'At the Beach, Scene at Sandbath' After John Leech, 1865, Punch Magazine, Thomas Agnew, Victoriana

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Signed lower left, outside of design, 'John Leech' (British, 1817-1864) and created circa 1865. Titled verso, 'Scenes at Sandbath', and … Read more Signed lower left, outside of design, 'John Leech' (British, 1817-1864) and created circa 1865. Titled verso, 'Scenes at Sandbath', and inscribed, 'The female Blondin out done! Grand morning performance on the narrow plank by the darling xxxxx'.
Published by Thos. Agnew & Sons, London March & L'pool, Jan 2nd, 1865.

John Leech was a British illustrator and caricaturist, best remembered for his contributions to "Punch" magazine. He began working for the company in 1841 and would produce around 3,000 comics and illustrations while in their employment. Leech and Sir John Tenniel were responsible for creating the modern image of John Bull, which was widely published in Punch magazine. John Bull was the personification of England and was originally invented by John Arbuthnot in 1712. The figure quickly fell into popularity and went through a variety of artistic changes in the century that followed, but it was Leech and Tenniel who eventually made the softened, "jovial and honest farmer figure, solid and foursquare, sometimes in Union Jack waistcoat" whom people know and accept today.

(courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica) See less