1948: A fearsome moggy
Instead of the weak cat and the strong dog here is an example of role reversal.
1946: The pomp of a dog show?
This is clearly an exaggeration but it points to the strong interest in dog shows.
1947: Freeloaders
Like many cartoons this is rather extreme. Here the bookseller seems powerless to prevent people from reading the entire book instead of buying it.
1946: At the dog show
Instead of grooming her dog the young woman is grooming herself. Why would she be doing that? Presumably to get round the judge.
I have a sign in my garden MrMagoo it reads
“Beware of Miss Cat”
1955: What an opportunity
Why has Johnson been offered the whole of Africa as his district? We can see the little flags representing profitable districts in non-communist Europe, the middle-east and southern Asia. It is clearly the boss’s opinion that Africa is a no go continent for whatever his company is selling. Writing Africa off as a whole would not really have made sense. The most obvious exception would have been South Africa and there will have been individual exceptions in North, West and East Africa.
Writing off the whole continent indicates a prejudice which was not justified by the facts on the ground.
1947: Blaming the government
The winter of 1946/7 was particularly severe. My school remained closed for several weeks due to a lack of coal for heating. (It was being mined in sufficient quantities but the ‘big freeze’ prevented it from reaching us in the South.) I can recall that the Labour Government was being blamed for everything that went wrong.
1946: Boys will be boys
Usually the boy’s mother would be upset to see her son fighting in public. Here we a ready acceptance of the rough and tumble that actually existed.
1947: Mistake in transit
The mighty personage did well to grab the column which the runners had not seen.
1947: Ticket inspection
No automation. So many jobs have now been done away with. The third passenger coming up the escalator clearly has a problem.
1952: Not a conventional message
This is hardly what the florist expects to have to do.
Now it’s done by texts and e-mails!
1949: Smoking was the norm
Times really have changed with regard to smoking. Non -smokers really were a disregarded minority. During basic training in my National Service days we were told there would be a break for us to smoke and that non-smokers could ‘go through the motions.’
I’m not quite that old, but even when ah wer a lad smoking was the norm. I think smoking was even allowed in the office where I first worked.
Smoking in the office was also the norm when I started working in them in 1956. In a meeting, as things got tense, they would all get out their fags and light up. I would often be the only non-smoker present. The room would be full of their smoke. I can also remember when having my hair cut the wretched barber had a lit fag stuck to his lower lip.
1955: Optical illusion
This is an unusual thing to see in the pages of Punch. It does convey an impression of menace although nothing bad is really happening.
1946: Flexible working
The draughtsman is imitating the lamp. Of course he could just stand up and arrange the lamp accordingly. This is just an amusing pretence.