During the sixties many South American countries were in the hands of juntas. This meant that a group of military personnel had seized power thereby ignoring the democratic process. There were quite a few other countries where this had happened mainly in Africa but they did not use that word. In Europe we had the Colonels in Greece doing the same thing. General Franco was still in power in Spain.
The cartoonist chooses to ignore the fact that Chelsea Pensioners were not commanding any parts of the British army.
In earlier times at formal dinners there was a stage when the women would depart leaving the men to smoke their cigars and consume their brandies and indulge in ‘masculine’ conversation. After sufficient time had elapsed the host would say ‘shall we join the ladies?’
This cartoon seeks to bring this practice up to date. The ladies have drunk themselves under the table and the host is suggesting that the men should so the same. This idea clearly belongs to the sixties. I dare say that at posh dinner party the original practice still prevails. I obviously cannot speak from personal experience.
During the Wars of the Roses the Duke of Clarence was accused of plotting against his brother King Edward the Fourth. He was executed, some say, by drowning in a butt of Malmsey wine. Here he is shown objecting to the vintage year. Gallows humour indeed. I am somewhat surprised that the readers of Punch were expected to be aware of this obscure supposed event in the Fifteenth Century.
Thelwell occasionally departed from his usual theme of little girls and their ponies. There were a number of recorded cases when a hunt member went over to the anti-hunting group. Here a hunt saboteur has decided to go over to the ‘enemy’.
Sorry about this. That should have been posted tomorrow!
I haven’t seen this sort of street trading for many years. This salesman is displaying his stock of wind-up miniature people for sale to the general public. Fifteen shillings (or three quarters of a pound) was a significant amount of money at the time.
The ’joke’ is that these toys are separating themselves according to gender and colour. Thelwell is clearly commenting on some of the issues of the day but he does not indicate which side he is supporting.
The division of labour was first chronicled by Adam Smith. An example is shown here. Her concern is to make the home more attractive and his role is to feel uneasy about her risky position on the ladder. Is he concerned about her precarious situation or is he worried that her fall would cause the paint pot to land on him? It isn’t that difficult to decide.
All that self-expression in the sixties took its toll on many marriages. Just around the corner was the trend not to marry at all. This would obviously lead to fewer divorces.
Here is a somewhat forced attempt at humour. The Spanish conquistador plundered the Aztec empire with catastrophic consequences for the indigenous population. The suggestion here is that Montezuma understood the long- term consequences.
