The image depicts a satirical Victorian cartoon titled "THE GOLF STREAM," originally published in Punch magazine.
Excellent condition. Some small indents on frame. Stored in a smoke free home.
Meaning and Context
The cartoon is a play on words, punning on the Gulf Stream, the warm ocean current that affects the British climate.
Social Satire: It lampoons the overwhelming popularity of golf in Scotland and the rest of the UK during the late 19th century. Instead of a current of warm water, the "stream" consists of a massive, unending line of people of all ages and classes carrying golf clubs.
The Text: The caption reads: "Flows along the eastern coast of Scotland during the summer and autumn (Vide Report of British Association—Section V)."
Pseudo-Scientific Jab: The reference to the "British Association—Section V" mocks the formal academic reports of the era, treating the seasonal migration of golfers to the Scottish coast as a geographical or meteorological phenomenon.
Publication Details
Source:Punch, or the London Charivari.
Date: Likely from the 1880s or 1890s, a period often called the "Golfing Boom" when the sport transitioned from a niche Scottish pastime to a national obsession.
Artist: The detailed cross-hatching and character styles are characteristic of the "Golden Age" of British illustration. Similar works often appeared in Punch's Golf Stories collections.
Measures 25.5 cm wide x 21 cm in height.
It measures overall 24 cm wide x 34.5 cm in height.
Previously hung in a smoke free home. Some marks on back but not normally visible when hung.
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