Punch, Judy & Toby

Victorian embossed scrap printed by chromolithography
127 x 133mm (5 x 5¼in)
circa 1880

This month is the 350th birthday of Mr Punch and it is being marked by a nationwide celebration of events in Britain. The first recorded sighting in England of a Punch puppet was made in 1662 by Samuel Pepys in Covent Garden, London which he dutifully noted in his diary on 9 May 1662:

Image of Samuel Pepys Thence to see an
Italian puppet play
that is within the
rayles there, which is
very pretty, the best
that ever I saw, and
great resort of gallants

Item of the Month 2012

January - Paul Pry
February - American Passport
March - Lace Paper Trade Card
April - Missionary Print
May - Punch, Judy & Toby
June - Jubilee Menu
July - Cyclists' Road Map
August - Find Seven Boys
September - Album Dedication
October - Virginia Woolf
November - Handwriting
December - Superior Merit

Item of the Month Archive

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This regular feature shows special items from members’ own collections. Submissions by email should include a scan of the item.