John Leech (caricaturist)

For other people with the same name, see John Leech.

John Leech
Leech's carte de visite
Born(1817-08-29)29 August 1817
London, England
Died29 October 1864(1864-10-29) (aged 47)
London, England
Occupation(s)Caricaturist and illustrator

John Leech (29 August 1817 – 29 October 1864) was a British caricaturist and illustrator.[1] He was best known for his work for Punch, a humorous magazine for a broad middle-class audience, combining verbal and graphic political satire with light social comedy. Leech catered to contemporary prejudices, such as anti-Americanism and antisemitism and supported acceptable social reforms. Leech's critical yet humorous cartoons on the Crimean War helped shape public attitudes toward heroism, warfare, and Britons' role in the world.[2][3]

Leech also enjoys fame as the first illustrator of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.[4] He was furthermore a pioneer in comics, creating the recurring character Mr. Briggs and some sequential illustrated gags.[4]

  1. ^ Ray, Gordon N. (1991). "John Leech (1817 – 1864)". The illustrator and the book in England from 1790 to 1914. Dover. p. 82. ISBN 9780486269559.
  2. ^ Richard D. Altick, "'Punch's First Ten Years: The Ingredients of Success", Journal of Newspaper & Periodical History (1991) 7#2 pp. 5–16
  3. ^ Henry J. Miller, "John Leech and the Shaping of the Victorian Cartoon: The Context of Respectability", Victorian Periodicals Review (2009) 42#3 pp. 267–291.
  4. ^ a b "John Leech". lambiek.net. Retrieved 31 July 2019.