Puck, 1878-10-30 · page 5 of 16
Puck — October 30, 1878 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Puck satirical page mocks French moral decay allegedly caused by the Paris Exposition. Through nine comic vignettes, it depicts various scandals involving named French figures: - **Père Nicodème Jacques-Marie Duhourg** abandons his family to visit the Exposition - **Jean-Baptiste** goes missing; his sister searches for him - **Norémie** fails to report her employer's progress, creating domestic chaos - **Philippe-Auguste** vanishes and is found "lost" - **Nicodème** gets further lost, discovering his son at the Talmage - Other figures experience marital and family disruptions The satire suggests the Exposition corrupts French morality, drawing people away from family duties and causing widespread domestic confusion. It's essentially mocking France's supposed vulnerability to vice through this cultural event.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PUCK. Horrible Effect of the Paris Exhibition on the Morals of France. The worthy Pére Nicodéme-Jacques-Marie Jean-Baptiste not returning in the course of three Noémie departs, and utterly fails to report Dubourg, of Fouilly-les-Oies, sends his son weeks, his sister Marie Noemie is sent in search of progress in the search for her wayward brother. Jean. Baptiste-Prerre-Hos¢e to Paris, to visit the him Nicodemus seeks out his son-in-law Philippe Exposition and improve his mind, AAvguste-Aristide, and sends him after the pro- digals. Philippe-Avguste vanishes, and is heard of no more. Judging the Cook to be the only remaining person in the houschold who is de- cidedly out of the reach of temptation, he com- missions that stately matron to go for the young Hardly has he recovered from his shock when he encounters kis daughter on the arm of a—a person, The person is not what would be called eligible. Nicodemus is further detighted to meet his son-in-law—with a friend, Auguste was once renowned for the sup- crior quality of his marital devotion. But that was in the Arcadian solitudes of But she, too, appears to be lost, and after a week of impatient waiting, Nicodemus resolves himself to make a descent upon Parisand bring home his wandering flock. He is here seen setting out, in his usual bright, pleasant, good humored way. His conversation is not given, for fear of burning the paper. Philippe- Fouilly-les-Oies. The Cook is the last one to turn up; but she is provided for, and has made intention of disinheriting all her little mash, such as itis. Nicodemus stnkes out for the Exposition, immediately upon his arrival at Paris. He thus makes a startling discovery, and recognizes bis son-and-heir doing the Talmage, so to speak. who persist in the error ways; and leads home to the haunts of virtue and religion a sad but sophisticated sion. Nicodemus announces his of their Proces- comicbooks.com