CARTOON IN “JUDY”
by an unknown artist
Judy; or the London Serio-Comic Journal was a Victorian era journal that ran from May 1, 1867 until its final issue on October 23, 1907.
It was a lesser known rival to the older, more satirical, and more familiar magazine Punch, or The London Charivari — with both magazines clearly taking their names from the traditional British seaside puppets Punch and Judy.
The above cartoon, from the December 1, 1886 issue, features the great man by the fireside having returned to “little wifey” and her homely setting from a congenial gathering of artists.
The illustration of the discriminating gentleman clearly suggests a caricature of Oscar Wilde: the facial features, the hair of the period, one hand on the hip, and an askance pinkie.
Food Insecurity
The caption, too, is a lampoon of the Wilde-type dilettante whose true inspiration has been revealed.
It reads (with perhaps an even longer list being concluded):
Little Wifey.—Then there were two great painters, and two great authors, and an eminent tragedian, and—YOU! What a gathering together of congenial souls!
He.—Yes! Rather too many of us, I thought, when there was only dinner enough for four.
© John Cooper, 2025.
The motto Prodesse Delectando is from Horace (Ars Poetica).
The Latin injunction that poetry should both “instruct and delight” reflects Judy’s subtitle as a serio-comic journal.