Christmas Eve at the Moated Grange

This work is inscribed: Emily (in the midst of Aunt Marianna's blood curdling Ghost Story). "Hush! Listen! There's a door banging somewhere down-stairs! - And yet the servants have gone to bed. George, do just run down and see what it can be!" This cartoon was published in 'Punch' on 27th December 1890. 'Punch' was a magazine founded in 1841 by writer Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. The idea came from the French satire newsapaper, 'Le Charivari'. In homage, the first issue of 'Punch' was subtitled, ‘The London Charivari’. 'Punch' was internationally famous for its humour and wit. Its political and social cartoons captured English life in the 19th and 20th centuries. The term ‘cartoon’ previously referred to a preliminary sketch made for murals or stained glass windows. 'Punch' and other illustrated publications adapted the term and introduced the concept of ‘cartoon’ as we know it today.