Monday, 26 January 2009

Eloquence

Edwin (suddenly, after a long pause): 'Darling!'
Angelina: 'Yes, darling?'
Edwin: 'Nothing, darling. Only darling, darling!'
[Bilious Old Gentleman feels quite sick]

In 1888 Gerald du Maurier drew this lovely picture for Punch. Later, with another cartoon, he created a phrase which is still used today.

2 comments:

Froog said...

I spent hours leafing through bound volumes of late Victorian Punch in our school library. I was a strange child.

Do you know the one - of similar vintage to this, though I can't remember the artist - titled, I think, 'Ennui', which depicts an effete young gentleman at his breakfast or luncheon table sighing wearily, "Oh no! Not quails in aspic again!"

Anonymous said...

What do you mean, strange? They were the only volumes worth looking at in our school library.
Sadly, the recently published collection of 2000 Punch cartoons doesn't include the quails and aspic.