Study for Title Page from Punch, Volume 81 1881

Charles Samuel Keene made this study for the title page from Punch, Volume 81, using pen and brown ink over graphite on cream laid paper. Our eyes are drawn to the figure balancing precariously on one leg, a staff across his shoulders from which the symbols of his trade hang. He reminds me of the figures in ancient Greek comedies. The ‘81’ suspended from his staff may not be as straightforward as it seems. Numbers have always held a certain mystical appeal, haven't they? Think of the Renaissance fascination with numerology and the hidden meanings embedded in art and architecture. This numerical emblem, far from being a mere label, invites us to delve deeper, to seek the hidden codes within. Such symbols defy linear time, reappearing in unexpected guises across the ages, each time colored by the context in which they find themselves.