Often cited as an early influence on the humor of the New Yorker magazine, Puck ran in this country from 1877 to 1918 (it began with a German-language edition). The choice of Shakespeare’s mischievous fairy as the magazine’s namesake and mascot pretty much set the tone for its lighthearted mockery, and judging by the drawings and published cartoons on exhibit at the Flagler Museum, the humor remained gentler than you would have expected from satirists in the Gilded Age. The artists’ subjects are familiar ones: country bumpkins, uppity women, fads, fancies, and, of course, plutocrats and politicians.
The Haunted Auto by Alfred Zantziger Baker (1870–1933) for the cover of Puck, 1910. Collection of Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf, courtesy of the Flagler Museum,Palm Beach, Florida.
One particular drawing will certainly strike a chord with contemporary viewers: The Theatre Conversationalist (1890) suggests an ornate remedy for those who would rather listen to each other than let others listen to a performance. The Haunted Auto (1910) showing the ghosts of animals run down by a reckless driver reminds us that every new technology brings with it the anxieties of its age. But the main draw here is not the topicality of the works but their artistry, especially the full color lithographs that graced Puck’s covers.
With a Wink and a Nod: Cartoonists of the Gilded Age • Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, Florida • to January 3, 2016 • flaglermuseum.us
