Parade of satire: Puck magazine Easter illustrations from cartooning’s Gilded Age

“Puck,” considered America’s first successful humor magazine, was the creation of Austrian-born cartoonist Joseph Keppler (1838-1894). The magazine took its name from the mischievous sprite in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” as well as its tagline, “What fools these mortals be!”

During its 40-plus-year run until 1918, “Puck” was known for its cutting-edge satire, political caricatures and eye-catching color cartoons.

From the goddess Psyche admiring her reflection in a pond to Columbia donning a battleship bonnet — a comment on American colonial expansionism — the magazine’s Easter covers and illustrations were a showcase of art spanning the whimsical to the politically charged.

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