name for a puppet show where marionettes are operated and animated by the use of wires, strings or some mechanical means. Fantoccini translates from the Italian as 'little puppets' and derives from the words fantoccio (puppet) and fante (boy).

The fantoccini would usually have been perfomed in Italian or French, with an explanation of the story in English at the end of each act. Candler's Fantoccini was performed in the streets of Pentonville, London. The varied programme included a chair-balancer, an Indian juggler, a dissecting skeleton and a neck-stretching Scaramouch. Although we know Punch and Judy as hand puppets today, the original Pulcinella puppet play would have used hand-carved, wooden marionettes. Location: George Cruikshank Collected Plates Vol.18 Collection of Prints from Drawings by George Cruikshank c.1827-1873, Nos. 2451-3628. ISG AF741.941 CRU Quadrille de Punch (c.1840-1851): The comic character of Punch takes many forms but most have some of the following characteristics: short stature, large belly, hooked nose, jutting chin, prominent hunchback, a ferocious temper and squeaking voice.

His distinctive costume will o Read More Quadrille de Punch (c.1840-1851) The comic character of Punch takes many forms but most have some of the following characteristics: short stature, large belly, hooked nose, jutting chin, prominent hunchback, a ferocious temper and squeaking voice. His distinctive costume will often feature a tall, conical hat, an oversized ruff, large buttons down his striped front and carrying a wooden slapstick. Location: Spaeight, George (1955) The History of English Puppet Theatre. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd. ISG A791.53 SPA Punch and Judy (1905): Coloured reproduction of the stencil decoration by Margaret Lloyd. Location: The Studio Vol. 34 1905, p.353. ISG BQ700 Read More Punch and Judy (1905) Location: The Studio Vol. 34 1905, p.353. ISG BQ700 Circus Bill (1832): The circus held for the benefit of Mr.

Maddock in 1832 had a variety of performers on the bill, including Mr. Morgan and M. Godow appearing on the Double Tight Ropes as Punch and Judy. Location: Circus Bills EtcRead More Circus Bill (1832) The circus held for the benefit of Mr. Maddock in 1832 had a variety of performers on the bill, including Mr. Morgan and M. Godow appearing on the Double Tight Ropes as Punch and Judy. Location: Circus Bills Etc. 1800-1874. Archives and Heritage LFF 26.1 Punch scrap (19th century): Location: Scrap Book. Early and Fine Printing Collection. Read More Punch scrap (19th century) Location: Scrap Book. Early and Fine Printing Collection. Joey The Clown Plays An Unfriendly Trick on Punch (1854): "Lives there a youth who has not yearn'd To be, at least to dress, like Clown; And up his trowser-ankles turn'd, And of his mouth the corners down?

To do clown well - here's a good lesson - con it Whiten your face, and stick red wafers on i Read More Joey The Clown Plays An Unfriendly Trick on Punch (1854) "Lives there a youth who has not yearn'd To be, at least to dress, like Clown; And up his trowser-ankles turn'd, And of his mouth the corners down? To do clown well - here's a good lesson - con it Whiten your face, and stick red wafers on it." Joey was an affectionate nickname for the famous clown, Joseph Grimaldi, who first performed in England in the early 1800s. Traditionally, the clown is the only member of the Punch show that does not get killed. Other characters associated with Punch puppet plays are the Devil, the Doctor, Mr. Jones or Scaramouch (Toby's master), a Servant, a Policeman or Beadle, Hector the Horse, a dragon or crocodile and the Hangman. Location: The Wonderful Drama of Punch and Judy and their Little Dog Toby, as performed to overflowing balconies at the corner of the street. By Papernose Woodensconce, Esq.

(Robert Barabus Brough) with illustrations by "The Owl." London: H. Ingram and Co., Milford House, Milford Lane, Strand. Parker Collection ApQ087.1/1854 Live Properties (c.1839): In this sketch by George Cruikshank, we see Grimaldi appearing onstage with the clowning characters, Harlequin and Punch. Location: George Cruikshank Collected Plates Vol.9 Collection of Prints from Drawings by Ge Read More Live Properties (c.1839) In this sketch by George Cruikshank, we see Grimaldi appearing onstage with the clowning characters, Harlequin and Punch. Location: George Cruikshank Collected Plates Vol.9 Collection of Prints from Drawings by George Cruikshank c.1839, Nos. 1897-2022. ISG AF741.942 CRU Punch and Judy (c.1827-1873): In this picture we see the Professor's assistant blowing a trumpet, announcing the arrival of the puppet show.

Travelling puppet showmen took their shows around the country, visiting villages, wakes and fairs. Bartholomew Fair was the lar Read More Punch and Judy (c.1827-1873) In this picture we see the Professor's assistant blowing a trumpet, announcing the arrival of the puppet show. Travelling puppet showmen took their shows around the country, visiting villages, wakes and fairs. Bartholomew Fair was the largest and most famous of them all, which took place in late August and attracted a huge variety of performers and thousands of visitors. Location: George Cruikshank Collected Plates Vol.18 Collection of Prints from Drawings by George Cruikshank c.1827-1873, Nos. 2451-3628. ISG AF741.941 CRU Punch and Judy (1867): Location: The People's Magazine (1867). ISG BQ828.8 Punch and Judy.

(A true incident in Melbourne life about fourteen years ago.) From the north, across the ocean, Once a strolling player came; For in Read More Punch and Judy (1867) Punch's Information For The People (1841): Image taken from the first edition of the satirical magazine Punch or The London Charivari, published in July 1841. Location: Punch or The London Charivari Vol. 1 (July to Dec, 1841) p. Read More Punch's Information For The People (1841) Image taken from the first edition of the satirical magazine Punch or The London Charivari, published in July 1841. Location: Punch or The London Charivari Vol. 1 (July to Dec, 1841) p.58. London: Published At The Punch Office. ISG Punch 1-3, 1842. BQ827.91 Punch (1842): Wood engraver Ebenezer Landells was co-founder of Punch magazine, alongside writer Henry Mayhew. Location: Punch or The London Charivari Vol. 3 (July to Dec, 1842).

London: Published At The Punch Office. ISG Punch 1 Read More Punch (1842) Wood engraver Ebenezer Landells was co-founder of Punch magazine, alongside writer Henry Mayhew. Location: Punch or The London Charivari Vol. 3 (July to Dec, 1842). London: Published At The Punch Office. ISG Punch 1-3, 1842. BQ827.91 This Christmas Wish with you abide (c.1880): This Christmas Wish with you abide: Jolly be ever whatever betide. Victorian Christmas card featuring Mr. Punch and The Baby. See our Punch and Judy Gallery Location: Francis Parker Scrapbook. Parker Collection. Early and Fine Printing Collection item number 698218 A Happy New Year (c.1868-1878): A Victorian New Year card featuring Mr. Punch. Location: Sir Wilfred Martineau Scrapbook. Early and Fine Printing Collection item number 719846. Read More A Happy New Year (c.1868-1878) A Victorian New Year card featuring Mr. Punch.

Location: Sir Wilfred Martineau Scrapbook. Early and Fine Printing Collection item number 719846. Victorian Christmas card (c.1878-1889): A Christmas card featuring Mr. Punch produced by Marcus Ward & Co. The verse reads, "Bonny though these babies be Bonnier still my love's to me!" Location: Ruth Nettlefold ScrapbookRead More Victorian Christmas card (c.1878-1889) "Bonny though these babies be Bonnier still my love's to me!" Location: Ruth Nettlefold Scrapbook. Early and Fine Printing Collection Item Number 611336 On The Road To The Derby - The Punch and Judy Man (1870): Location: The Graphic (1870) Vol. 1, p.642. Archives and Heritage BF052. This piece from The Graphic describes a travelling Punch show preparing before the Epsom Fair in 1870. Read More On The Road To The Derby - The Punch and Judy Man (1870) Location: The Graphic (1870) Vol. 1, p.642.

Archives and Heritage BF052. This piece from The Graphic describes a travelling Punch show preparing before the Epsom Fair in 1870. "In a green nook by the roadside Mr. Punch is having the last touch put to his toilet before making his bow on Epsom Downs, and going through that performance which, however objectionable from a strictly moral point of view, has such a charm for children of all growths. A career of heartless crime, commencing with wife-beating, and culminating with hanging that hangman with his own halter, must appear to a rigid moralist a somewhat dangerous entertainment for the young; but then children as a rule - that is, children who are good for anything - have no morals in the philosophical sense of the word; they do not discuss in their little minds the rights and the wrongs of the matter, but with infinite wisdom enjoy the fun of it. Theirs is not the age of reason but the age of imagination, and those who would make moral theses of children's storybooks, extracting all the delightful fighting from "Jack the Giant Killer" and all the craft from "Puss in Boots", should bear this in mind. Mr.

Punch is a disreputable character we admit, but he commits his wikedness with such a genial humour, cracking jokes and heads with equal readiness, that noone but a professor of ethics can quarrel with him. It is with him as with the clown who sits upon the baby to quiet it, they both belong to an ideal world wherin humour is man's greatest virtue. The Derby is a profitable day for all such worthy folk as Acts of Parliament used to class under the general title vagabonds; and in our sketch, while Mr. Punch is having his complexion mended and the necessary repairs done to his castle we see the Ethiopian Minstrels on the march, and the gipsy tents, which will be struck ere long, for that happy hunting-ground where broken meats and stray spoons reward the industrious, and where Punch, reinvigorated and refreshed, will doubtless reap a rich harvest." Commentary upon the late "New Police Act" (1841): The Metropolitan Police Act of 1839 gave additional powers to the police force in an attempt to reclaim and control the noisy and undisciplined streets of London.

The new regulations meant that many street entertainments, including Punch, were remove Read More Commentary upon the late "New Police Act" (1841) The Metropolitan Police Act of 1839 gave additional powers to the police force in an attempt to reclaim and control the noisy and undisciplined streets of London. The new regulations meant that many street entertainments, including Punch, were removed from public spaces in the capitol. The uprooted Punch showmen had to travel to find new audiences, at fashionable seaside resorts and fairs. Location: George Cruikshank Collected Plates Vol. II Collection of Prints from Drawings by George Cruikshank c.1841-1843, Nos. 2130-2239. ISG AF741.942 CRU Punch In The Drawing-Room (1871): Location: The Graphic (1871) Christmas Number, (Dec. 25). Taken from The Graphic Vol. 4 July-Dec 1871.

Archives and Heritage BF052 This piece from The Graphic describes the popularity of Punch at private Read More Punch In The Drawing-Room (1871) Location: The Graphic (1871) Christmas Number, (Dec. 25). Taken from The Graphic Vol. 4 July-Dec 1871. Archives and Heritage BF052 This piece from The Graphic describes the popularity of Punch at private parties during the 1870s. "...Not that Punch is soley to be found in the streets, to be gazed at only out of windows or from the extreme edge of the pavement. He is also in great request at children's parties - fashionable parties too - sometimes Royal parties, for we most of us have seen about London the Punch, which "played before Her Majesty" and the Royal Children at Windsor Castle." He is as much at home in the drawing-room as in the street, and in the long evenings of the Christmas Holidays, that merry season of children's parties, he is a constant guest. A welcome one, too, as the happy little faces in our illustration plainly show. Why children should be fond of such an un-domestic drama as portayed in the representation of Mr.

Punch's adventures, can only be accounted for by that love of the horrible so innate even in infantile human nature. The incidents in the drama are certainly startling. Those of a transpontine tragedy are nothing to the terrible to the terrible catastrophes which here crowd thick upon each other. Where, also, can you find such a bold devil-may-care daring villain as here? One that not only murders his child, wife, and sundry interfering neighbours with as little compunction as a certain Roman Emperor is said to have killed flies, but actually hurls thunderbolts at great Jove himself, by hanging Jack Ketch. The boldest of highwaymen never achieved such a feat as this, and well may the little folk stare with wonder and awe at such a hero. Toby also is another "great attraction" as is regarded by the audience much as the introduction of a "wild" horse or a "real" locomotive at Astley's or the "Vic". But even "Punch" has a moral, for is he not pursued by his victim's ghost, and is he not finally carried off to regions unknown, by that terrible bugbear of childhood - Bogey?

Even the "old folk" in our party seem to enjoy the fun, and as for the younger ones, their interest is intense. Doubtlessly some of them have furtively watched the preparations, have seen with great anxiety the mysterious frame brought upstairs, and assured themselves that it is a real tangible Punch out of the streets, and not a make-up. Stay, there is one thing different - the drum, which has been exchanged for a smaller instrument, as less likely to deafen the audience in such a confined space. The overture is over, and Mr. Punch is just administering a little "wholesome correction to his better half." Alas! the spectators show no sympathy to the injured innocence. On the contrary, they laugh the louder as our hero's inhumanity waxes greater and greater with his career; the hangman episode is keenly relished, for they have no respect for the law and its myrmidons, the little vagabonds; and only the very tiny ones show any symptom of awe at the apperarance of the late Mrs.

Judy in a white dressing gown, or even of the dread Bogey himself." Punch and Judy (1828): The man standing to the right of the booth in the picture is the money collecter or bottler, whose job it was to annouce the show and collect payment from the crowd. The distinctive, squeaking voice Read More Punch and Judy (1828) The man standing to the right of the booth in the picture is the money collecter or bottler, whose job it was to annouce the show and collect payment from the crowd. The distinctive, squeaking voice of Punch is obtained by the 'Professor' speaking through a tin whistle called a swatchel or swazzle placed in their mouth. Location: Collier, J.P. (1828) Punch and Judy, with illustrations designed and engraved by George Cruikshank. Accompanied by the dialogue of the puppet-show, an account of its origin, and of puppet-plays in England. London: S. Prowett, 55 Pall Mall.

ISG A791.538 1828 Aspinall's Enamel advertisement (1891): "Punch" says "Get a pot of Aspinall's Red Enamel." Punch's advice is always good. Location: Child's Pictorial Annual Volume, January to December 1891. London: Society for Promoting Christian Know Read More Aspinall's Enamel advertisement (1891) "Punch" says "Get a pot of Aspinall's Red Enamel." Punch's advice is always good. Location: Child's Pictorial Annual Volume, January to December 1891. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Parker Collection B087.1/1891 The Funny Story of Punch & Judy (1875): Puppet shows were an extremely popular form of street entertainment in the 19th century. The puppeteer would often employ a child assistant whose job it would be to collect a halfpenny payment from each member of the crowd. Locatio Read More The Funny Story of Punch & Judy (1875) Puppet shows were an extremely popular form of street entertainment in the 19th century.

The puppeteer would often employ a child assistant whose job it would be to collect a halfpenny payment from each member of the crowd. Location: “The Funny Story of Punch & Judy” (1875) Otley: William Walker & Sons. Parker Collection Ap Q087.1/1875 Punch and Judy (1875): The central family in the show are the characters of Punch, Judy and the Baby. Originally called Joan, Punch's wife's name changed to Judy in the early 18th century. At the time, a 'Judy' was slang for a tramp's woman. The Read More Punch and Judy (1875) The central family in the show are the characters of Punch, Judy and the Baby. Originally called Joan, Punch's wife's name changed to Judy in the early 18th century. At the time, a 'Judy' was slang for a tramp's woman. The Baby first appears in the 19th century versions of the show. Location: The Funny Story of Punch and Judy (1875) Otley: William Walker and Sons.

Parker Collection Ap Q087.1/1875 Punch and Judy (1895): Location: National Rhymes of the Nursery. Introduction by George Saintsbury and drawings by Gordon Browne. London: Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. Parker Collection A087.1/1895 "Punch and Judy. Read More Punch and Judy (1895) Location: National Rhymes of the Nursery. Introduction by George Saintsbury and drawings by Gordon Browne. London: Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. Parker Collection A087.1/1895 Who is Mr Punch Who is Punch anyway? Where does he come from? And how could so impossible and ridiculous a character have survived the changes and turmoil of the passing centuries? The plain fact is that nobody knows. Certainly the figure of Punch as we know him today has a direct link with the commedia dell'arte of the seventeenth century, but the character is far, far older.

The original significance of Punch's face and figure - his enormous nose and hump - are meaningless to an audience of modern times when, perhaps, it is not customary to associate large noses and sexual potency or find hunchbacks mirth provoking. But it is possible that Punch has lasted so long because he so blatantly cocks a snook at the restrictions of civilised society - and perhaps every man, at some time or other would like to flaunt the laws of society with a comparable nonchalance, removing those who got in his way, pursuing his amorous inclinations willy nilly, and defeating, in the end, the devil himself! How often we say of a likeable rogue "He could get away with murder." And Punch does - or almost always does - and he is such a likeable rogue and, of course, he's only a puppet and puppets can get away with anything. In 1947 The Middlesex County Council said "No more Punch and Judy shows at school treats! The Punch show is brutal and totally unfit for the innocent eyes and ears of children" or words to that effect. Oh dear! That a puppet could raise such a storm! Of course Mr.

Punch objected strongly and at the opening ceremony of the annual Puppet Exhibition organised at Victory House, Leicester Square by the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild in October of that year, ten Punch figures bashed up a puppet of the Mayor of Willesden who, somehow, was blamed for the whole thing, stuffed him into a coffin marked "For Export"and triumphantly carted him off. The sight and sound of ten Punches gathered round the coffin all squeaking their anger and defiance was memorable. Having disposed of the unfortunate Mayor and the ten Punches were joined by even more when they went out of the exhibition hall and on to the balcony of Victory House to squeak their protest to the world at large, almost stopping the London traffic! Of the ban on Punch, the New York Daily News acidly remarked "If the British sense of humour and perspective have sunk generally to the level of those of the Middlesex Council, then perhaps it will be a healthy thing for the world if the British Empire presently dives below the western horizon of history" (There was still a British Empire in 1947). Many voices were raised in defence of Mr. Punch. Though he didn't need any help.

An institution so old as Punch will long outlive pettifogging civic dignitaries. A poem published in The Law Times had as its final verse: If you fall for Punch and Judy you become morose and broody And ev'ry decent sentiment is barred; Your faculties precocious crave what's horrid and ferocious In the manner of the late Marquis de Sade. Your story makes its deadline when you hit some tabloid headline With the murder that your twisted mind has planned; It's too late to plead repentance when the Judge pronounces sentence And that's why Punch and Judy must be banned. J. R. Cleland wrote a treatise entitled "Some Notes on the Punch Play" [1] in which he saw Punch as aspirant to the Ancient Mysteries and linked him with the Medieval morality plays.

He considered the play as being " a survival of a Morality, a stage show setting forth the facts about man, and his place and value in the universe, the teaching being as was most usual, veiled in the form of an allegory and illustrated, for those who have the eyes to see, by symbols." He saw Toby as representative of "the level of emotion and desire, sometimes called the astral or shining" with "his head through the middle of a rainbow". The Policeman represents "the Abstract Mind, the seat of Conscience" and the challenge of the Ghost representing Death, is considered Punch's greatest trial, the conquest of whom enables Punch to finally defy the Devil himself. The fact that only Dog Toby remains alive with Punch at the end of the play. Mr. Cleland links with the story of the Journey of Yudasthira to heaven, as told in the epic Mahabharata of India, wherein the prince refuses to desert his faithful companion the dog. And the Crocodile, though he was a late arrival in the Punch play, he links with an Egyptian form of the story. The killing indulged in by Punch is viewed as "the lowest manifestations of Mr.

Punch's own self but the killing of Judy and the Baby are seen as the achieving of dominion over the levels they represent and the beginnings of the work of self discipline and self conquest. Interesting theories certainly, and quite as valid as any others for the whole history of Punch is wrapped in mystery. Vidusaka hooked nose hunchback clown of Ancient India could be Mr. Punch and who is to say that the gypsies - driven by Timourlaine from Northern India did not bring him to the West? But what of Mandaccus - Dossenus of the Atellan farce of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome? The awkward fool Maccus has often been suggested as an ancestor of Punch but he did not have the hump on his back, and ancient terracottas likely to be representatious of Mandacus -Dossenus have the huge hook-nose, pot belly and hump of Mr. Punch. It is likely too, that he combined wit with stupidity, and comedy with cruelty much like Punch again. The ancestor to whom Punch's lineage can be traced with absolute certainty is Pulcinella of the Renaissance Commedia dell'arte.

A continuous link over the centuries with the Atellan farce has been propounded and refuted by scholars of the theatre and it is nice to think that Punch may have been with us two thousand five hundred years. One thing is certain, the Punch-like type of person has been a stock figure of the Theatre since the earliest days of the Greek mime as ancient bronzes and terracottas have proved. Although tenuous and speculative the history of the character may be, however, the history of Punch as a puppet is even more so. Nobody knows when Punch first appeared on the puppet stage. Puppet shows were known in Ancient India and China since the stock comic figure of a man with hook-nose and hump-back has persisted through the ages, who is to say a character very close to Punch was not known? It is quite likely, in fact, that any character with a nose suggestive of amorous propensities and a deformity suggestive of the aggressiveness which often arises out of an inferiority complex, should have Punch's characteristic stage-manner. In Ancient Greece puppets were not only well known but very well performed according to the writers of the day.

String puppets seemed to be singled out for mention since, obviously a more articulate and life-like figure than a glove puppet would be the more to be marvelled at, but Punch who is supposed to have arrived in England in the mid 17th century, came first as a puppet worked by strings, so why should not a similar character - a hunchback clown - have entertained Xenophon in the fifth century B.C.? And if Punch did not arrive in England till the 17th century what predecessor of his appears in the miniature by Jehan de Grise, in a manuscript C1340 and now in the Bodleian Library? Here we see a puppet booth very akin to a modern booth and on stage two figures, one male, one female, the man being in Punch's traditional place, i.e. to the left of the stage as seen by the audience, wearing what looks like a pointed cap and wielding a club or stick, Mr. Punch's traditional weapon? How very like a Punch and Judy show this looks but we cannot be sure. We are sure though, that Mr. Punch we know today is a puppet version of Pulcinella of the Commedia dell'arte.

A water-colour drawing by Lichery of 1688 shows a Pulcinella almost identical with modern Punch and leaves us in no doubt what ever. Who was Pulcinella - or as he is sometimes called Pollicinella or Pulicinella? His role was primarily that of a servant, as indeed was that of Harlequin, and he was obviously a comedian. He wore an artificial nose, pot-belly and hump -all calculated to make the audience laugh, and he was the mixture of jollity and cruelty, wit and stupidity just as Punch is today. J. Callot in the early 17th century executed a series of etchings of the characters in the commedia dell'arte and it is curious to note that his Pulcinella - or "Pulliciniello" as he calls him - is nothing like Punch, looking more like an elderly Pierrot, but he does illustrate a character called "Cucurucu" who is very like Punch but has cock's feathers on his head.

This Cucurucu seems very akin to Cirirrus of the Atellan comedy, so like, in fact, that the connection must be acknowledged -another link between Punch and the theatre of Ancient Greece. Let us not forget either, the comic squeaking of the Atellan comedians and the probability that the raucous voice of Punch may be the tradition of many centuries. The name Pulcinella is derived from pulcino, a chicken, perhaps on account of the character's beak like nose and his bird like voice. The obvious close link with Cucucus - the very sound of whose name is like a clucking bird -and the cock-feathers characteristic of this character, all add credibility to this theory of derivation. In England the name "Punch" is obviously an abbreviation of Punchinello, a name synonymous with Pulcinella, Polichinello, Pollicinella and Polichinelle. Pepys mentions several different variations of the name in his diary, between 1666 and 1668, including the name Punch, which apparently became a nickname for anything thick and short.

The Punch that Pepys knew was a marionette, not a glove puppet, and able to skip about the stage on his own two legs. Just what he looked like regards facial features and costume we do not know but the water colour by Lichery of Angelo Costanti receiving Arlequin's Mask and Baton from Columbine in 1688 has in the background a Pulcinella who is practically identical with Punch of today and suggests that Punch's appearance has remained unchanged apart from slight variations of costume. His character too, has probably not changed a great deal. The puppets of Pepys time were most likely presenting a sort of Harlequinade but Punch was obviously the principal character. His buffoonery certainly captured the imagination of the spectators and he must have been a likeable rogue from the start. Whatever play, however serious, was presented, Punch would be there, employed as Shakespeare employed his clowns to provide comic relief. It seems to have been the early 18th century that Punch took to himself a wife, Joan and, fighting and bickering, they held the stage for many years. In the 18th century puppet shows were immensely popular.

The rabble at fairs and general lower class get-togethers were entertained to a great extent by glove-puppets as they had been long long before Pulcinella the marionette arrived in England. The upper classes wanted the greater refinement and novelty of string puppets and were well catered for. As a divertisement for the gentility, however, the puppet show declined as the century wore on and Punch, by degrees, suffered the transition from string puppet to glove puppet. As a glove puppet he indulged simply in knock-about comedy to begin with and only slowly did a complete story evolve. It is interesting to note that, as a marionette, Punch kept constantly coming on stage to interrupt the action of the play; as a glove-puppet Punch is On stage all the time, more or less, and the various characters keep coming to interrupt him. As a glove-puppet, too, he has retained his legs, but they are now useless appendages which he just throws over the playboard when he sits down. He is, however, the only character in the Punch drama to have legs, the rest are simple glove puppets who leave the existence of their legs entirely to the audiences imagination.

The evolution of the Punch story is a curious phenomenon. First there was Punch, then his wife Joan who did not become Judy till sometime in the early 19th century, then the Devil, then perhaps the Doctor and Beadle. Lesser characters may have appeared and vanished again. Even today characters completely extraneous to the story are introduced occasionally, but the basic principals in the story, all quite different, clear-cut types, have evolved and remained. There are Punch and Joan (now Judy) and their child, the Baby, the Beadle has become the Policeman, the Doctor remains; the Negro Servant remained until the 1960's, though it was not always clear in the modern version that he was a servant , rather he was just a Darkie; the Hangman Jack Ketch remains in some shows despite the abolition of Capital punishment, the Clown remains. The Crocodile was a late arrival in the story and has now been an important character for about a hundred years. First he was a dragon which eventually became a crocodile. Perhaps the idea of a crocodile became firmly established after children had been frightened by the Crocodile in Peter Pan. The Ghost is seen occasionally still.

Originally the Ghost of Judy, it is now just any old ghost. The Devil, once an essential character to the play, is now rarely seen, the Crocodile having taken his place. Scaramouche, a figure with an extending neck, Hector a hobbyhorse, the Blind Man and Punch's amour Pretty Polly, have disappeared more or less. The Boxers and Chinese Plate Spinners are modern additions but have no place in the story as such. The old showman introduced other characters too, including a Courtier, a second Police Officer, a pair of Undertakers, an Irishman and a Sailor but these are no longer seen, and, since they played such minor parts in the story, are not missed. The employment of a live Dog Toby is a legacy of the days when performing animals were used quite often with puppets either as a separate turn on the pavement outside the puppet booth or on the stage itself. Trained animals appeared with string-puppets on the marionette stages of the 17th centuries. French puppeteers used monkeys with their hand-puppet shows and. the French Punch, Polichinelle had a cat as companion on the playboard.

There seems to be some doubt as to whether Toby was originally a live dog or a puppet dog. If he were first introduced into the story as live dog it would seem a natural enough development from the custom of using animals as a novelty in a puppet show; it is already on record that Punch danced with a trained pig as far back as the 17th century. When George Cruickshank drew the illustrations for his famous Punch and Judy series early in the 19th century he showed Toby as a puppet but since Toby was a well established character by now a puppet dog could have been used when a trained live dog was not available. In modern times Toby as a character has been dispensed with altogether by the majority of Punch Showmen: a few still use a live dog though. One of the most famous Tobys, the one of Colwyn Bay in North Wales, owned and trained by Professor Albert Codman was still working aged sixteen years. But for all his international lineage, the Punch play as we know it today is far removed from the commedia dell'arte, eastern or classical origins.

The traditional rough buffoonery of Old England has predominated, moulding Punch, and building around him the famous tragical comedy which is now part of Britain's heritage. (C)Eric Bramall FRSA HRCA 1973

Question: What wild animal appears in a traditional "Punch and Judy" show?
Answer: Crocodile