VINTAGE BRITISH PUNCH MAGAZINE CARTOON: 

'THE FRENCH WOLF AND THE SIAMESE LAMB'

+ The hungry French wolf looking down threateningly at the meek Siamese (Thai) lamb across the Mekong River. Alluding to the French desire to annex Siam as a colony. 

+ Disputes having arisen between the French and Siamese Governments concerning the boundary of the river Mekong, an ultimatum was sent by France and unconditionally accepted.

+ The Franco-Siamese War of 1893, was a conflict between the French Third Republic and the Kingdom of Siam [now Thailand]. Auguste Pavie, French vice consul in Luang Prabang in 1886, was the chief agent in furthering French interests in Laos. His intrigues, which took advantage of Siamese weakness in the region and periodic invasions by Vietnamese rebels from Tonkin, increased tensions between Bangkok and Paris. Following the conflict, the Siamese agreed to cede Laos to France, an act that led to the significant expansion of French Indochina.

+ Note: this cartoon comes with an additional page with related text. Also has a half-page cartoon by George du Maurier.

Illustrator: John Tenniel, famous illustrator of Alice in Wonderland, from British Punch humor/satire magazine, August 5, 1893, pulled from the magazine, not a modern reproduction. Size 8 x 10 1/2 inches. Condition: very good -- minor toning, clean, the page has been humidified and flattened for best appearance and for framing; the backside is blank. 

________________________________________________________________

Over 5,000 Punch cartoons listed for sale (store category "Punch cartoons") -- humor, satire and propaganda; combine orders and save shipping charges. Questions are always welcome. If buying more than one, please use 'Add to Basket' instead of 'Buy now' then hit "send total" so I can adjust the invoice for shipping. 

WHO IS THE ILLUSTRATOR?

+ Sir John Tenniel 1820 –1914) was an English illustrator, graphic humourist and political cartoonist prominent in the second half of the 19th century. An alumnus of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, he was knighted for artistic achievements in 1893, the first such honour ever bestowed on an illustrator or cartoonist.

+ Tenniel is remembered mainly as the principal political cartoonist for Punch magazine for over 50 years and for his illustrations to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871). Tenniel's detailed black-and-white drawings remain the definitive depiction of the Alice characters, with comic book illustrator and writer Bryan Talbot stating, "Carroll never describes the Mad Hatter: our image of him is pure Tenniel."

WHAT IS PUNCH?

Punch, a magazine of humor and satire, ran from 1841-2002. A very British institution renowned internationally for its wit and irreverence, it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. 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. In its formative years Punch combined humors, 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. Over the decades as it charted the interests, concerns and frustrations of the country and today it stands as an invaluable source of cartoon art, satire, but as primary source material for historians.