John Leech
British caricaturist and illustrator (1817-1864) · Artists · Died at 47
John Leech was a British caricaturist and illustrator. He was best known for his work for Punch, a humorous magazine for a broad middle-class audience, combining verbal and graphic political satire with light social comedy.
John Leech is read about 34 times a day, in 12 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 24 June 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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Photos 12
Leech engraving featured in Punch
A scene from Leech's Comic History of Rome, depicting the Rape of the Sabine Women. The women are portrayed in Victorian costume being carried off from the "Corona et Ancora" ("Crown and Anchor", a common English pub sign in seafaring towns.)
Frontispiece of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, first edition 1843, illustrated by Leech
Substance and Shadow, published in Punch, 1843, the first use of the word cartoon to refer to a satirical drawing
Grave of John Leech in Kensal Green Cemetery
About this person
Leech's critical yet humorous cartoons on the Crimean War helped shape public attitudes toward heroism, warfare, and Britons' role in the world.
Category
Artists
Type
Artist
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1817 to 1864 · aged 47
