Artwork Page for Sketch for "Mrs. Pottles Can't Abide a Crowd"

Details / Information for Sketch for "Mrs. Pottles Can't Abide a Crowd"

Sketch for "Mrs. Pottles Can't Abide a Crowd"

1856

John Leech

(British, 1817–1864)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
graphite
Measurements
Sheet: 16.4 x 15.4 cm (6 7/16 x 6 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1924.1004
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

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.
A vertically oriented graphite drawing in sketchy lines depicts figures with light skin tones. Centered, a large woman climbs a wooden ladder toward a square ceiling opening where a small face peers down. To her left, another woman holds a candle. In the lower left foreground, a smaller figure stands with their back to us. Smudged graphite shading defines the interior, and cursive text appears along the bottom edge, grounding the composition.

Sketch for "Mrs. Pottles Can't Abide a Crowd"

1856

John Leech

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

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