A cartoon drawing of classic marooned guys on an island. One is saying the caption to the other. They are referring to a mermaid on a nearby rock, whose chest features an udder. Get it???
This feels like a @bradguigar.com joke. "She's part mermaid and part sea cow."
📖 Gent Yearbook, 1982
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A cartoon drawing of a man in an office holding up a stack of papers, offering them to another, nervous-looking man. The sign behind them reads GLEAMO THE PURE PATENT LEATHER BOOT POLISH. The caption continues: "...We shall be pleased to keep your place open for you during your absence. And, Mr. Wilton, you might take a few thousand of our circulars in your knapsack to be distributed among the enemy in the regrettable event of your being taken prisoner."
A cartoon from the onset of WWI:
THE WAR ON GERMAN COMMERCE
"We are glad to hear, Mr. Wilton, that you have volunteered for the active service. We are proud to know that you are ready to do your duty as a Briton..." (full transcript in alt text)
📖 London Punch, Oct 14, 1914
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A cartoon of a well-dressed man kicking a baby, who is dropping a banner reading 'Vote for O'Toole'. The caption reads: John O'Toole, candidate for Mayor, ends his campaign by kicking a baby.
Rare Cuomo ad from Ballyhoo magazine, 1934
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A cartoon of a man standing in a field, addressing another man who is standing on a ladder painting a tall sign. The sign reads 'TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED.' It's clearly not a landscape.
I looked up Punch from 100 years ago today! The best comic from the 6/10/1925 issue:
"Short-sighted old Gentleman. 'That's a very pretty bit of landscape you've chosen to paint, Sir. But don't you think you could work more comfortably at an ordinary easel?'"
📖 London Punch #magazinetimemachine
A cartoon drawing of a crowd of cave people (men, women, children, and a coyote-looking animal with a bone) in front of a cave, where a skin has been draped reading PICTURES. An art gallery cocktail hour atmosphere is the general vibe.
Caveman gags go way back, it seems.
"Cynical Artist (neolithic). 'These private views are silly things. Half of these people don't care a mammoth's hoot about art. They only come to look at each other's clothes.' "
📖 London Punch, 1926
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A drawing of a child in an enormous period-appropriate dress, labeled "1860." Then, a drawing of presumably the same child, now an old woman, labeled "To-day." She is wearing the same dress, though.
This one's pretty cute. "1860 / Today. Renewing her youth."
📖 LIFE magazine, 1920
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A screenshot of a cartoon in three parts. The first part shows a woman wearing a tall round 1890s hat the frames her hair and face. The second shows a woman in a 1920s thimble-shaped hat low over her hair and brow, her eyes not visible. The third shows the supposed future hat, which covers the entire top half of the woman, her eyes showing through tiny holes like a cartoon ghost, her legs poking out the bottom.
Punch had a feature, MANNERS AND MODES, which is about "then and now". Here's one about hats.
"In times gone by the interest used to centre round a woman's face."
"Now they hide their faces."
"And soon the interest will be entirely at the other end."
📖 London Punch, 1926
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A full-page cartoon drawing of a seaside pier, at the end of which an enormous serpentine sea monster has been wrangled out of the water, a fishing line squiggling from its mouth. Hundreds of tiny people are fleeing from the scene.
"Little Willie Jones, with a bent pin, wins the first prize in the annual sea-fishing competition at Paddlebeach Pier."
Just look at that snakey boi. What a catch
📖 London Punch, 1930
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A cartoon drawing of a kid with a container of wax, polishing the floor just inside his home's front door to a glossy sheen. Another kid in an army jacket looks on with a smile.
"The last time my dad slipped fifty cents fell out of his pocket!"
the REAL dennis the menace over here
📖 Liberty Magazine, 1944
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A cartoon drawing of a...geez, how to explain this. There's a caveman holding a work bag and a...shield? Like he's leaving work? He is being approached by a hansom cab being pulled by a centaur. The human part of the centaur is wearing a cabman's uniform. It's a quite lovely drawing.
IN CENTAUR TIMES: "Keb, sir?"
📖 LIFE, 1905
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A cartoon drawing of a man behind a desk. Facing him is an enormous, gear-filled robot drawn in glorious Industrial Age style. On the man's desk are papers reading "Production / Costs / Wages / Output."
THE SAVING OF LABOUR.
The Robot. "Master, I can do the work of fifty men."
Employer. "Yes, I know that, but who is to support the fifty men?"
📖 London Punch, 1933
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Cartoon drawing. A man is showing slides from (presumably) a safari excursion. On the screen is a ferocious, lunging lion. His and his viewers' backs are to the open door, through which appears a conniving-looking lion!
"Although I escaped, I certainly had to admire that beast's determination to track me down!"
📖 Cartoon Laughs, 1967
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Cartoon drawing. Two hikers, having discovered a body, are reading a note presumably found on the body. They appear to be in a remote desert. Whoopsie doodle!
"He wants to be buried at sea."
📖 Cartoon Laughs, 1967
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A cartoon drawing of a science lab. On a table, two scientists (presumably) are tied up. A fire is smoldering where they are sitting. It seems they are being executed. The perpetrator, standing over them, is a grinning robot.
"Somewhere along the way, we must have failed him."
📖 Cartoon Laughs, 1967
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A cartoon drawing of an astronaut in space suit clutching an alien. A rocket ship is in the background; a crater in the foreground. They are clearly on the moon or Mars or somewhere not Earth.
"We can't go on seeing each other this way, Margrott. My government can't afford it!"
📖 Cartoon Laughs, 1967
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A full-page cartoon drawing showing the interior of an enormous mansion, complete with chandelier, enormous paintings and rugs, fancy chairs, and a butler holding suitcases. The "departing wife" is yelling at a man in a tailcoat holding a cigar. The people are extremely tiny in the huge, opulent space.
DEPARTING WIFE -- "And before I go, John Amos Blobbs, I want to tell you how intolerably cramped I have been in this -- this shack!"
The unnecessary specificity of the name really makes this one sing
📖 Judge Magazine, 1925
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A cartoon showing a bunch of firefighters draping hoses and ladders all around and about a burning house. The resident couple is on the front lawn in robes and coats. The wife is pleading to her husband, her hands outstretched.
"John! You'll have to speak to them about the ridiculous way they are treating these flower beds!"
📖 Judge magazine, 1925
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A woman listens to a phonograph with a contented smile on her face. Caption in post.
"Gosh, won't it be wonderful to get back into the inter-war years again!"
📖 London Punch, 1945
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A cartoon of a fakir-type bearded character in a turban, scowling at his bed of nails, upon which a white cat is curled up asleep
Cats, man!
📖 Cartoon from London Punch, 1941 #magazinetimemachine
A cartoon drawing of a woman handing a book and pencil to a seated man in a bowtie, who sits imperiously with fingers steepled
"Well, I must be off, dear, so here's your library book and here's your pencil in case you should want to write 'Bosh!' in the margin."
📖 London Punch, 1945
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A cartoon of a man in pajamas with his hands up in an empty room. A burglar is stealing his bed, propping it on a shoulder as he exits through an open window, pointing a gun back at the resident.
Burgled!
📖 London Punch, 1945
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A witch points to a sad-looking frog wearing a crown as an equally sad princess looks on from the riverbank.
"And so I have just postponed his release group for a thousand years."
(This is a reference to soldiers being discharged after the war is over)
📖 London Punch, 1945
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A cartoon drawing. A caveman real estate agent shows a caveman family (parents and kids) a cave. Poking its head out of the cave is a giant long-necked dinosaur and several smaller baby dinosaurs.
"This is a most desirable little residence, but we can't guarantee a date for vacant possession."
📖 London Punch, 1945
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An illustration of a proposed helicopter prototype featuring several propellers, umbrellas, and fans (?) The image is captioned as described in the original post.
Popular Science over here pulling zero punches
"A helicopter with an ingenious umbrella feature. It will do almost anything except fly"
📖 Popular Science from 1918 #magazinetimemachine
A cartoon of a young couple chatting in a living room. The woman is gesturing to an older man, her father, who is doing a classic cartoon fall backwards take.
"Go on wise-cracking, Cuthbert. Don't mind Father—he works in a comic strip for a living."
📖 Judge Magazine, 1927 #magazinetimemachine
A cartoon drawing of a man pursuing a second man, throwing knives at him, and presumably attempting to hit him, but instead, narrowly missing him every time
"Damn my stage training!"
📖 Cartoon from Ballyhoo Magazine, 1936
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A cartoon drawing of an older woman in a chair, looking crossly away into the distance. One arm rests on the head of her daughter, who is crumpled on the ground in a supplicant pose, gazing up at her mother, an agonized look on her face. Nearby, a cat sniffs at a flowered hat.
"Daughter, is it true what folks hev been a-sayin’ ’bout you goin’ inta musical comedy?"
"They lied, mother! I’m a shoplifter!"
📖 Cartoon from Judge magazine, 1924
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A talent agent sits behind a desk holding a cigar, watching an audition consisting of an alligator on its hind legs, holding a man in its jaws, who is cheerily juggling a bunch of balls. On the wall behind the agent is a framed photo of a showgirl, presumably indicating the sort of act that would be preferable.
"I like it, but I ain't the public!"
Cartoon from Ballyhoo Magazine, 1936
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An 1894 political cartoon in pen & ink. An old granny-looking character is holding up her skirts on a muddy street. Her skirt is adorned with "£sd" (British currency) and it appears that her petticoat is made of banknotes. The cartoon is labeled A DIRTY CROSSING and the caption reads: The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street (loq.): "O dear, O dear! I wish I were out of this nasty mess!"
Another John Tenniel political cartoon from Punch.
I love this one for the classically 'editorial cartoon' labeling: The mud or whatever in the pavement reads 'MISMANAGEMENT'
('The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street' is a reference to the Bank of England)
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A John Tenniel drawing from London Punch, 1888. In beautiful lineart, we see a stern woman labeled EUROPA, with a sword and crown, saying "Thou com'st in such a questionable shape!" (a quote from Hamlet). The drawing is captioned BEAR OR BUG-BEAR? She is speaking to an enormous bear, who is outfitted with lots of guns and wears the characteristic spiked helmet of the German military. This is probably a reference to something happening in Europe at the time.
For context: the above drawing was from an Italian newspaper. Other images from the same set imply it was a political cartoon & those two were political figures.
The wildest poses, costumes, etc from this period were political cartoons—they could be full of allegory. Example:
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