Douglas Jerrold

A carte-de-visite portrait of Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857), dramatist, novelist, journalist and one of the founders of

Punch magazine. His sympathy for the underdog and his strong criticisms of the Tories, was the main reason why during the 1840s the journal achieved a reputation for radicalism.

Jerrold is now perhaps better known from his reputation as a brilliant wit in conversation than from his writings. As a dramatist he was very popular, though his plays have not kept the stage. He dealt with rather humbler forms of social world than had commonly been represented on the boards. He was one of the first and certainly one of the most successful of the men who in defense of the native English drama endeavoured to stem the tide of translation from the French, which threatened early in the 19th century to drown original native talent. The tales and sketches which form the bulk of Jerrold's collected works vary much in skill and interest; but, although there are evident traces of their having been composed from week to week, they are always marked by keen satirical observation and pungent wit.

Photographed by the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company.