Vintage Print: George Duncan - Scottish Golf Professional - 1929 Punch Magazine

PUNCH MAGAZINE.   It is hard to escape the legacy of the Punch Magazine. From 1841 to 2002, the magazine cast a satirical eye on life in Britain. It charted the interests, concerns and frustrations of the country and today it stands as an invaluable resource not just as cartoon art and satire, but for social historians.

In its formative years Punch combined humour, illustration and political debate with a fresh and radical audacity. During its heyday in the late 1800s, it reflected the conservative views of the growing middle-classes and copies of it could be found in the libraries of diplomats, cabinet ministers and even royalty. In the Western world, Punch played a significant role in the development of satire. In the world of illustration, it practically revolutionized it.

From 1841 to 1992, Punch was the world's most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity -- and how the rest of the world saw the British nation.

------------------------------------- THE ARTIST------------------------------------------------

BERNARD PARTRIDGE  was born in London on 11 October 1861, the third son and sixth child of Professor Richard Partridge FRS, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Fanny Turner. His uncle, John Partridge, was Portrait Painter Extraordinary to Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. Educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, he returned to London to complete his studies at the West London School of Art. Between 1880 and 1884, he worked as a decorator of church interiors and a stained-glass window designer. At the same time, he also worked freelance as a cartoonist, contributing to a number of publications, such as Moonshine, Judy and The Playgoer in the late 1880s, Black & White, Illustrated Bits, Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, The New Budget and The Sketch. In his youth, he also acted professionally under the name Bernard Gould, appearing in 1894 in the first performance of George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man.

On the recommendation of George du Maurier, Partridge joined the staff of Punch in 1891 as a junior cartoonist. In 1901, he was appointed Second Cartoonist to Linley Sambourne, before succeeding Sambourne as Chief Cartoonist in 1910. Initially, he employed his sparkling draughtsmanship to create visual jokes and theatrical caricatures before focusing on political cartooning from 1899 onwards. His final cartoon for Punch was published on 18 April 1945. Between them, Partridge and his great influence Sir John Tenniel produced political cartoons for Punch for 94 years.  Knighted in 1925, he died at his home in Kensington on 9 August 1945.