Puck was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was founded in 1871 as a German-language publication by Joseph Keppler, an Austrian-born cartoonist. Puck’s first English-language edition was published in 1877, covering issues like New York City’s Tammany Hall, presidential politics, and social issues of the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
Puck magazine covers in the 19th century
“Puckish” means “childishly mischievous”. This led Shakespeare’s Puck character (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream) to be recast as a charming near-naked boy and used as the title of the magazine. Puck was the first magazine to carry illustrated advertising and the first to successfully adopt full-color lithography printing for a weekly publication.
Puck was published from 1871 until 1918. Here below is a set of amazing photos that shows covers of Puck magazine in the 19th century.
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