The Pages of Punch

1976: The ultimate quiet funeral

This is of course illegal. This cartoon was printed probably because of the high-pressure salesmanship carried by the mortician industry.

‘Mortician’?
Enough of these Americanisms.
Undertaker.

I always liked Honeyset’s cartoons, they had a touch of cruelty and cynicism about them. :smiley:

1978: Letting it all hang out

Explicit sex came about in the swinging sixties. Although Punch was rather slow to respond, we see here an example of the trend. No euphemisms here.

1976: Knowing about art

This seems to be a bit of a mystery. We know that Claude Monet painted a great many lily ponds. But what was the woman being told to hurry for? Was it to pose for the painting? To jump in to rescue him? I can’t think of any other reasons.

Maybe he got fed up of waiting for his model and painted himself in the painting as a stop-gap while the Muse was upon him?

1974: Going with the times

There is a new openness here. The man with the dog collar obviously knows that this is not the shop where he can buy the periodicals for which he is asking. That is merely the excuse which allows him to look at the titillating covers of the periodicals that are actually on offer.

1976: A clear message

Mr Abthorpe is now in no doubt about the doctor’s diagnosis.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Lourdes! :lol:

1960: Shepherd’s Delight

Thelwell demonstrates here that his repertoire is not limited to little girls and their ponies. The dog’s body language is explicit in both frames of this cartoon.

1976: A clued up farmer

Glastonbury is surely the prototype for this joke. Farmers were becoming fully aware of the profits to be ‘harvested’ from the pop scene. Pop festivals were a major feature of the sixties and seventies. I am under the impression that they are still around but not as frequent as they used to be.

1977: Value for Money?

This joke has appeared more than once before in earlier times. The earlier ones showed winter sports to be the prerogative of the rich. By 1977 this clearly was no longer the case.

1976: Presenting the accounts

I’ve suspected this sort of thing myself and here I find my suspicion supported.

1964: Alpine Rescue

Real alpine rescue could never look like this. That reflection gives further weight to the joke shown the day before yesterday.

1976: Identifying what is really interesting here

Miles away from the earlier stance of Punch the flasher is mortified to find that it is the silk lining of his mackintosh that interest these unfazed ladies. They’ve seen ‘it’ before.

That one’s really funny! :lol:

Excellent. :lol:

Tee-hee! The best way to deflate a flasher! :lol:

Or, “Good heavens, where are my reading glasses?”

Or, “Be careful, those seagulls are partial to a tasty worm!” :lol: