SOURCE: This is an original cartoon from British Punch humor/satire magazine, drawn by E. H. Shepard, and published February 18, 1942, pulled from the magazine, original not a modern reproduction. Full size: 8 x 10 1/2 inches, including borders. Pictured image is slightly cropped. Condition -- excellent: bright and clean, the page has been humidified and flattened for best appearance and for framing; the backside has unrelated text with some show-through on the facing side, please look closely.

THE SPRING OFFENSIVE "Nearly ready, mein fuehrer!"

WHO IS THE ARTIST?

Ernest Howard Shepard (1879 -1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is known especially for illustrations of the anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in The Wind in the Willows and Winnie-the-Pooh. He was also a prolific contributor to British Punch magazine beginning around 1906, and became head cartoonist in 1945.

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.