With the early 19th century, British society discovered an interest in the printed word. Books, magazines and journals became part of everyday life. Decorative illustrations developed into a branch of the applied visual arts, providing a visual accompaniment to text. One particular form of illustration is caricature. James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson are considered the founders of this art form, which makes reference to society and politics. A caricature is often accompanied by criticism, which is hidden or openly demonstrated in the fine lithographs. In the early days of British caricatures, cruel and satirical elements are often present. The illustrator John Leech turned away from this traditional form of representation. The artist found his inspiration on the streets of London. His first works were humorous character studies that Leech collected in vibrant London. Among the facets of bourgeois city life, the artist found individual characters. Empathic and warm-hearted, Leech reveals the qualities of character. Gentle and never malicious, Leech developed sympathetic images of the people of the time.
John Leech achieved a high profile through his work for the British satirical magazine Punch. The humorous magazine was aimed at the general middle-class audience. Punch stood for verbal and graphic satire and humorous social criticism. Leech took on the issues that preoccupied British society. Strongly represented were a hostile attitude against Americanism and anti-Semitic prejudices. The illustrator created a critical yet humorous cartoon series about the Crimean War and was able to influence public attitudes regarding heroism and warfare. Leech changed the view of the role of the British in the world and was an advocate of acceptable social reform. John Leech reached the readership with his cartoons. Reasons for this may be the high artistic value of the lithographs and the lack of crudeness that other artists used to make their points.
The sympathetic characters that John Leech developed helped the illustrator to get a special collaboration. Leech was commissioned to do the illustrations for Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. The story about the grouchy and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas were perfect for the artist. Leech produced four etchings and his depictions of the ghosts remain the most famous Dickens illustrations to this day. A close friendship developed between the Leech and Dickens families. John's wife Anne was unusually involved in her husband's professional life for the time. Anne Leech sat as a model for young women's drawings and supported her husband's artistic endeavors. Rising living costs drove John Leech to take on more commissions than he could handle. He painted and did portraits beyond his strength. Leech became sensitive to the sounds of the city and lost his taste for music. The dedicated artist succumbed to the effects of a heart attack at the age of 47.
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.jpg "Scene from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens by John Leech")
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.jpg "Much Above That Sort of Thing by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Rising Generation by John Leech")
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.jpg "King John signing Magna Carta by John Leech")
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.jpg "Curius Dentatus Refusing the Magnificent Gift Offered by the Samnite Ambassadors by John Leech")
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.jpg "Scrooge")
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.jpg "Take away that Bauble, Cromwell dissolving the Long Parliament, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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 1843 - (MeisterDrucke-57203).jpg "Mr Fezziwig")
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.jpg "Bacchanalian Group, from a Very Old Vase by John Leech")
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.jpg "Mr J S Rarey, the American Horse-Tamer by John Leech")
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.jpg "Epsom Races, the Return from The Derby by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry VIII meeting Francis I, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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_for_Char_-_(MeisterDrucke-1470815).jpg "Marley")
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.jpg "The Ghost of Christmas Present Appearing to Scrooge. Illustration by John Leech for Charles Dickens")
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.jpg "Terrific Combat between Richard Coeur de Lion and Saladin, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "Cloelia and Her Companions Escaping from the Etruscan Camp, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Gathering the Spoils, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Ghost, from")
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.jpg "A Christmas Carol: Mr. Fezziwig")
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.jpg "Blondel, the Minstrel, Under the Walls of Richard")
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.jpg "The Black Mousquetaire, from")
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.jpg "Roman Man-of-War, from a Scarce Medal by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry VIII Monk Hunting, 1850 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Shakespeare Pooh! For my part, I consider Shakespeare a very much over-rated man by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Black Prince as Waiter to King John, c. 1860 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Alarming Prospect, the Single Ladies Off to the Diggings by John Leech")
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.jpg "Hannibal, whilst even yet a child swears eternal hatred to the Romans by John Leech")
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.jpg "Nothing Like Prudence by John Leech")
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.jpg "Experiments in Science by John Leech")
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.jpg "A Picnic in the Drawing Room, a Capital Thing for a Wet Day by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Romans Walking Off with the Sabine Women, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Edward II and his Favourite, Piers Gaveston by John Leech")
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.jpg "Coriolanus Parting from His Wife and Family by John Leech")
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.jpg "Thomas of Rokeby Receiving the Honour of Knighthood, c. 1860 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Cicero Throws Up his Brief, like a Gentleman by John Leech")
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.jpg "Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh, 1850 by John Leech")
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.jpg "That")
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.jpg "The Skilful Henry by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry VIII and his Queen Out-a-Maying, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "King Henry VIII monk hunting by John Leech")
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.jpg "Going to the Ball-The Finishing Touch by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Housewarming, from")
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.jpg "Embarkation of King Henry V at Southampton by John Leech")
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.jpg "Edward II and his Favourite, Piers Gaveston by John Leech")
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.jpg "Discovery of the Laws of Gravitation by Isaac Newton by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Trio of the Stuarts, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Blondel, Under the Walls of Richard")
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.jpg "Queen Mary")
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.jpg "The Earl of Chester Interposing Between Henry III and De Burgh by John Leech")
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.jpg "Non Angli Sed Angeli Forent Si Fuissent Christiani by John Leech")
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.jpg "Birth of the Princess Elizabeth by John Leech")
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.jpg "Ya-ah! Macker-el! William of Trumpington, Abbot of St. Albans by John Leech")
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.jpg "Evening Party - Time of Charles the Second, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "Bacon, Ye Great Moral Philosopher by John Leech")
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.jpg "King Henry VIII by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Great Social Evil, Punch by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Landing of William the Conqueror by John Leech")
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.jpg "John Leech: English illustrator best known for his humour cartoons in the satirical magazine Punch by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Bishop of Beauvais Capturing Salisbury by John Leech")
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.jpg "Horatius Cocles Defending the Bridge by John Leech")
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.jpg "Mr Fezziwig")
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.jpg "Henry of Bolingbroke and the Duke of York by John Leech")
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.jpg "Miss Fabia, the Younger, Astonished at the Patrician")
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.jpg "Mr Punch by John Leech")
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.jpg "Coronation of Henry VII on the Field of Battle by John Leech")
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.jpg "Trained Band. Soldier of the Period by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Quiet Street, a Sketch from a Study Window by John Leech")
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.jpg "Marriage of Henry VI with Margaret of Anjou, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "How the Chartist Procession Might Have Looked, 1848 by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Duke of Burgundy introducing Queen Isabella to Henry V by John Leech")
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.jpg "Miss Shannon")
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.jpg "The Wedding-Party at Mrs Byers")
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.jpg "Hostilities Between England and France by John Leech")
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.jpg "Marriage of Henry the Sixth and Margaret of Anjou by John Leech")
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.jpg "Edward II Resigning His Crown by John Leech")
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.jpg "Higgledy-Piggledy, or a Domestic Republic by John Leech")
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.jpg "Tax Collecting in the Reign of Edward the First, c1860 by John Leech")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-276462).jpg "Topsy turvey - or, our Antipodes by John Leech")
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.jpg "Honest Jack Tars of the Period by John Leech")
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.jpg "Funeral Pile of Sulla by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Romans Clothed by the Inhabitants of Capua by John Leech")
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.jpg "Oh My Goodness! It")
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.jpg "One of the Protector")
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.jpg "King John Signing Magna Carta, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "Guy Fawkes before and after the Torture by John Leech")
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.jpg "Odo dismissed from Rochester Castle by John Leech")
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.jpg "Edward and the Count of Chalons, c1860, c1680 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry the 8th and his Queen out a Maying by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry inspecting his Troops before the Battle of Agincourt by John Leech")
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.jpg "School-boys flogging the Schoolmaster by John Leech")
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.jpg "William the Conqueror inspecting the Volunteers previous to the Invasion of England, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "Celeres, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Cincinnatus Chosen Dictator by John Leech")
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.jpg "Discovery of the Laws of Gravitation by Isaac Newton by John Leech")
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.jpg "Archimedes Taking a Warm Bath (1852) by John Leech")
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.jpg "Fancy Dress Ball by John Leech")
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.jpg "Scrooge")
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.jpg "Close of the Hunting Season, mending the Gaps by John Leech")
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