Puck

Puck was the pioneering American humor and satire magazine, and this 1909 cover reflects the mature, richly colored style that made it a landmark of the form. Founded in the 1870s—first in a German-language edition and soon in English—Puck took its name and mischievous mascot from the sprite of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the motto declaring what fools these mortals be. The magazine was distinguished by its lavish, full-color lithographic cartoons, an expensive and eye-catching technique that set it apart from the black-and-white illustrated press. Under the artistic leadership of Joseph Keppler, whose elaborate allegorical cartoons defined its look, Puck skewered political corruption, monopolies, and the follies of the Gilded Age with a distinctly progressive and often anti-establishment edge. Its crowded, symbol-laden spreads demanded—and rewarded—close reading. As one of the leading satirical weeklies of its day, Puck served as a proving ground for cartoonists and helped establish caricature as a central feature of American popular publishing. Its blend of vivid color, sequential visual storytelling, and pointed commentary anticipated much of the illustrated culture from which comics would later emerge.