Perdrix

1926 · réf. 007145 — London: Punch 1926. This original printed appearance of a Punch cartoon featuring Winston S. Churchill comes from the personal collection of Gary L. Stiles author of Churchill in Punch Unicorn Publishing Group 2022. His book is the first ever effort to definitively catalog describe and contextualize all of the many Punch cartoons featuring Churchill. This cartoon titled "THE PASSER-BY." appeared thus on p.71 of the 21 July 1926 issue of Punch. The artist is Bernard Partridge. The cartoon is captioned "Mr. Churchill to M. Caillaux. 'JUMP UP MATE; THE OLD MOKE'LL MANAGE SOMEHOW.' Uncle Sam a realist. 'VERY TOUCHING. I'VE HEARD THAT THIS KIND OF FELLOW-FEELING MAY OFTEN BE FOUND AMONG THE POOR.'" Joseph Caillaux was a French politician who led the Free Radical Party and in this cartoon represents his countrymen traveling on foot. Churchill - then Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer - is riding a cart pulled by a beleaguered donkey "Old Moke" labeled "BRITISH TAXPAYER. In he background representing the United States Uncle Sam whizzes by in a motor car puffing on a cigar supercilious and making a snide comment. Punch or The London Charivari began featuring Churchill cartoons in 1900 when his political career was just beginning. That political career would last two thirds of a century see him occupy Cabinet office during each of the first six decades of the twentieth century carry him twice to the premiership and further still into the annals of history as a preeminent statesman. And throughout that time Punch satirized Churchill in cartoons – more than 600 of them the work of more than 50 different artists. It was a near-perfect relationship between satirists and subject. That Churchill was distinctive in both persona and physical appearance helped make him easy to caricature. To his persona and appearance he added myriad additional satirical temptations not just props like his cigars siren suits V-sign and hats but also a variety of ancillary avocations and vocations like polo painting brick-laying and writing. All these were skewered as well. Some Punch cartoons were laudatory some critical and many humorous like the man himself. Nearly always Churchill was distinctly recognizable a larger-than-life character whose presence caricature served only to magnify. Punch unknown