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"Mrs. Pottles can't abide a Crowd"

Date unknown
(British, 1817–1864)
England, 19th century
graphite
Sheet: 16.4 x 15.4 cm (6 7/16 x 6 1/16 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1924.1004
Location: not on view
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Description

Created for a cartoon in Punch magazine, this satirical sketch shows an older woman climbing to her house’s roof to see fireworks rather than face the street crowds. Illustrated magazines like Punch played an important role in shaping Victorian visual culture. They also offered artists a way to reach wider audiences and a source of steady income. John Leech joined Punch soon after its founding in 1841. His weekly sketches helped shape the magazine’s light humor, which was aimed at the middle class. Leech’s depictions of everyday people and use of sequential scenes were important precedents for modern comics.
"Mrs. Pottles can't abide a Crowd"

"Mrs. Pottles can't abide a Crowd"

Date unknown

John Leech

(British, 1817–1864)
England, 19th century

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