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 "The Battle of the Boyne, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Queen")
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.jpg "A Scarecrow by John Leech")
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.jpg "The End of Julius Caesar, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Oh! The Merry, Merry Month of May!!! by John Leech")
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.jpg "Roman Pantomime 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 "The Wife of Bath by John Leech")
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.jpg "Aesculapius by John Leech")
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.jpg "Trained Band. Soldier of the Period by John Leech")
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.jpg "Scrooge")
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.jpg "Diet by John Leech")
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.jpg "Remus Jumping Over the Walls by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Landing of Julius Caesar, from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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 1843 - (MeisterDrucke-57203).jpg "Mr Fezziwig")
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.jpg "The Royal Oak. The Penderell family have no idea where Charles is!!!, from The Comic History of England 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 "A Rapid Student by John Leech")
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.jpg "Roman Gladiator and his Patron, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Perkin Warbeck Reading His Confession, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Victor")
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.jpg "The Confession of the old woman clothed in grey, from")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-289901).jpg "A bracing day at the seaside by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Auto-da-Fe, from")
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.jpg "How the Chartist Procession Might Have Looked, 1848 by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Housewarming, from")
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.jpg "Scrooge")
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.jpg "Caesar looking for the Pearls for which Britain was celebrated by John Leech")
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.jpg "A Boy King by John Leech")
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.jpg "One, Two, Three, and Under by John Leech")
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.jpg "Cartoon Commenting on the Watering-Down of Milk by John Leech")
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.jpg "Captain Fisher Doesn")
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.jpg "Snowballing by John Leech")
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.jpg "Master of the Horse by John Leech")
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.jpg "Good Queen Bess, 1897 by John Leech")
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_for_Char_-_(MeisterDrucke-1470815).jpg "Marley")
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.jpg "A Cold in the Head by John Leech")
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.jpg "Blondel, Under the Walls of Richard")
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.jpg "The Lion of the Season, 1861 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Flight of Gaius Gracchus by John Leech")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-258197).jpg "A Brilliant Idea by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Emperor Severus leads his Army against the Northern Barbarians by John Leech")
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.jpg "A Bath Chap by John Leech")
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.jpg "King John Signing Magna Carta, from The Comic History of England 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 "Politeness of Francis to Henry by John Leech")
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.jpg "Judge Jeffreys by John Leech")
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_from_The_Comic_History_of_Eng_-_(MeisterDrucke-390332).jpg "Coronation of Henry IV (from the best authorities), from The Comic History of England by John Leech")
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.jpg "A Point of Honour, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Paris 1856 by John Leech")
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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 "The Last Cider Cup by John Leech")
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.jpg "Cartoon by John Leech by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Bishop of Durham by John Leech")
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.jpg "Mr Briggs Contemplating a Day")
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.jpg "The Kill, on The Cat & Custard Pot Day by John Leech")
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.jpg "Overtaken by the Tide-Margate by John Leech")
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.jpg "Receiving-Day of the Royal Academy by John Leech")
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.jpg "Scipio and Hannibal by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Odious Odo by John Leech")
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.jpg "Valiant feat of Young Mithridates, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Picking up a Crown by John Leech")
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.jpg "Art-Progress by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry V. Sends a Friend to the Dauphin by John Leech")
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.jpg "Parliament in hot water by John Leech")
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.jpg "Gathering the Spoils, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Unknown Image by John Leech")
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.jpg "Garden by John Leech")
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.jpg "Spartacus by John Leech")
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.jpg "Charles I. does not know which way to turn by John Leech")
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.jpg "A Frightful Example. Death of Hardicanute by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Merry Monarch, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Time-Honoured British Threat by John Leech")
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.jpg "Church and State by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry Practising Previous to Challenging Francis by John Leech")
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.jpg "Roman Bull and Priest of the period by John Leech")
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.jpg "Mithridates by John Leech")
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.jpg "Pride Humbled or Jenkins is Compelled to Clean Masters by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Petitioning for a Loan by John Leech")
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.jpg "Henry Tudor, Esq. by John Leech")
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.jpg "Young Ireland in Business for Himself by John Leech")
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.jpg "Grounding medicine by John Leech")
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.jpg "Specimens from Mr Punch")
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.jpg "Misapplication by John Leech")
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.jpg "Joan Trying It On by John Leech")
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.jpg "Mithridates Defying the Romans by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Second George, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Armed Slave by John Leech")
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.jpg "Entrance of the Champion, at the Coronation Banquet by John Leech")
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.jpg "Mrs. Pottles can")
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.jpg "Temperature by John Leech")
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.jpg "The Ghost, from")
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.jpg "Episodes from White Chapel Life by John Leech")
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.jpg "Rash Act of Gaius Gracchus, 1852 by John Leech")
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.jpg "A Matter of Business, 1897 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Prince Arthur Requires His Grandmother to Surrender, c1860 by John Leech")
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.jpg "Early English Style by John Leech")
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