Puck, 1877-10-17 · page 7 of 16
Puck — October 17, 1877 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The upper cartoon mocks excessive public displays of affection. Mrs. Soulis criticizes a couple's intimate behavior as "ridiculous" and "indelicate," while Mr. Soulis agrees they shouldn't display such conduct openly—reflecting Victorian-era anxieties about propriety in public spaces. The lower section, "Hands and Feet," presents a series of visual puns depicting hands and feet in various poses, each captioned with witty labels like "Honest Toil," "A Merchant Prince," "The Big Brother," and "Augustus." These appear to be character or social-type commentary through exaggerated gesture, typical of Puck's satirical approach to class and social behavior. The overall page satirizes contemporary manners and social pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TWO HEARTS THAT BEAT AS TWO. Mrs. Squitts (fo Mr. Squills): “Just look at that couple over there. How very indelicate. We should never think of carrying on in that ridiculous manner.” Mr. Squitts: Never indeed, my dear!” HANDS AND FEET. Honest Toit. A MercHANT Prince, ‘THE Bic BROTHER. Fair AND Forty.. MATTER-OF-PACT. ZS ‘THe. MUSICIAN OF MEPHISTOPHELIAN. THE FuTure. CLuMpeERs. Sprinc Cuickens. Cuitp or Nature. Tue Airy Warrer. Man _azout Town. “Tat Serties It,”