Punch's annual staff dinners must have been singular affairs, attended as they were by literary lights as well as by leading cartoonists and illustrators. Held at the Café Royal in London, the dinners had French menus and were punctuated with toasts, entertainment, and dancing to live music. Each menu was designed by a prominent Punch cartoonist. An eBay sale from 2018 included the menus from 1952 to 1955, as well as from 1957. The cartoonists are Bill Hewison (1954 and 1957), Ronald Searle (1952), George Sprod (1953), and Norman Thelwell (1955). One of the two 1954 menus included in the sale had been autographed by many of the attendees, including Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator Ernest H. Shepard.
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Punch dinner menu designers, top row: Bill Hewison (1957), Ronald Searle (1952), George Sprod (1953)
Middle row: Norman Thelwell (1955), Hewison (1954)
Bottom row: Hewison (1954), Thelwell (1955) |
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| Punch staff dinner menu designed by Bill Hewison (1957) |
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| The 1954 menu includes the signature of Norman Thelwell, top right |
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| With the unusually sloppy signature of Ronald Searle, center. |
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| With the signature of Ernest H. Shepard, bottom |
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| Autographed menu designed by Bill Hewison (1954) with many signatures on the back cover including that of Ernest H. Shepard (lower left) and of R. E. Williams (right, by the dog's head). On Twitter, @PunchBooks has added more: "We think the Brockbank signature [above Williams] might be for Russell's wife Eileen. We also spied the signature of Mary Knox, wife of E V Knox, the former editor of PUNCH; Mary was the daughter of Ernest H Shepard and an illustrator in her own right, most famously for the Mary Poppins books!" |
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| Autographs, interior |
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| Ronald Searle (1952, interior) |
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| Bill Hewison (1954) |
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| Ronald Searle (1952) |
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| Punch Annual Dinner and Dance menu designed by George Sprod (1953) |
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| Punch menu illustrations by Norman Thelwell (1955) |
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Punch Annual Staff Dinner Menus
eBay Listing Ended November 7, 2018
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Punch Annual Staff Dinner Menus
eBay item description |
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Punch Annual Staff Dinner Menus
eBay bid history
The last minute bid failed because the second-to-last bid placed was higher. The last bidder had enough time to bid again, but did not. |
January 21, 2021 Update: Thanks to @PunchBooks on Twitter for helping out with some of the signatures on the back cover of the 1954 menu.
Note: I might have made an error in labeling that first photo, as the eBay seller notes two copies of each Hewison menu, but I count two copies of the Thelwell menu as well. If you spot a mistake, please let me know. I am always happy to make corrections.
I suppose this is the time for me to request images of menus, particularly those designed by cartoonists. Punch menus from other years than we have here would be welcome. Original art by any of these artists could also work quite well on the blog.
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