Punch
Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Rebels and the Raj"
Meaning
Punch was a British magazine of comic satire. Satire means mocking people or events through humour. During the Revolt of 1857 it printed cartoons that showed the rebels as savage and called for harsh revenge. Its pictures helped make British violence against the rebels seem fair and deserved. Historians use these cartoons as evidence of what the British public felt at the time.
Example
Punch's cartoon "Justice" (12 September 1857) shows a fierce woman with a sword and shield crushing rebel sepoys under her feet. Another cartoon, "The Clemency of Canning" (24 October 1857), made fun of Governor General Canning for being merciful. Clemency means mercy.
Don't confuse with
- Illustrated London News: this was a British news weekly, not a comic magazine. It printed pictures of public executions of rebels, such as those at Peshawar (3 October 1857).
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